High Impact Leaders

Who said that experience is the best teacher? Well, just about everyone who has ever taken a class on a subject and who later struggled to apply the content. In fact, one of the reasons why we attract so many people to our leadership classes is that we understand that people learn by doing.

When a teacher or coach gives us instructions, their words are just theoretical knowledge. However, when we put those words into practice and ex...

Looking for a way to get a group to solve challenging problems without coming to blows? In this session, I’m going to cover a few effective group problem solving techniques. 

One of the more challenging leadership skills is getting a group to work together on a common problem. However, a group of individuals can be more creative and productive than any one person alone.

Whether it's competing egos butting heads or complete lack ...

Want to create more a more effective team meeting for your group? Well first, let’s assess where your team meetings are right now.

How would you describe meetings you have attended in the past? Better yet… How would your team describe your team meetings? Over the past 20 years, I have asked that question to over 1,200 audiences. 

In this episode I'm going to tell you exactly what I've learned from those 20 years of improvin...

 This week, we will focus on Management Skills. Managers have a slightly different skill set than leaders. Once the path is already created, the manager makes the movement along that path more efficient and effective. So the leader creates the plan. Then, the manager implements the plan in the most efficient way possible. 

If you're a leader looking to get into management or just a manager looking to improve yourself, these 5 s...

For the last few weeks, I've been going through my list of the 25 absolute best Business Books of all time. And today, I finish up the list with a few of my favorite marketing books. Then, finally, I give you the best leadership book of all time. So, if you remember back to the first episode in this series, I told you that How to Win Friends was the book to start with. It is so entertaining and so much fun that if you just rea...

A couple of weeks ago, I explained how experience is NOT the best teacher. Someone else's experience is really the best teacher. When you can learn form someone else who has already done what you want to do, you shorten your learning curve. You can get to their success level much faster.

That means that you can go even further.

The first week, I gave you my best leadership books. Last week, we focused on how ...

A couple of weeks ago, I explained how experience is NOT the best teacher. Someone else's experience is really the best teacher. When you can learn form someone else who has already done what you want to do, you shorten your learning curve. You can get to their success level much faster.

That means that you can go even further.

The first week, I gave you my best leadership books. Last week, we focused on how ...

In today's digital world with AI at our fingertips and the answer to every question just a Google away, it's easy to feel like there is really no need to read, or attend seminars, or take a class. But the one, major constant that I have seen in the most successful people that I have interacted with is that every single one -- I mean every one -- is an avid reader. It's the way that they all became so successful.
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Last week, I covered the different generations in the workplace. On that episode, we talked about how the different communication channels that each generation prefers depends a lot on the technology that was trendy during their formative years.

That's why Gen X team members want you to just pick up the phone and call them and why Millennials will text each other on Slack even though they are sitting in the same room.

So if you ...

A client recently asked me to do some research on the differences between the generations in the workplace. Specifically, she wanted to know about the different styles of communication between different ages. I like to think of myself as a communication expert. Granted, those who work around me will likely argue with that diagnosis.

However, I have to admit, some of the things I uncovered while doing this project really surprised me...

Business leaders who learn how to improve their conversation skills have a dramatic (no pun intended) advantage in their professional lives. These good conversation skills enable them to communicate their needs more effectively and also brainstorm innovative ideas with their team members.

However, corporate cultures with rigid rules and coworkers that resist change can quash this creative process before it even starts. Anytime you h...

On this week's episode I'm going to be talking about listening skills. Now, hold up, I'm sure when you read that the first thing you think is "welp, guess I'm skipping this week's episode, I already have excellent listening skills, I know several people that could certainly use this episode though" but the truth is, there's probably people who think the same thing about you. 

Listeni...

Merry Christmas, everyone. Happy Hannukah, and Happy New Year. I hope your new year gets started off with a lot of growth in your business and happiness for you and your team members.

In order to help, I wanted to start the new year off with an episode about how to become more organized as a leader. If you recall, a few weeks ago, I did an episode about creating a specific vision of where you want to go -- a roadmap if you will.In t...

Last week, we talked about how to motivate your team. This week, I want to back up a little, and talk about how to stay self-motivated as well.The self-talk -- what we say to ourselves as the day goes on -- can either help you get ahead or ensure you stay behind. I'll give you an example of how I used this to start my business.In my 20s, I was working myself to death trying to get ahead. I had proposed to my girlfriend, and we...

Leadership and management skills are not coded into our DNA. Even the best leaders must hone their skills over time with hard work. You can do this through study, research, experimentation, and sometimes... trial and error.

Even during the optimal times, keeping a motivated team is one of the greatest challenges. And no matter how good things are right now, every company will go through some hard times. During those tough times, you...

I have to admit that I am uncomfortable when given constructive criticism. You know why? Because I’m human. Guess what… You are too. (You are also human.) So, if most people are uncomfortable receiving constructive feedback, is it really constructive? In addition, is there a real difference between constructive criticism and destructive criticism?

Well, the answer is both “yes” and “no.” Any type of criticism can be destructive to a...

You’ll hear people tell you that you need to create “SMART Goals” or that “You have to make your professional goals line up with your personal goals.” Or, “The best way to develop your future self is to create an action plan of smaller goals moving you toward more attainable goals.”

I suppose that all of those things are true. But my advice is not to overly complicate the process. In “plain speak,” figure out where you want to go, d...