ADVANCE: Take Your Next Step with Mike Acker

INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 29

Do you sometimes feel like you need someone outside of your family to talk to or spend time with? That’s why we all need friends in our life. Now that the world is still in lockdown conditions, good friends could make you feel less isolated.

 In today’s episode of the Advance podcast, Mike shares the importance of friendships and discusses a few ways by which you can make good friends in life. He digs into his experience trying to find friends in the past and expands on what should and should not be done to build great friendships with people.
What are the four principles to making friendships?

5:19

The first one is to extend yourself. If you're a leader, extend yourself because people are looking to you. Extend yourself, get away from the wall, and stop hiding behind responsibilities. 

9:45

Think through your first impression.  Think about how you make other people feel. People don't want to be friends with somebody who is all about them, no matter how impressive they are. When you meet someone, think through how you can connect to them, find out about them. As Dale Carnegie once said, everybody's most favorite word is their name. Learn their name.

13:18

Understand the ratio. When you put yourself out there, know that there could be people who don't connect back to you. 

...

(Full show notes & more resources visit connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

Check out the YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEwithMikeAcker 

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To book Mike Acker to speak to your group or facilitate a specific workshop, email:
[email protected]
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INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 28

How can you reverse engineer leadership so as to succeed personally and professionally? Why is understanding your goals paramount to becoming a good leader?

In this episode, Mike breaks down the process of accomplishing goals for anybody heading without or losing track of their vision in life. Learn why it is necessary to map your target before you start out on your venture.

EPISODE 28 SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS

How does reverse engineering apply to leadership goals?

2:19

Many people start a business without any clearly mapped out vision. They don't have a direction in mind. It is important to know your goals before you set out on your journey.

How do you get better at accomplishing your goals?

3:36

Identify your problem. It is one of the first steps to getting better.

4:04

Map out, know where you're going to go.

...

(Full show notes & more resources visit connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

Check out the YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEwithMikeAcker 

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To book Mike Acker to speak to your group or facilitate a specific workshop, email:
[email protected]
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INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 27

Are you a Rambler? If so, do you know how that impacts your audiences and clients? Rambling makes you lose not only time and interest, but also money. 

Join Mike Acker in today’s episode as he talks about rambling in leadership and communication, walks you through the different types of rambling, and gives actionable advice to help you get over it. Listen in!

EPISODE 27 SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS

What are the three different types of rambling?

2:50

The first type of rambling is where you get off track, and repeat saying the same thing over and over again.

3:40

The second type of rambling is called meandering. Let’s say, you're going down the track, you're on point A, maybe halfway to point B. And then a fascinating idea catches your mind. When you’re speaking of that, your mind triggers another idea and you eventually, forget to understand where you are and what you are speaking about.You find that your people are losing interest.

4:37

The third type is where you're making up your speech as you go. 

How do you get rid of rambling?

...

(Full show notes & more resources visit connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

Check out the YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEwithMikeAcker 

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To book Mike Acker to speak to your group or facilitate a specific workshop, email:
[email protected]
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INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 26

Knowing how to be lead through family decisions is as important as leading your way through your professional life. Learn how you can achieve the feat as Professor Christopher Brown walks us through the process. 

Dr. Christopher Brown is the author of the famous book, Ready to Kindergarten, and specializes in the whole area of leaving your kids in school. In this episode of the Advance podcast, Mike speaks to him on leading your child through the early stages of their life. They discuss kids’ kindergarten period, the importance of understanding them better, and breaking free from traditional ways of learning and leading to help you succeed in being a good leader in your family. 

EPISODE 26 SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS

What happens in kindergarten is not what’s going to happen in our children’s lives in the next 30 years. How do we understand this better?

7:07

Kids are going to continue to grow all throughout their lives. And so, if there's a setback, or if they make a mistake, it's not a big deal, we have to be there to help them learn, to make and correct that mistake, and move forward in their learning.  

How important is it to understand your kids’ interests and abilities?

8:50

You don't know what your kid is going to be interested in. You may think your kid is going to play high school football because you played high school football. But that may not be the case, your kid may become a theater kid. Trying to press your kid to be something that they may not want to be and making a decision so early in their life can be really disheartening for you and problematic for the relationship you want to establish with your kid. 

What are some of the things you should recognize before your child becomes five years old?

14:15

The first thing you could do is provide them with lots of different learning opportunities. Provide them with opportunities to interact with different adults so that they are comfortable in a group environment.

14:30

Give your kids the skills and the knowledge to take care of themselves.

How can you, as a parent,  build a strong relationship with the school personnel?

17:59

The first thing we need to do as parents is to get to know them as human beings.

18:15

Once you do that, you start sharing what you know about your child with them. 

What should families know in making the decision about sending their kids off to kindergarten?

21:27

The first thing is to know your kid. Know how he or she learns, what he or she wants in life, how she or he or she reacts to different learning situations. 

KEY QUOTES:

22:44-22:53

“The more you prep your kid for those types of transitions, as you would as a leader of a company, the more you prep your employees for a transition that's going to happen, the more successful they're going to be within that situation.”

28:28-28:38

“As parents, we do want to be leaders. But we also want to be loving, caring people that our kids remember as they go through life, that they were there for us and supported us in all these big transitions, as they go forward.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

●      Books-

1.    Ready for Kindergarten by Dr. Christopher Brown

(Full show notes & more resources visit connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

Check out the YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEwithMikeAcker 

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To book Mike Acker to speak to your group or facilitate a specific workshop, email:
[email protected]
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INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 25

Self-empowerment happens when you start believing you can. When was the last time you had somebody help you believe in yourself and your potential? 

Join Mike Acker on this episode of the Advance podcast as he shows you how to empower oneself with the belief by walking you through a framework that tells you how to do that. He also talks about micromanagement and how it can bring employee motivation levels down. Listen in today and learn how to empower yourself and your people to set them up for ultimate success!

EPISODE 25 SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS

Why is belief so important?

2:47

Belief in oneself brings support. When you empower someone to believe in themselves, you bring them to believe in themselves.

How does micromanagement bring employee motivation down?

7:42

If you're a micromanager, know that you essentially tell your team that you don't believe in them. It tells them that they don't know what they're doing, that you really are needed, and you're the person in charge. It drains the morale out of people.  

How do you empower people with belief?

8:26

Give your belief to them.

8:36

Stay vague when you give your belief to someone. They are then able to fill it in with their definition of success, with their definition of potential, not with your definition of potential. Don't fill that mold for them, don't create that role for them. Instead, put the backing behind them, put the push behind them, so they can find their own mold, their own role, their own place.

11:48

Peep in it. This means that when you believe in someone, it's not a one-time deal. And you don't just walk up to someone and say, I believe in you. Stay connected and check on them sometimes.

KEY QUOTES:

6:02-6:06

“Belief is support backed by actions.”

(Full show notes & more resources visit connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

Check out the YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEwithMikeAcker 

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To book Mike Acker to speak to your group or facilitate a specific workshop, email:
[email protected]
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INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 24

Are you someone who is or will be seeking a job opportunity right now or in the next coming months? We are all in a wholly different world today, and the process of looking for jobs is not the same as it used to be before. How do you adapt to the changing times and find the next best step to landing your dream job? 

Join Mike Acker on this episode of the Advance Podcast as he interviews A. J. Mizes, a talent and human potential enthusiast with over a decade's worth of experience in career coaching and human resources. Listen in as he talks about overcoming self-limiting beliefs and the side-door job application method. He also talks about the changing patterns of his clients, differences in working professionals' emotional atmosphere, and how to make your way out through the changes and challenges of these times. 

EPISODE 24 SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS

What is a pattern that you're noticing with all the clients that you're working with, in today's economy? 

6:19

The growing influence of self-limiting beliefs. We create stories about what we think is possible for ourselves, for our family, for our friends, for our job, whatever it may be.   

One of the things that I'm working a lot with my private clients on is identifying when people are saying, 'Oh, I can't do that', or 'I wouldn't be qualified for this', or 'I shouldn't even go after that', because I don't have a college degree. 

Dig into that experience. And talk about the stories of what you've accomplished. And then look at the parallels between those experiences, those stories, and what you're looking to do. I guarantee you there's some synergy there.

Is there a lot of angst in the people you're talking to, or is there more excitement? What would you say is the emotional atmosphere of a lot of the people you're talking to?

9:49

I think, anxious and nervous. And typically, what leads to those feelings is feeling unprepared or feeling like you're not worthy or feeling like it's not for you, and so on. Your brain starts to engage that fight or flight response that we all have in us. And so we start to retract, or we start to go into a place of safety. 

Our brain is starting a response for us to avoid things that are going to kill us or unsafe. And so then we begin to recognize if it is something that is going to kill you or if it makes you uncomfortable.

What is the difference in the process of applying for jobs now versus a while ago? 

12:07

There is definitely an increase in the number of candidates in the job market right now. And so it's becoming increasingly difficult to stand out, there's no doubt about it. And the other thing is that you know, we're all interviewing now over the video, instead of getting flown on-site or driving to the interview and meeting everybody in person. Those two things really introduce a couple of things in terms of job search and the process and things that you have to overcome in terms of the job market and increase in candidates.

What are some of the biggest tips that you have for preparing for an interview?

18:20

Tip number one is a way to hypothesize the types of questions you're going to get. Typically, you get three types of questions during an interview. One is the Tell me about yourself question. That's typically like an opener during an interview, and you can practice how to answer that. It should really be about a bit of who you are, where you grew up, and what you'd like to do, but then telling the interviewer who you are. 

The second type of question that you get is, why are you looking for a new job? And so you have to be able to answer the question, significantly if you're changing industries, talking about how that's aligned, that new industry is aligned to your passion, that you see that yo

INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 23

Do you realize that every one of us, right now, is designing our lives? Kristina Piader tells us why it is so by walking us through the many lessons she learned in her career as a Hollywood screenwriter. Join in to learn the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Time-based) process of setting goals in the industry and what you can imbibe from it! 

Kristina has been a Hollywood screenwriter for 23 years. She has studied with the major Hollywood institutions, great storytelling teachers, and purveyors of her time from the feature film aspect. She joins me in this episode to discuss her book, The Hollywood Approach, sharing why it is unique in its approach and is more than just resilience training. Listen in for her unparalleled views on connecting Hollywood lessons with everyday lives and what lessons it brings us!

To learn more about her, visit KristinaPaider.com.

The Hollywood Approach
Script Your Life Like a Hit Movie and Live Your Wildest Dream

By Kristina Paider

EPISODE 23 SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS

Can you tell us a bit of why the Hollywood approach is so effective?

2:17

The global entertainment industry in 2019 topped for the first time $101 billion. That figure is three times what it was ten years ago. It is a vastly growing market. And on an average of at least three continents, people are consuming 35 hours of television per week. Most of our stories are influenced by Hollywood.

 Is it fair to say that you're taking a more rounded approach and really investigating the person who is making a decision?

17:23

Yes. And again, it's not to say anything negative about what anyone else is doing. I think resilience is a broader topic and broader goal, and so it requires some broader thinking, whereas mine is more focused on a specific goal. I was delighted to learn that the overlap of examining strengths is also helpful to think about your resilience.

What do you mean by the significance of the first?

25:39

The significance of the first is the tipping point for a cascade of momentum, actions, and other decisions. The first is saying yes to yourself and investing in yourself. Then, making a move, an action decision, and an action toward what you want.

KEY QUOTES:

10:21-10:28

“I like to encourage people to analyze their success stories, then nurture their subconscious with those kinds of messages.”

17:36-17:35

“Resilience has a broader topic, and broader goal, and so requires maybe some broader thinking, whereas mine is more focused on a specific goal.”

22:49-22:56

“But either way, there's powerful information in examining flaws and making sure that we're observing the flaws and not judging them.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST:

●      Book: The Hollywood Approach by Kristina Paider

CONNECT WITH KRISTINA

Website | LinkedIn

 
(For more resources, at no cost, visit connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

Also, check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEwithMikeAcker 

INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 22

Do you want to get better but stay interested at the same time? If yes, how do you make sure you're not in a Groundhog Day by Bill Murray’s system, living the same day over and over again? What rhythm can you create that would leave you some space to bring in something new from time to time?

Join Mike on this episode of the Advance Podcast as he shows you how repetitive doing and creativity could go hand in hand and why you cannot choose to compromise on either of the two!

(For more resources, at no cost, visit https://connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

EPISODE 22 SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS

Why is repetition necessary?

3:19

Repetition creates results. You need it for your communication in the company you lead or the position you hold. It would help if you kept going on the same track. You need to invest the money over a long period to see the results.

How do you bring creativity to the repetitive tasks you perform?

9:24

For every few, do something new. Don't get stuck in a groundhog day, and don't jump from place to place, person to person, thing to thing. Find a balance between the two. 

KEY QUOTES:

2:16-2:27

“Repetition creates results. When you do the same thing again and again and you don't just practice it, practice doesn't make perfect, but perfect practice makes perfect. ”

4:37-4:50

“Most of what you're doing is repetitively the same good thing, whether that's leading the meeting in the same way so people know what expectations you are placing on them and the culture that you're building.”

 (For more resources, at no cost, visit connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

Also, check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEwithMikeAcker 

INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 21

Imagine being in a network comprising of people just like you but in different companies. Aren’t these the kinds of people you would want to have more conversations with? How do you benefit from such an alchemy network? And how do you form one in the first place?

“The Alchemist Entrepreneur” Dov Gordon joins Mike Acker in today’s episode to talk about how you can get your ideal clients by becoming an under-the-radar leader, how to build and leverage profitable relationships, and why such relationships are the healthiest to nurture!

You can find him at:
Website:      https://ProfitableRelationships.com
Telegram:   https://t.me/dovgordon 
Facebook Page:   https://www.facebook.com/ConsistentFlowOfClients/
FacebookProfile:   https://www.facebook.com/DovGordon/
LinkedIn:    https://www.linkedin.com/in/dovgordon/
Twitter:        https://twitter.com/DovGordon
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/dovgordon/
YouTube:     https://youtube.com/c/DovGordon1 

(Full show notes and more resources, at no cost, visit https://connect.stepstoadvance.com) 


EPISODE 21 SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS

What do you mean by a corporate refugee?

1:47
A corporate refugee is somebody who did really well in the corporate world, or moderately well, and got to that point where they love doing what they’re good at.
What are the kinds of members in an alchemy network?

22:05
The first one is colleagues. Those are the people who are marketing and selling to the same audience as you.

23:06
A second audience or member type for your network would be ideal clients. These are the people that you are looking to reach as potential clients.
Where and how do you host this network?

(For the full show notes and more resources, at no cost, visit connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

Also, check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEwithMikeAcker 

INTRODUCTION TO EPISODE 20

How does hype help in promoting your business? How do you use it to impact people with what you do today? 

Marketing strategies of our times increasingly revolve around hype. The excitement factor around your product or service goes a long way in promoting your business among the audience.

In this episode, Mike speaks with Michael Schein of Microfame Media about hype in marketing, how it can help get your business, message, or platform out there, what the hip hop movement teaches you about hype and top strategies that can take your business to another level! 

Get Michael Schein's book here!  https://www.amazon.com/dp/126047013X/

(Full show notes and more resources, at no cost, visit https://connect.stepstoadvance.com) 


EPISODE 20 SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS

How is hype a positive word in marketing?
4:56
If you're in the mainstream of your business, and you have all the advantages in the world, it's very easy to get to wherever. But if you're disadvantaged, you need to hype yourself up. This is why it has always been considered a positive thing.

What are some of the most successful hype strategies?
22:25
One of them is the us-versus-them factor. Think of that idea in your industry that you've always secretly disliked. Pick fights with ideas.

(For the full show notes and more resources, at no cost, visit connect.stepstoadvance.com) 

Also, check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVANCEwithMikeAcker