The employment world we live in will never be what it used to be. With fundamental shifts in culture, generations, and belief systems of employees, it is more critical now than ever before to create an engaged culture. A top-performing organization will outpace a good organization 20 to 1 in net profitability.

To achieve this, there are three key components to build a culture that will engage teams, inspire greatness and unlock the highest potential of a team. By mastering Alignment, Workflow and Feedback, we attract top talent to be a part of our teams and take our organizations to the highest levels.

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In this episode, Jody and Meghan discuss how to build rapport with another person, whether that is at a social networking event or it is over time through continuous interaction. Building rapport is about understanding and connecting with another person through a close and harmonious relationship. 

There are five key principles that help a person build rapport:

Seeking to understand others before you seek to be understood allows for greater depth of both conversations and interactions. You want to be present in the moment, show a genuine interest in the other person, make eye contact, practice active listening, and be very intentional about the interaction.

When you enter into a conversation, you want to appear open and confident. Shake the other person’s hand, introduce yourself, and repeat their name back to them when they introduce themselves, like, “Meghan! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Meghan.” This reinforces your memory of their name, and it is hypnotic to use their name in the conversation. Be present and intentional with your words and actions.

Thanks for tuning in, and please feel free to drop any leadership or management topic suggestions in the comments. Become the kind of leader you would follow! 

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In today’s episode, Jody and Meghan discuss ethical codes. Whether you’re at work or at home, ethics remain the same. It is important that you create rules and systems that will keep you and your company in line with an ethical code of conduct. Ethics are not intended to restrict you; rather, ethics are meant to serve as encouragement for making good decisions. There are three variances of ethics that Jody and Meghan dive into:

Ethical Absolutism: the idea that there is an unchanging moral code that applies to everyone everywhere.

Ethical Relativism: ethics depend on the situation and are thus subject to change.

Ethical Legalism: ethics are based on compliance with a code of conduct.

Companies who follow an ethical system will always make more money in the long run than those who break ethics to make more money now. You almost always get caught when you’re unethical. Trust is gained in droplets and lost in buckets. You want to maintain credibility and trust, and ultimately, you should want to do what is right.

Thanks for tuning in, and please feel free to drop any leadership or management topic suggestions in the comments. Become the kind of leader you would follow! 

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In today’s episode, Jody and Meghan share tips on preparing for an executive-level interview. The higher the position within the company you are interviewing for, the greater the intensity and depth of the interview process will be. It is important to give a good first impression and answer questions in a professional manner.

A few takeaways from the podcast:

In the interview process, we are hiring the person and the potential that we believe they exhibit. Subtle formalities, body language, and professionalism will make a huge difference in the way that an interviewer will view your potential. Be intentional about each step of the interview process, and be sure to prepare ahead of time.

Executive-level interviews often seek to know these 3 main things:

Thanks for tuning in, and please feel free to drop any leadership or management topic suggestions in the comments. Become the kind of leader you would follow! 

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In today’s episode, Jody and Meghan discuss the four keys to developing the potential of your team in order to achieve success in the workplace. 

Not only do managers play an active role in the growth and development of their employees, but it is also important to recognize the individual role that employees play in their own development. Individual opportunities for development increase employee satisfaction and retention rates.

Managing performance goes beyond just telling someone what to do. It involves regular communication, proper job training, reasonable expectations, and a clear way to measure success. As a manager, you want to guide your employees on how to do their jobs autonomously, and then you can provide feedback on what is going well and what needs to be improved upon. This highlights the importance of recognition. Pointing out that you recognize an employee’s efforts and letting them know you see that they are doing a good job increases motivation, and as a result, productivity increases as well. Don’t just provide feedback when something is going wrong. Let your employees know when they are doing something right.

The last piece of this is job fit. Assessments act as great tools for helping a company understand where their employees are likely to succeed and where they may need extra guidance. Assessments are not meant to discourage or encourage hiring certain employees. They are meant to serve as a resource for better understanding certain employee characteristics. One person may excel in one area of the job, whereas another person may seem to fall short. However, that does not mean that the person that “falls short” is not a great addition to the company. Their expertise may just be in another area, and their skills may be better utilized within a different department.

You as an individual can only offer what you have developed yourself to. 

Link to the full article that was referenced in today’s episode:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joefolkman/2016/11/10/the-4-vital-keys-to-developing-others/?sh=5741be565fa3 

Thanks for tuning in, and please feel free to drop any leadership or management topic suggestions in the comments. Become the kind of leader you would follow! 

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In this episode, Jody and Meghan discuss how to attract people to come work for your company. People are attracted to a job application based on its logical appeal, but they work for and stay at a company for emotional reasons. Ultimately, people work for people, not just for companies. If there is an emotional disconnect for an employee, it can slow their productivity, motivation, and even their desire to continue down the path they’re on.

People naturally want to make a difference in life, so if you can present the value that your company offers to an employee and articulate the mission that you stand for, you are much more likely to catch the attention of candidates that will strive for the same goals. You need to be able to describe what your company does and why it matters in a clear, concise manner. 

In order to attract top performers, you need to offer an exchange of value. What is the story that your company tells, and how can you draw potential employees into that story?

Thanks for tuning in, and please feel free to drop any leadership or management topic suggestions in the comments. Become the kind of leader you would follow! 

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In this episode, Jody and Meghan talk about the abominable monster known as “stress” and how to manage it.

Meghan explains that stress is anything that requires action or attention, and although stress may seem like a negative thing, it can actually benefit you by acting as a motivator. The key to stress management is not allowing the stressors in your life to build up so much that they become overwhelming, thus preventing you from accomplishing all that you are capable of. Also in this episode, Jody and Meghan discuss various coping strategies, both good and bad, as they relate to stress management. This process is very individualized, and you have to discover what works the best for you.

Jody recently wrote a course called Management 101, and Meghan collaborated with him to write a bonus section specifically about stress management. Management 101 is all about developing the potential of those who manage and lead others. In order to effectively manage others, you must first learn to manage yourself. Dealing with stress is a large part of business, which is why it is so important to address the stress head-on.

Thanks for tuning in, and please feel free to drop any leadership or management topic suggestions in the comments. Become the kind of leader you would follow! 

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In this episode, Jody and Meghan talk about what transparency means in business and how it applies to both leadership and individual employees.

Meghan defines company transparency as “disclosing all relevant information to those who can use it to make informed decisions.” Not every person within your organization needs to know the details of everything that is going on. Instead, they need to know information that pertains to their department or role within the organization. 

Many organizations that lack transparency didn’t set out with that intention. Sometimes companies lose sight of what they are doing (the means) because they’re too focused on the end result, which can cause people to cut corners and do questionable things. When you give up being transparent, you become unethical. It is significantly easier to lose trust than it is to gain it. Transparency leads to accountability, and thus, you maintain more trust within the community by being transparent.

Thanks for tuning in, and please feel free to drop any leadership or management topic suggestions in the comments. Become the kind of leader you would follow! 

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On this episode, Jody and Meghan discuss how to effectively communicate and listen to each other through:

Quick Summary:

There are different mediums of communication, so you must choose the medium that is most appropriate for the context of your message, and be intentional about how it is delivered. If you are passing along the information through layers of people, your message can change. This highlights the importance of regular and clear communication to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Set clear expectations for your people when assigning tasks, scheduling one-on-ones, planning meetings, etc. In order to communicate effectively, you must also know how to listen effectively. Be receptive to feedback from your people, and make adjustments in your communication style when necessary.

The five deadliest words in time management… “Have you got a minute?” On average, interruptions consume about 28% of the workday, and it can take even longer to regain focus. Although an open-door policy seems like a good idea for employees to communicate with you, it is much more effective to schedule out a time when they can approach you. If you don't set boundaries for when people can discuss things with you, you will quickly run out of time throughout the day to do actual work.

For more information about the material that Jody and Meghan discussed, you can reference Chapter 4 of "Yay! I'm a Supervisor! Now What?" by Jody Holland.

Thanks for tuning in, and please feel free to drop any leadership or management topic suggestions in the comments. Become the kind of leader you would follow!

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In this episode of the Become The Leader, I am doing an overview of my favorite book. The concepts within this book are perfect concepts that any leader can apply to themselves, but also into their organization.

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