Out Of The Comfort Zone

Collaboration is a hot topic among leaders… so is inclusivity. However, few know what to do to truly build a collaborative and inclusive culture – especially when groups start from a position of distrust. Collin Rustin has the answer on to what to do. His process has successfully taken conflict ridden groups through turmoil and on to greater trust, authentic relationships and genuine dialogue. The focus is Collin’s wisdom and experience.

Are you not managing stress as well as you would like to do? Do you question your leadership and your contribution? Do you need to let go of some control? These are the topics for this show based on the principles of Heart-Centered Leadership. brHeart-Centered Leadership is about being more mindful as leaders – understanding the impact of self-care and authenticity on the satisfaction and well-being of the workforce and, by extension, the bottom line.

Do you manage people (or clients) who are in different locations from you? Do you end up having most of your conversations via phone or video conference rather than face-to-face? If so, this show is full of practical tips from a leader who’s clients and teams are distributed. Hear his experiences and the tactics he uses to make virtual interactions highly effective.

As an expert, how do you know if you are ready to manage on a larger scale? Are you prepared for the challenges that come with that step like navigating through customer complaints? How can you prepare to work with the top of the organization? And, how can you tell if it’s time to step back into an individual contributor role? Tune in for the answers to these and other questions.

How do you increase someone else’s receptivity to your message about influence? For starters, be clear about the purpose of your efforts to influence - are you trying to influence action, thinking or fundamental mindset? There is more to do as well. Tune in to hear how to increase receptivity, the differences in influence approaches, the structure of an influence conversation and the 9 principles of influence.

High stakes mean emotions are high, trust is less than ideal, tension is up, there is controversy and often we feel politics have come into play. In those moments how can you engage people, particularly your peers and the CEO, in a constructive conversation that gets a good outcome? What strategies can you use when a hostile question is thrown out in a meeting? What should you do and not do in your delivery? What does the CEO really want to hear from you?

Are you looking for better ways to engage your team? Do you need to change the culture within your team? Do you need to find ways to instill the right leadership behaviors? All of these are dramatically affected by one thing – the stories you and the team tell. Actually, the stories people tell may be more significant than you can imagine. Tune in to hear why and what to do.

Have you ever wondered how to understand your purpose at work or how to find purpose and meaning in your work? As a leader, do you aspire to lead so that others find meaning and purpose in what they do? If so, this show is for you. It’s easy to use the words but not so easy to understand what to do – until you hear from Arthur Woods, this week’s guest.

We know the importance of getting buy-in, getting people on board with your idea, bringing people around on a change initiative, persuading people that your way of thinking is the best way. Yet, it is never an easy thing to do. Laurence Lewis has introduced and sold many initiatives in his career. People describe him as a master at influence. Tune in to hear his experience and his advice for getting people on board.

Negotiation is a important tool – one we typically think of as applicable to sales scenarios. But, negotiation is a powerful and effective way to influence people whether you are trying to influence the price, influence a peer to support you in a project or influence your manager. What are the best practices in negotiation? What should you avoid doing? How can you start to use those tools now? Join us to find out.

Ever wonder how to walk into a room full of people you don’t know and start a conversation – even if you are an introvert? Have you ever searched for a way to end a conversation? And, how do you follow-up with people you just met? Join us for answers to these questions along with other tips from a networking expert.

If you know you haven’t mastered the art of networking, this interview is for you. We focus on why a network is powerful and then how you can extend your network in practical ways, how to find and nurture valuable connections and how to develop sponsorship.

Most people (98%) have better ideas when they are not at work. How can you create an environment at work where ideas come forward? It’s not just about running a brainstorming session. Instead it’s much more about the culture you create and the way you as a leader grow ideas. The good news is that there are clear tips on what to do and what to avoid doing. Tune in to hear the advice.

The ability to influence is a survival skill in organizations of all sizes. We know it matters but few seem to be very skilled at it. Richard Shell is a true expert on the art of influence and the research that supports best practices. He will be talking about what creates effective influence as well the barriers that get in our way. In addition, we will be talking about how to successfully pitch an idea and how to insure you have genuine commitment.

All of us pack an enormous amount into our daily lives – at work, outside of work, with family, friends, charities, hobbies, exercise and the list goes on. Too many of us have not two but three and four jobs – or what used to be the jobs of multiple people. There is never enough time. So how can you organize yourself, not just manage time but fold time and conquer the world? Listen to Neen James’s, an expert on productivity and performance, advice.

Let’s face it, regardless where you work, inevitably you end up working with, or for, someone whom is just not easy to get along with ... recognizing that what is difficult for one person, may well be relatively easy for someone else. Sometimes the challenge occurs because of a difference in style or personality. Sometimes it’s a difference in values. Regardless the reason, you have to find a way to manage the situation. That is the focus of the show... how to cope with challenging personalities.

In our continuing series on emotional intelligence, we are turning to perhaps one of the most challenging aspects – that is, being able to stay calm in times of chaos, managing your own levels of stress particularly when things are going awry, and more importantly, regulating your own emotions. Dena Michelli, this week’s guest, focuses on developing and deploying top talent. In particular, she sees leadership as managing a series of paradoxes – being vulnerable but not too vulnerable, managing emotions but not being too emotional, handling stress and using stress effectively. Listen to her perspective on how to manage your emotions to get the best from people around you.

My guest, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, an expert on emotional intelligence and personality assessment, has a distinct view on how emotional intelligence contributes to success in the current economy and to your reputation as a leader. Hear his views on whether it is possible to have too much EQ or to over use it as well as his advice on developing EQ.

What does emotional intelligence look like in action – over the course of a career? That’s our focus. Heidi Diamond, as well respected, senior executive who has been in a variety of industries will talk about how using emotional intelligence helped inspire a team through a crisis at Martha Stewart Living, how use used emotion to build the team to drive performance and finally how emotional intelligence allowed her to integrate into a corporate culture that was very different then her typical style.

Continuing in the series on emotional intelligence, we are joined by a leader and a builder of businesses to focus on how emotional intelligence is used to make a difference to team performance. Hear how Janine developed her own emotional intelligence and how it helps her drive performance in her teams.