Applied Leadership Podcast

Creating a culture of initiative within your team requires a few things; competence, confidence and an environment where initiative is rewarded and supported. Initiative also requires solid guidance, resources and parameters set by leadership so their people can run and create good work. If leaders can provide those elements, they can help foster courage and responsibility within their team.

The dreaded Q4 is upon us. It's hard for Q3 to come to an end and think that we've reached the summit. But that's a false summit, and we still have to persevere to the end of the year and truly hit the mountain top we aim for. It's an opportunity for greatness and to start the next year strong—stick with it!

We feel this one! We've worked in the corporate world, know what it's like to play calendar Tetris and try to make it all fit. You may have more control over your calendar than you think. Ask yourself, "Does it have to be this way?" It takes some thoughtfulness - fully understanding the goals and objectives, setting, and the priorities of work. It may require some dialogue and communication with the people at work and at home to get some cushion.

We get asked a lot about how we come up with our content, modules, and ideas. We've always tried to ask ourselves, "What problem are we trying to solve? What is the need?" The creative process is a total collaborative effort between our team and our partners. We encourage you to set aside time intentionally on a regular basis to think and work on any creative ventures. And try to be genuine and useful, not brilliant!

Leadership inspiration and influential figures come and go throughout our lives - parents, relatives, teachers, peers and people we don't personally know. Blayne and Brandon share the individuals who have shaped their leadership style and inspired them at different points in their lives.

Blayne and Brandon rehash some victories so far in 2024 in Episode 25 of the Applied Leadership Podcast, "Recent Proud Moments." We hope you enjoy it and take the time to reflect on your own personal and professional wins so far. Celebrate with your team, friends, and family!

We often get what we need, not what we want. You may not want to be a leader, but maybe you need to be one. It's where you're at now, so what do we do about it? It's worth digging deep into yourself and asking why you may feel the way you do. At the same time, you can feel like you don't want it, yet embrace it as a positive opportunity.

Do you have to always have all the answers as a leader?

What do you do when you feel stuck in the moment, and everyone is looking to you?

Even as a leader, you cannot always have all the answers, even in a moment of crisis. However, you should always bring calm. Assess the situation and create the conditions for a good answer to emerge from the team. Calm is more important than always having the answer.

ALPs exist to share hard-earned leadership wisdom with leaders who are on the frontlines of missions that matter and are trying to get better every day. We're always thinking about how to responsibly grow the business, keeping our lives properly integrated as we want, and doing the work with people we love. There's a healthy tension within this that we wrestle with both in work and our family lives.