High Impact Leaders

This is the final episode in our six-part series calledFive Steps to Build a Solid Team from the Ground Up.

So far in the series, we covered steps 1-4 including creating a cohesive vision for your team, building trust, dealing with conflict better, and then, last week, how to build a cooperative team that is synergistic.

Just to quickly review last week's content, we talked about seven principles to guide your leaders so that you can create a team where the sum is more effective than the parts.

This week, I'm going to cover the final step in building a solid team: creating fantastic leaders at all levels of your organization. Just as an FYI, most executives and managers want to start with this stage. But remember what we covered in episode one of the series—each step is progressive. The later steps will only work as the early steps are implemented effectively.

If, at any stage in the process, your team struggles, you have to back up a step and refocus on the earlier stage. For instance, if you practice the conflict principles that we covered in part three of the series and the team is resistant, back up and build up the trust level first.

The process only works if all the earlier pieces are in place. Going back to the first analogy I gave you in part one, at this point, we are building the penthouse. But if you have no electricity, plumbing, steel beams, lower levels, foundation, or even a blueprint... well... good luck.

So, if you haven't listened to the earlier episodes, make sure to stop the episode and listen to the early steps first.

By the way, this episode is brought to you by leadersinstitute.com. For leadership or team-building ideas, please visit our website at www.leadersinstitute.com

If you like the podcast's content, please leave me a review on your podcast app and subscribe to the podcast so your phone automatically downloads each episode.

This is part five of a six-part series called the Five Steps to Build a Solid Team from the Ground Up.

In the first few episodes, I discussed the importance of having a solid mission and vision for your organization so that everyone is on the same page. Next, we discussed the importance of building solid trust and developing rapport among team members. Last week, we focused on how conflicts, when handled properly, can create breakthroughs in your organization.

This week, I'm going to cover how to build a cooperative team -- basically, I'll show you how to create synergy within your team so that they accomplish more.

So, in this episode, I'll give you seven turnkey principles that will help you build cooperation and teamwork throughout your organization.

This is part four of a six-part series called the Five Steps to Build a Solid Team from the Ground Up.

Last week, we discussed how important it is to build trust where your team likes and respects each other. This step is the foundation for building a team culture. If your team doesn't trust each other and doesn't trust management, nothing else that we cover will have any value. This is the foundation.

This week, we cover how to deal more effectively with conflicts in the workplace. Early in my career, I taught how to resolve conflicts or even avoid them. However, today, I have a different take on conflict. Over the years, I've realized that conflicts in the workplace are the catalyst that creates breakthroughs.

So, in this episode, I'll give you seven simple things that you can do to encourage positive conflicts without harming that solid level of trust that we focused on in the last episode

This is part three of a six-part series called the Five Steps to Build a Solid Team from the Ground Up.

Last week, we covered how important it is to create a shared vision and goals for your team. I explained the difference between a corporate vision statement, a corporate mission statement, and corporate values. Each of these has a specific purpose and, if used properly, will help you and your team make better decisions when growing your business.

What we covered in step one is valuable because it creates the blueprint for your team. It helps them visualize their purpose and determine whether their decisions align with the corporate philosophy.

This week, we cover the second step in the five-step process—building trust and fostering a more cohesive team culture. This step is vital to a healthy corporate culture. If your team doesn't trust each other and doesn't trust management, nothing else that we cover will have any value. This is the foundation.

In this episode, I'll give you seven simple things that you can consistently do for and with your team to build trust within your organization and improve communication.

By the way, this episode is brought to you by leadersinstitute.com. For leadership or team-building ideas, please visit our website at www.leadersinstitute.com

If you like the podcast's content, please leave me a review on your podcast app and subscribe to the podcast so your phone automatically downloads each episode.

This is part 2 of a six-part series called the Five Steps to Build a Solid Team from the Ground Up.

Last week, I gave you an overview of all five steps. If you recall, I mentioned that this five-step process was like building a skyscraper. Everyone wants to visit the Penthouse once the building is completed. But there is a lot of work along the way to make sure the structure is solid. What we covered last week would be similar to the blueprint to building your corporate skyscraper.

It's always good to have a clear picture of where you want to go before you start a journey. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to last week's episode, it might be a good idea to listen to that episode before jumping into this one.

This week we dive into step one which is about create a shared vision and goals for your team. Going back to our building a skyscraper analogy, this step is like digging a solid foundation. If you try to build a skyscraper but just set it on flat Earth, it will fall over very easily. Your Vision, Mission, and Values are the backhoe digging the foundation of the skyscraper. The deeper you dig, the higher you can build the building.

In this episode, I'll explain the difference between a corporate vision statement, a corporate mission statement, and corporate values. Each has a specific purpose. And, if used properly, each will help you and your team make better decisions when growing your business.

Today, we are starting a new six-part series called the Five Characteristics of Highly Effective Teams.

Today, I'm going to give an overview of the entire process. Hopefully, as we cover the different steps, you'll see a lot of resemblance to what you are experiencing within your own office.

Think of this five-step process like building a skyscraper. Everyone wants to visit the Penthouse once the building is completed. But there is a lot of work along the way to make sure the structure is solid.

So, on this episode, I'll give you the blueprint to building your corporate skyscraper. Then, in the next five weeks, we'll go into each step in more detail.

By the way, this episode is brought to you by leadersinstitute.com. For leadership or team-building ideas, please visit our website at www.leadersinstitute.com.

On today's episode, I'm going to explore the concept of experience being the best teacher. It is true that people learn by doing. We've actually built our coaching practice on that concept. When a good coach helps someone develop a new skill and the person has a success, his or her confidence will grow.

But the concept of experience being the best teacher is also absolutely false. And if you don't understand why, you may be inadvertently lengthening your learning curve when you try something new.

So today, I'm going to cover a few things that, once you understand them, will increase your success level pretty dramatically. They are the concepts that helped me go from a broke, really in-debt college kid to a multimillionaire in just a few years.

Show Notes: Experience is NOT the Best Teacher (How to Shorten Your Learning Curve.)

Poor leadership skills can ruin team morale. As a manager, you hold more power than you might think. Obviously, you can hire and fire your subordinates. You can also promote them… or not promote them. You may also have the ability to approve a raise. If not, you at least have the ability to conduct the annual review.

In essence, your leadership skills and moral compass have a direct impact on their career. Even if you treat everyone fairly, your impact on their lives is unmistakable. This is why having a great boss is the number one wish of most employees. They often rank this above more vacation time and a bigger paycheck.

However, some managers can inadvertently destroy the confidence of their employees. When this happens, it can permanently damage morale. Low morale then creates poor employee retention.

Even the best executives avoid committing these bad leadership behaviors.

Full Shoe Notes: 5 Ways that Poor Leadership Skills Can Harm Morale (and How to Fix Them)

Today I'm covering part two of a two-part series on updating your resume and LinkedIn profile. Last week, I covered how you want to customize your resume for every company (and every interviewer) that you apply to.
If you just send out a generic resume to hundreds of people, you'll likely just be disappointed with the results.
This week, though, I'll cover how to do better research before you go on the interview and also how to update your LinkedIn profile.

Create a Stunning LinkedIn Profile that Proves You Are the Expert.

Once a potential employer receives your resume or application, he or she will scan it quickly. Then, the person with Google you. So as important as the resume is to a good first impression, your internet activity is even more vital. For most of us, our LinkedIn profile will rank toward the top of any internet search. So spend some time making your appearance on LinkedIn inviting to a prospective employer. This episode covers a few simple things you can do to update your LinkedIn profile in 2023.
Show Notes: How to Update Your LinkedIn Profile is 2023

Government reports are saying that unemployment is still very low. However, I'm starting to see more and more layoffs from really big companies. In fact, Business News Daily reported that layoffs are continuing to pile up at a rate that is approaching the way they were in the early days of the pandemic.

So, this week, I'm going to cover a few ideas on how to update your resume just in case you are one of these folks who are looking for a new employer. If it is time to dust off the old resume or CV, use the strategies that I cover today.

Before we get to the technical stuff, though, we will show you how to avoid falling into the most dangerous resume trap out there. (Here is a little hint… Your resume should never be about YOU.)

Instead, you want to focus on the problems that you have helped employers solve. If these prospective employers know that when they hire you, they will have fewer challenges to deal with, you will put yourself at the top of the hiring list.

Instead of Making Your Resume a List of Accomplishments, Make It a List of Problems Solved.

Don’t get me wrong. Your resume should absolutely be about you and your accomplishments. However, if that is all that you highlight, you will miss out on a great opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition. Human beings tend to all have a few things in common. Most of us are pretty self-centered. We all have problems. We also all have challenges that we have to deal with. Well, guess what. Your prospective employer isn’t a title or a company. The prospective employer is an actual human being. The prospective employer has challenges and problems.

So when he or she makes a hiring decision, the main thing they want to know is the following…

Will hiring this particular person help me solve problems or will hiring the person cause more problems?

Often, we assume that the prospective employer will read our qualifications and automatically conclude that this qualification will be of benefit to the company. By the way, most prospective employers are smart people. So many actually will do this. However, if you do this step for the employer, you make that person’s job easier.

So if you do this simple step, you now present yourself as someone who can make the job of the employer much easier. That is huge considering the main goal the prospective employer has. The way that you are presenting your information to the employer is making his or her job easier. You are a problem-solver.

Show Notes: How to Update Your Resume in 2023