First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠
Welcome to First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠. Leading people is the most important responsibility in the world, yet 60% of first-time leaders fail. The good news? It's preventable. Incorrect leader selection distresses your people, increases your operating costs, and erodes your culture experience. Drawing on more than four decades of transforming leaders, I share concise, practical solutions you can apply immediately to become a more effective people-centered leader. This podcast is for first-time leaders and those responsible for hiring, selecting, and developing them. I'm Timothy Dean Smith, your host and coach. Each month, we'll solve a leader challenge together. If you find my podcast valuable, please share it with those responsible for hiring, selecting, and developing them. I help organizations select the right people and prepare them to successfully transition into people-centered leaders for a lifetime. Are the right people leading your people? If you're not completely confident in your answer, I invite you to visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me. Let's have a "get to know each other" conversation. Until next time, remember, leading people is not just another responsibility. It is the most important responsibility in the world. Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast. Take care.
Episodes
Today, I will to introduce you to a concept I pioneered that has become the goal of everything I teach, coach, and speak about: Contagious Performance Improvement℠.
Are the right people leading your people? If you're not completely confident in your answer, I invite you to register for my complimentary Executive Discovery Session, ...
In this episode I focus on the first 3 months of your leader transition phase. Your first 3 months are about positioning yourself as the right people-centered leader. I call the first 3 months the Listening, Learning, and Leading Tour. This tour is critical for the first 3 months but should continue daily.
There are three types of KPIs. Two measure results and one shapes your team and culture. KPIs help prevent blind spots. Ironically, the most important of these KPIs, are the ones most organizations miss.
If you need assistance assessing and accelerating the transformation and transition of first-time leaders, Click Meet Me or visit...
A common pitfall for first-time leaders is, the "Fix-it" Obsession. I will explain why "rescuing" your team often leads to burnout for you and stagnation for them. You attempt to be the hero, but you become a bottleneck, holding your team back.
If you need assistance assessing and accelerating the transformation and transition of f...
Often when a peer is select to lead their current team, the process is mistakenly viewed as a promotion, when it’s actually a career transformation and transition.
If you need assistance of a first-time leader trainer, coach and/or dysfunctional culture improvement, click here, schedule our "get to know each other" conversati...
This episode is about recognizing and taking the first step to correct Leader Illusion.
If you think you’re leading but feel like no one is following, your initial instinct is usually right. You are probably experiencing leader illusion. People may give you the illusion they are following you, because they must, due to your t...
This episode is about how others see you differently, when you transition from an individual performer to first-time leader. I will be focusing on what I believe is the most important leader skill, Self-Leadership. Self-leadership is a fancy way of describing how you lead your life. Often, the most difficult person to lead, is you...
This episode will be my final episode of 2025. I will be focusing on what I believe is the most important leader skill, Self-Leadership. Self-leadership is a fancy way of describing how you lead your life. Often, the most difficult person to lead, is yourself.
If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Developmen...
Often leader candidates don’t receive proper people-centered leader training? You can learn to be a leader in a classroom, but you can’t become a leader in the classroom. There is a huge difference between learning leader skills and experiencing them. You can’t teach experience. Once you are trained, you need to ...
If the leader candidate is lacking one or more of the four prerequisites, the candidate should not be promoted to a leader role. Doing so would be a recipe for failure, not to mention, create a lot of distress and loss of money. It is okay for the leader candidate to remain an individual performer.
If you need a Leadership Speaker ...
To be a great people-centered leader, you must genuinely care FOR and ABOUT people. You need to do both.
1.Caring FOR people is doing something for their well-being and helping them grow. It’s something you do to demonstrate you care for those you lead.
2.Caring ABOUT people is being emotionally concerned about their well-bein...
We live in an “always on” and “always connected” world. We expect instant gratification, either accessing information or receiving a response.
Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out
If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com...
It's unfortunate but all too often organizations unknowingly get rid of their best people and simultaneously wreck their culture, in three easy steps. I will explain how and why this problem occurs and how to fix it.
Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out
If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Devel...
New Year's resolutions should not only consider improving existing processes but also have an atypical consideration of whether those processes should continue to be performed at all.
Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out
If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Imp...
Late Sunday afternoon or early Sunday evening, many people start thinking about Monday morning and their return to work. These thoughts reflect their feelings about their work culture.
Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out
If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Im...
Many things in life are cyclical. Leading people is no different. Today I will explain the People-Centered Leader Cycle.
Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out
If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.
I look forward t...
Remember, it’s more than having the right people on the bus, those people need to be in the right seats. This means the right people should be performing using their strengths.
If you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.
I look forward to our "get to know each othe...
Improvement and adaptability are our two most important abilities for survival. Just focusing on continuous performance improvement will not necessarily sustain an organization. Adapting to our everchanging world is important to remain relevant.
Visit tdspi.com and select one of two options:
Click on Find Out to take my free, se...
When you transition from individual performer to first-time leader, often you inherit something you did not create. Unless you are an entrepreneur, hiring your first employees, you inherit everything, including the Vision, the Mission, the people, the culture and organizational history.
Referenced Episodes:
Endangered Pe...
Delegation is the process of entrusting another person, to perform something other than their primary responsibility. In this episode you will learn why delegation is more than getting things done.
Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out
Treat people like they make a difference and they will.
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