Provoking Your Greatness - Misti Burmeister

Struggling with a small staff? Need to find a way to get the ones you have fully engaged? Here are three key steps to take:   Clarify Outcomes   Beyond shareholder value, bonuses and becoming “the best,” consider gaining clarity and communicating consistently these three elements:   How does your product/service contribute to your customers’ needs? And, how does your company/team deliver the product/service that adds great value to your customers’ lives? Why do you personally care about the outcomes of your work? Why does your team care about the outcomes of their work? What are they striving to achieve in their career?   Employees who are passionate, driven and highly engaged seek leaders (often subconsciously) with such clarity.   Vulnerability   People in positions of authority often think they’re supposed to be the ones with all the answers. So, they bark orders under the guise of, “I pay you to do a job,” without realizing their team will most strongly support the ideas they help to create.   Consider

Yogi Roth is a Pac-12 Networks college football analyst, Filmmaker, Scholar, New York Times Best-Selling Author, accomplished Coach, Motivational Speaker, Media Personality, Host and World-Traveler who has been studying human potential for over a decade.   Most recently, Roth made his directorial debut with the documentary feature film, LIFE IN A WALK, which took home the Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival. LIFE IN A WALK follows Roth and his father, Will, on their trek along the Camino De Santiago, a famous pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain, where he listens to, learns from and discovers more about his hero than he ever imagined.   He is also the co-founder of Win Forever, LLC with Pete Carroll, which is an applied mindset training program for corporate leaders to develop a culture of high performance for individuals and teams to become the very best in their fields.   Throughout his career, Yogi has been exposed to some of the best coaches, thinkers and leader

Ever been in a touristy area where you were bombarded with restaurant staff doing their best dance to get your into their establishment? Often, they start with their own version of “hello,” and then quickly make their way to, “Come eat?” The first couple of times, saying, “No, thank you,” is no big deal. But after a while it gets annoying, and you start avoiding their side of the road. Even still, one lady in Sorrento, Italy, called out across the road to us, “Hey girls, what are you doing?” Apparently, she thought this approach would work better than her usual of, “Come and eat girls?” “We’re going for a walk,” I responded, avoiding eye contact and continuing in the direction of the shops. “Well, stop walking and come eat,” she commanded, as if such a tactic might actually work. And it did, just not to her advantage. It literally made me stop and think—If you have to beg us to eat there, your food probably isn’t very good. From that moment forward, we avoided any restaurant with staff trying to lure us in, a

Busy, overwhelmed “Yeser’s” listen up. Yes, there’s a reason we keep getting asked to take on more—we say “Yes,” and we are the one’s who will make sure the job gets done, even if our other projects suffer and we wind up sick from exhaustion.   Why do we keep getting picked to do the project? Because we are driven doers. We’ll run through fire to honor our word, and we’re the first to admit it. In fact, it’s a badge of honor we wear. In our quest to get it all in, we say, “Yes!” It’s an honorable and awesome quality, and I love us for it!   The problem comes in when our badge of honor is not tempered with focus and freedom… to say “no.” When our inability to say “no,” or “not now,” leads to illness, exhaustion, anxiety, sleepless nights, or, worse yet, passing out at an event where we’re in charge (yes, I witnessed this happen just a couple of weeks ago), it’s time to investigate the story we tell ourselves that leads to saying “Yes” at every chance.   Fear—of…   … missing out, … letting people down, … being

We don’t bat an eye at spending countless hours researching and figuring out how to use our new cell phone and all the awesome applications we’ve downloaded. We invest our time, money, and resources in getting the best gadgets on the planet, forgetting that we are our most valuable resource.   Imagine the difference you could make for yourself if you stopped to notice what’s working (and not working) in your life by consistently carving out time to reflect. Such information aids greatly in overall energy, enthusiasm and excitement for work, team members, and life. Your surroundings are consistently providing feedback—the challenge is in stopping long enough to benefit from the wisdom you receive.   The following are four topics you can use for daily journaling. Pick one or two to get started, commit to writing every day, and build from there.   Gratitude—what are you most grateful for and why? (i.e. I get to swim at an awesome facility, I have wonderful friends, and awesome cats. I’m grateful for Byron Katie

Seeking understanding is the last thing we want to do when someone has offended us, tainted our reputation, or put us in harm’s way. It’s far easier to hold tightly to our beliefs, keep our anger, and strengthen our story by gathering all the necessary data and buy-in from others. It’s risky to seek their perspective and listen openly and authentically to their thought process, particularly when they might not demonstrate such concern in return. They may never ask about our experience, or even appreciate our interest in understanding theirs, making it far easier to keep our animosity and find a way to punish them. “He’s my boss’s, boss’s, boss,” Brad said, “And I have no idea how to write the letter to his boss explaining how his poor choices put my life in danger. What do I do?” “Do you have a way of contacting the man you’re upset with directly?” I asked. “No. I mean… I know his name, but I don’t know his contact information.” “Could you find it?” “Well, maybe… but if I do talk to him then I can no longer a

While sitting in a plush conference room, staring out at a beautiful lake, and sipping the green tea that was automatically dispensed for me at the push of a button, I found myself eager to get to know the gentleman responsible for building this empire. He was a handsome man in his late forties, wearing a sharp-looking suit, and walked with an air of confidence almost expected with such success. I found myself wondering if he understood just how intimidating his demeanor and words could come across. “Yes, I’ve gotten that feedback several times throughout my career,” he said. By the end of the meeting, I learned that nearly every relationship that was not strictly business related had disappeared, and he was struggling with loneliness and isolation in a profound and disturbing way. Success has very little to do with the dollar amount in your bank account, and everything to do with the way you spend your resources—time, money, etc. A joyful experience of life, most days, has become my barometer of success. The

Without growth, companies, teams, leaders, and careers stagnate. Stagnation leads to hording, silos, distrust, conflict, and tension. Without a growth-provoking intervention, such stagnation quickly causes complacency, hording of resources, turnover, or worse yet, disengagement. Disengaged employees not only fail to do their best work, but they actively share their negativity with colleagues and customers alike, sabotaging your reputation and halting growth. To avoid the stench of stagnation, consider stepping up to the challenges associated with each the following 5 pitfalls to growth: Failure to continue learning “I don’t have time to read, listen, watch… to master a new skill, to learn about a new industry, or focus on building new relationships… I am busy!” In fairness, I get it—you are busy. And, considering your commitment to growth, here are a few questions to provoke clarity of direction.  Challenge: Ask yourself, “What am I (or my team) so busy striving to achieve, specifically? And, why does success

Have you ever found yourself reading the comments section for a restaurant you found on Yelp (or another similar application) and thought to yourself, “How is this place even in business?” Or, “Wow, I’ve got to try this place!”   While restaurant owners reap many benefits from Yelp, few cash in on one of the most valuable elements of these online tools. Coincidentally, it’s the same element most of us avoid regardless of success, position, industry, or experience.   Hungry for authentic Greek food in Baltimore, I grabbed my phone and did a quick search. It a matter of moments, I saw which ones were highly rated, read through a few comments, and then made my choice.   After thoroughly enjoying the food, I found myself chatting it up with the owner, who is thinking about opening another location in DC. During our conversation, I learned about his love/hate relationship with Yelp and the painstaking process they continue to go through as they work toward simplifying their menu and ordering process.      “It’s c

During this fun and lively interview, Lisa Rosenthal shares the story that lead to her passion for building a powerful brand and company culture. Considering the turbulent nature of the government contracting industry, I was deeply interested in learning how Mayvin has successfully reached 90% employee retention, particularly considering the all-too-common threat of poaching. Lisa shared her secret strategies for driving retention through innovation, engagement, and collaboration. Listen in!   About Lisa Rosenthal: she is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of The Mayvin Consulting Group, a dynamic women-owned small business. In less than 4 years, her team doubled the firm’s revenues annually making the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing firms 3 years in a row.  Their two-fold specialty in supporting both Program Management and Mission Support projects for the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense has resulted in revenues exceeding $15M/year. Lisa also sits on the Board of Directors f

Whether you invest your time, energy and capital in raising cows, pigs, and chickens, or in entrepreneurial ideas, advancing your mission, strengthening your team, or developing your career, it seems the process for healthy and sustainable growth is the same.   A few weeks ago, the Washington Business Journal hosted Steve Case, co-founder of America Online (AOL) and current Chairman/CEO of Revolution LLC, an investment firm that is funneling cash into businesses, people, and ideas that are changing the world.   “Innovation,” Case said, “isn’t happening only in Silicon Valley—it’s happening all around the country, and Revolution LLC is looking for the visionaries, ideas and communities to invest in.”   Curious, I asked Mr. Case, “What are some of the characteristics you look for in a community where innovation is likely to happen?”   “Communities in which collaboration is high. We tend to see this more often in areas that have come through difficulty—Detroit and New Orleans are great examples,” Case said, and

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” —Theodore Roosevelt   Your decision is clear—you’re going make your imprint in your industry. You work hard, do your research, and put yourself out there. Feeling great, you think, “I’ve got this!” Then, you watch as someone else brilliantly outshines you, and think, “I could never be that good, so why bother.” Deflated, you begin questioning your goals, and start wondering if you should try a different route to success.   Has this happened to you? It happens to me nearly every time I watch someone deliver (what looks like) a flawless speech. It doesn’t matter whether I’m watching them on YouTube, in a small gathering, or on a giant stage. In fact, it doesn’t even matter if they speak on a totally different topic.   Watching his ridiculously powerful stage presence, I found it difficult to stop analyzing the way he told his stories long enough to even appreciate how Dan Barber fell in love with a fish. Fortunately, I caught myself and was able to appreciate both his content

With a touch of desperation and a tone of sincerity, she took the microphone during the Q&A section of my speech, and asked, “How do I get the very best human resource leaders to put their time and energy into helping me become one of the best?”   Her question, along with the desperation, felt incredibly familiar to me, as I remembered back to the days I pleaded with several talented speakers and messaging experts to help me find and share my message. In fact, I remember snapping a photo of this quote—   “Give me a place to stand, and I will change the world.”   —and sending it to Dawn, a gifted speaker and my former coach, secretly hoping she would tell me exactly what I believe in and how to package it so that I would gain traction in my career.    “I feel like a Lamborghini… inches off the ground. Help me get my wheels to touch the pavement, and I’ll take off,” I’d say, hoping that someone would take pity on me and devote their time and resources to providing me with the exact opportunities and experie

Last week, I took a trip out to Spooks, Virginia. It’s located in Shenandoah Valley, and man is it beautiful there! It also happens to be where Polyface Farms is located.   For those of you who follow the sustainable farming movement, or watched Food Inc—a documentary on sustainable solutions to food production—you might remember Joel Salatin. He’s the man behind Polyface Farms, and one heck of a passionate believer in creating the best possible system for both the environment and his livestock.   Cozying up on bails of hay thrown on top of a flat bed trailer, which was pulled by a big tractor, we took our tour of the farm. A few times throughout the tour, they stopped the tractors and Joel answer questions as he explained his system for rotating animals. As we weaved around his property, you could not help but be taken in by the beauty of the lush green pastures and rolling hills.   On our second stop, Joel explained how he keeps his soil and grass healthy, along with ensuring his animals get proper nourishm

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” ― Jim Rohn While I have never been a fan of the idea that we are the sum total of our five closest friends, I do appreciate the awareness that such a statement creates. The idea begs a couple of important questions— 1—What am I learning from the actions (or inactions) of those around me? 2—How are my actions (or inactions) instructing others? Often, without our even realizing it, those around us are taking cues from us about how to behave, what to say, and even whether or not to believe in themselves. If you’re in a leadership role, the chances of others imitating you are 10x’s stronger—no pressure! It’s a ridiculous amount of responsibility, yet the potential for inspiration and personal growth are insanely powerful when we accept it. The truth inherent in this reality hit me between the eyes when my friend Aisha shared a bit about her experience of being stationed in Kentucky after growing up in Queens, New York. In Queens, she told her

During the Q&A session of a panel discussion I was a part of recently, a woman stood up and asked, “Is it okay to cry at work?”   Previous to that moment, I would have said, “Of course, it’s okay to cry.” But I held my tongue because of the words I’d heard Freeman Hrabowski, President of UMBC, say during a speech just a few months before.   “We teach our female students not to cry at work,” he said.   At the time, I remember thinking, “You’re a guy—what do you know about women and emotions?” I found myself irritated with the fact a man of great influence was actively teaching women to hold back their emotions.   Clearly, he didn’t get it. Or, did he? Am I blind to something that he, along with several prominent women in history, sees?   Waiting for my panel-mates to share their own version of, “I’m a crier,” my mind went back to a few years ago when I listened to a speaker share about his mothers approach to emotions. “I watched her,” he said, “in the heat of difficult business conversations. She held her

Do you remember when you were a kid and really wanted a bowl of delicious ice cream for desert? Yes, a bowl. Several scoops, with gobs of toppings. And, you wanted it as your main course, not just desert.   But, you knew your parents wouldn’t go for that, so you pushed your carrots around, ate your potatoes, and had a few bites of protein before you proclaimed yourself as ready for that mint chocolate chip yummy goodness.   “You need to eat a few more bites of your carrots and chicken, and then we can talk desert,” your parents would say. (For the record, my parents never had to use this technique on any of us… we ate everything, and always had extra room for desert, so you have to forgive me if I don’t get this game exactly right.)   Cutting your chicken into the tiniest pieces, you took a few extra bites, showed your progress, as you prepared your pallet for that vanilla bean delicious goodness.   “You can eat a few more of those carrots,” your dad would say, “And then you can have your cookies n’ cream wit

Joel Salatin is a disruptor, entrepreneur, revolutionary farmer, and one heck of a leader. His work through Polyface Inc. (“The Farm of Many Faces”) has been featured in SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, GOURMET and countless other radio, television and print media. Profiled on the Lives of the 21st Century series with Peter Jennings on ABC World News, his after-broadcast chat room fielded more hits than any other segment to date. It achieved iconic status as the grass farm featured in the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA by food writer guru Michael Pollan and the award-winning film documentary, FOOD INC.   Recently, I had a chance to visit the farm and was blown away by Joel’s perspective on innovation. “Disruption is critical for growth,” Joel said, as he explained his systematic approach for rotating his animals on the farm. Beyond farming, he talked about the importance of having difficult conversations and learning through disagreement.   As you can imagine, I had SO many questions!

"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." —Gloria Steinem Freedom is delicious—intoxicating, really. It tastes like ice cream, and feels like abs of steel. It sounds like seagulls, crashing waves, laughter… adventure, and looks like an overflowing bank account. It sounds like generous and peaceful conversations with family and colleagues, and it feels like a million kindhearted hugs. Who wouldn’t want that kind of freedom? Freedom to be who you are unapologetically, to buy what you want, to travel where you want without concern for a budget, to do work that’s meaningful to you, and to take all the time you want to think, process, and recharge as needed. Yes, freedom is yummy. And, such a delightful taste is made possible by the combination of specific ingredients… not all of which taste good in isolation. If freedom is one side of the coin, responsibility is the other. Responsibility for a specific result puts us on the hook, and leaves us vulnerable to the possibility of failure. It’s ea

Not in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined that a young man, in a hoodie, talking hoodlum to his buddies through his wrist phone at a local coffee shop, could ever turn me into a hustler for his business.   But—it happened, and here’s how…   With 17% battery, he squeezed in right beside me at the tall table facing the lake at a local coffee shop, and plugged in his computer. His hoody covered most of his head, though his headphones, resting on his cheekbones, poked out, and left me wondering what project he was working on.   Watching him bring his wrist up to his mouth, I listened as he rattled off a few sentences before refocusing on his computer. “Nah bro, not now…” he said in a deep tone with a bit of inner city youth.   Curious, I asked, “What project are you working on?”   “I’m starting a tee shirt business,” he said, “I’m going to be taking people’s vacation pics and printing them on a shirt.”   “Very cool. Do you have a website I can check out?”   “No, I just came up with the idea this morning