Accelerate Your Performance

We’re right in the middle of changing, challenging times, and most industries are feeling it. Change often comes with resistance in both our professional lives and our personal lives. Change is rarely comfortable. When the Blue Wahoos baseball stadium was built in downtown Pensacola about a decade ago, Quint Studer, who led the effort, faced tremendous resistance to change. Ultimately, the stadium and baseball team became a true catalyst for positive change in our community. Listen as Quint shares the lessons he learned while leading his organization through community resistance to change.

This episode addresses questions, such as:

• What key actions can leaders take to manage resistance to change among their teams?
• How can leaders get buy-in as they communicate change to different groups of people?
• What driving factor can help take leaders across the finish line when leading change?

Recommended Resources: Leading Change, Factors of Change Inventory, Leading Change with Empathy, Change Audit

• How can leaders help foster a spirit of innovation among team members?
• What kinds of questions can leaders ask to help bring about innovative solutions?
• What should leaders focus on in order to inspire innovation that leads their organization from surviving to thriving amid COVID-19?

As organizations and schools prepare to re-open, the safety and wellbeing of employees is a top priority. With many anxious about returning to work and school, we need to think about how we can create spaces that reduce these tensions—to help our employees and students do their best work and be successful. In this episode, Rich Bluni shares recommendations for making work environments safer and more peaceful.

This episode addresses questions, such as:

• How can a peaceful, relaxing work environment benefit employees? 
• Why is it important for leaders to support employee wellbeing in the workplace?
• What questions can leaders ask to connect with individuals to help bring meaning to their work?

 Recommended Resources:

Meet 5 Critical Employee Needs, Emotional Bank Account, From Hopeless to Champion, The Power of Perspective, Leader Connect Questions, & Inspired Nurse

In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve seen a heightened appreciation for teachers and nurses. Now quite often, we see love and gratitude and appreciation for them shared publicly on social media, in the news, in commercials, and on billboards. In our conversations, we talk about them and we share their stories. This pandemic has helped us all see even more the heroes they truly are—and really, have always been. Both the nursing and teaching professions are filled with servants who want to make a difference. While their work is rewarding, it can also be tiring and challenging. In this episode, listen as Rich Bluni shares tips from his book Inspired Nurse that both teachers and leaders can put into action to stay inspired at work.
 

This episode addresses questions, such as:

• What actions can we take to help foster peaceful environments at work?
• How can we shift our perspectives to stay energized and passionate about work?
• What can teachers do to stay inspired as they get ready for the fall semester? 

Recommended Resources:

Connect to Purpose, The Power of Storytelling, The Benefits of Being a Mentor, The Power of Perspective, Inspired Nurse

 All leaders face challenges, but women in leadership roles experience unique obstacles. Our guest today, Jackie Gaines, who has more than 40 years of leadership experience, explains the importance of mentorship for women leaders. That’s why Jackie decided to write a book with “rules of the road” for women who aspire to be great leaders in business. Her bestseller, The Yellow Suit: A Guide for Women in Leadership, offers women a simple guide on how to be a highly effective leader in today’s world. In this episode, Jackie shares her story behind the “yellow suit,” how to find what brings you joy, and why any of us can be a leader.

This episode addresses questions, such as:

• Why is it important for women and men to collaborate in the workplace?
• What is the difference between authentic professionalism and the perception of professionalism? 
• How can leaders maintain their integrity? 

Recommended Resources: Wearing the Yellow Suit, The Importance of Mentorship, Choosing Your Path, Are You Leading Your Work?, Connect to Purpose, 

Leading from the middle is not easy. In the words of Quint Studer, middle managers have the “toughest job anywhere.” If you’re a mid-level leader who can relate to this feeling—good news—you don’t have to stay stuck here. In this episode, Quint shares practices from his book, The Busy Leader’s Handbook, to help guide leaders with the unique challenges they face.

This episode addresses questions, such as:

• What are three key actions for middle leaders to execute during times of disruption?
• What can leaders do today to become a great leader?
• Why is self-awareness critical to leadership? 

You can contact Quint directly at [email protected] or purchase the Busy Leader Handbook online.

Recommended Resources:

Mid-Level Leaders: Who Are They?, Take a 360 Look, Three Positives For Every One Constructive Feedback, The Busy Leader's Handbook

As schools and organizations across the country prepare to re-open, it won’t be business as usual. Safety will be front and center. While learning remains a priority, the safety, health, and well-being of students, teachers, and staff will be just as important. So what will it take to successfully transition back into schools after COVID-19? In this episode, Sabrina Hebeler—Chief of Staff with Infrastructure Planning and Facilities at Michigan State University—explains how asking the right questions to the right people has been an important key—not only in the university’s successful transition to virtual—but in getting ready for a very different fall semester.

This episode addresses questions, such as: 

•  How can organizations learn from this pandemic to prepare for a successful Fall 2020 semester?
• What steps can leaders take now to prepare for making schools and campuses safe and healthy learning environments this fall?
• How can leaders effectively communicate changes for the fall semester?

Recommended Resources: Change Audit, Leading Change, Five Tips to Use Data to Action Plan, Building Trust with New Teams

Related Podcast Episodes: Leading Change with Empathy, Intentional Communication Starts with Why

During times of uncertainty, it is easy to get caught up in feelings of chaos and confusion. The rapid spread of COVID-19 across our countries has forced organizations and leaders to adapt quickly and make tough decisions. Tea Area School District leaders, Dr. Jennifer Lowery, and Dr. Tonia Warzecha join Janet on today’s show to share how their district took action to stay focused and communicate clearly with their teams and the rapidly growing community they serve. 

 This episode addresses questions, such as:

• What are two or three actions leaders can take to keep people moving in a positive direction? 
• How can we stay focused on our priorities during times of chaos? 
• How can organizations learn from this pandemic to advance their services?

 Recommended Resources:

Communicate the Right Way, Anticipate a Continuously Evolving Future, 9 Tips for Leader Communication During Disruption, & Intentional Communication Starts with Why

Related Podcast Episodes:  Intentional Communication Starts with Why, Move Forward By Doing the Next Right Thing, & Anticipate a Continuously Evolving Future

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented change for schools all over the country. Education has been forced to transform before our eyes. Our schools are rising to the challenge, serving as a model for change and transition, despite the obstacles. Casey Blochowiak shares how leaders in her district made decisions that prioritized service and learning to support their quick and successful transition to virtual learning and work.

This episode addresses questions, such as:

• What learning practices were implemented that prepared leaders and employees to transition to virtual work and learning? 
• How can school districts use data and measure success now that learning has gone virtual? 
• How can leaders make decisions that sustain relationships during difficult times?

Recommended Resources: Leading and Managing Change, Why Organizational Change Fails, Phases of Individual Change, Leading Change with Empathy, &  Where Are You Now, and Where Are You Going?  

Times of crisis often come with tough decisions for leaders, like the pressure to cut costs. And while budget cuts are something no leader wants to have to do, Quint Studer points out there’s an opportunity here organizations will want to seize. In this episode, Janet and Quint discuss how leaders can cut costs in practical ways and the unique opportunities we can glean from crisis times. 

This episode will address questions such as:

• What advice do you give to leaders as they face declining budgets and resources?
• What are the practical ways leaders can cut costs? 
• What opportunities should leaders take advantage of in the wake of crisis-related budget cuts?

Recommended Resources: 

Be Bold About Action, What the Best Leaders Do to Communicate with Employees During Critical Times, Improvement & Innovation, & Anticipating Change