Blanchard LeaderChat

In the latest installment of the Blanchard LeaderChat Podcast, Chad Gordon interviews Garry Ridge, CEO of WD-40 Company and coauthor with Ken Blanchard of Helping People Win at Work.

In the podcast, Garry shares key principles from the book and how he has put them into practice over the past ten years at WD-40 with remarkable impact.

It all starts with goal setting—a conversation focused on getting where you want to go—and it is a shared responsibility between the manager and direct report.

In Garry’s opinion, the annual performance review process is broken.  Why wait until the end of the year?  Coaching, development, and feedback should be an everyday conversation between leader and direct report.  Garry describes how to change people’s mindsets so mistakes become learning moments—and how this shift not only helps drive out fear but also increases learning.

Garry shares 12 principles that L&D professionals can use to impact training and development as well as employee engagement. Garry walks his talk—and the results are impressive. At WD-40, employee engagement numbers are in excess of 90%. What’s more, compounded shareholder annual income growth has been over 15% per year for the past 14 years—and over 20% for the past 5 years.

Ridge describes how a focus on values, learning, teaching, growth, and community can lead to enhanced performance by helping people step into the best version of themselves.

Be sure to listen to the very end of this 30-minute interview to hear Ken Blanchard share his thoughts and personal takeaways on Garry's ideas. Ken shares how success is based on not only what happens in the classroom but also what happens afterward. Ken takes a look at the performance review process and illustrates how important it is to focus on providing people ongoing feedback instead of sorting them into a normal distribution curve.

In this episode of the Blanchard LeaderChat podcast we speak with David Novak, co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands and author of O Great One!: A Little Story About the Awesome Power of Recognition.

For Novak, a large part of the success he had with improving performance at KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell during his tenure as CEO of parent company Yum! Brands was creating a culture of recognition.

“Recognition is a big driver of success. You have to show people you care about them,” says Novak.  “Leaders need to be heart-wired—they need to have a big heart.”

Novak shares that the higher up you go in the organization, the more you have to support other people’s ideas.

“If there is no involvement, there is no commitment.  You have to use your listening skills.  It tells people that what they do really matters.”

Novak also dispels the myth that recognition won’t play out in other cultures.

“Recognition is universal.  A lot of people were doubters, but once they saw the power of it they said ‘I’m going to try it myself.’ And then they developed their own personal recognition awards.”

Recognition reinforced behaviors that drove the business says Novak and he encourages others to give it a try in their organizations.

“It’s not that hard to say ‘Thank you.’ The more you give, the more you receive.”

Be sure to listen to the very end of the interview to hear Ken Blanchard’s thoughts and takeaways from the ideas David Novak shares.

In this episode of the Blanchard LeaderChat podcast we speak with Mark Miller, Vice President of High Performance Leadership for Chick-fil-A and author of the new book, Leaders Made Here.

For Miller, growing great leaders wasn’t an option at Chick-fil-A.  Accelerated growth was putting a strain on leadership bench strength.

“We needed more leaders faster. We couldn’t just overload existing leaders. We knew we would get to the breaking point.”

Miller discusses the journey Chick-fil-A took in developing a leadership culture—where people are routinely developed.

“You have to start by understanding the importance of leadership and defining what leadership means in your organization. In most organizations you’ll find a wide variety of different answers.  You have to forge a consensus.”

But that’s not the end of it says Miller.  Next, you must train existing and emerging leaders to establish that common language of leadership. Part of that includes giving emerging leaders a chance to practice.  As Miller explains, “Most of what we know about leading we learn from actually doing it.”

“It’s easy to always give tough projects to existing leaders—but you have to be willing to give emerging leaders a chance.  Who are the less seasoned, less experienced, emerging leaders who we could provide with an opportunity?”

Miller also discusses measurement and metrics including a leadership bench strength rating. He recommends using a technique showing how ready people are for their next leadership assignment using a scale of Ready Now; Ready in 1-3 years; or Good in Place.

Be sure to listen to the very end of the interview to hear Ken Blanchard’s thoughts and takeaways from the interview.

In this episode of the Blanchard LeaderChat podcast, we interview Sydney Finkelstein, author of Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent.

Drawing on some of the key points from his book, Finkelstein explores the different ways managers of all personality types bring out the best in people.

He discusses the importance of seeing people as individuals and the need for leaders to customize how they work with each person.

Finkelstein also addresses the challenge of delegation.  He explains that Superbosses don’t delegate and forget.  They roll up their sleeves on a day-to-day basis to help direct and support the work along the way.

Finally, Finkelstein looks at how a paradoxical approach to management works best. Through examples of leaders at a wide variety of companies, the author points out how Superbosses maintain a dual focus on people and results, collaboration and competition, and creating a performance culture while inspiring their people.

Finkelstein encourages leaders to bring out the best in people.  Good leaders come in all shapes and sizes.  Although they all have different personalities and mindsets, they can share similar techniques and outcomes. Discover the impact one leader can have.  When you help others, you help yourself and your organization.

Be sure to listen to the very end of the podcast, where Ken Blanchard shares his thoughts and key takeaways on the concepts Sydney Finkelstein discusses in the interview.

In this episode of the Blanchard LeaderChat podcast, we interview Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever.

Bungay Stanier, a top executive coach and consultant, shares how time-pressed managers can effectively coach direct reports by asking instead of telling, being a little more curious, and engaging a little more often.

“The biggest barrier to managers coaching,” says Bungay Stanier, “is that managers believe they don’t have the time.  As a result, coaching as a leadership skill is rarely employed.”

Bungay Stanier discusses the benefit of silence—the importance of being a manager who asks questions instead of jumping in and always giving advice. As he explains, “We are all advice-giving maniacs. Sometimes the best way to channel that energy is to ask questions.”

He shares seven essential questions that can help managers elevate their capabilities to coach others.

The first question, which Bungay Stanier calls the Kick-Start Question, is: “What’s on your mind?” This question opens up the door to more interesting and helpful questions.

The last question, which, when paired with the first, forms what Bungay Stanier calls the Coaching Bookends, is the Learning Question: “What was most useful or most valuable for you?” This question helps people become more masterful and competent.

As Bungay Stanier explains, “People don’t learn when you tell them stuff.  Learning occurs when people have an opportunity to stop and reflect.”

Be sure to listen to the very end of the interview, when Ken Blanchard shares what was most useful for him!

 

In this episode of the Blanchard LeaderChat podcast, Chad Gordon interviews Dr. Travis Bradberry, researcher and author of the best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0—which has sold over one million copies!

Bradberry shares how emotional maturity is absolutely critical for success as a leader, and how emotional intelligence is a capacity that can be learned and developed. He explains that increasing your emotional intelligence begins with self-awareness.

Bradberry discusses how to integrate EQ training into a leadership development curriculum—and how the emotional intelligence displayed by top leaders can set the example for all levels of leadership in an organization. Bradberry also shares strategies for dealing with stress, procrastination, and toxic people.

Emotions are a primary driver of behaviors and emotional intelligence is a foundational skill of all good leaders.  Learn how to be a master of your emotions in a way that increases your effectiveness as a leader.

And be sure to listen to the very end of this 30-minute interview to hear Ken Blanchard share his thoughts and personal takeaways on Dr. Bradberry’s ideas.

In this latest installment of the Blanchard LeaderChat Podcast Chad Gordon interviews Jon Gordon, author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus.  Jon’s other books include Soup, The No Complaining Rule, Training Camp, and The Carpenter.

Jon discusses how leaders can combat negativity at work through vision, purpose, and optimism. He explains how positive organizations outperform negative ones—and he shares intentional practices for increasing the levels of communication and connection on teams. You’ll learn how a combination of vulnerability, informal relationships, and connecting creates the glue that holds a high performing team together.

Jon describes how an attitude of positivity helps leaders define moments of heroism, hardship, and highlights to “get people on the bus” and heading in the same direction.  He shares a strategy—Love-Serve-Care—that converts talent to greatness and creates inspiring leaders.

Relationships are foundational. Jon talks about how anyone can become a “come with me” leader by investing in others and helping them grow.  He also describes how we can all find time to build relationships in our busy and stressful lives.

Be sure to listen to the very end of this 30-minute interview to hear Ken Blanchard share his thoughts and personal takeaways on Jon’s ideas. You’ll see how, when you take the time to serve others and help them grow, your efforts come back to help you grow as well!

In this episode of the Blanchard LeaderChat podcast we interview Jen Sincero, author of You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life.

Sincero shares how to stop limiting yourself and start focusing on your strengths.

Drawing on her own experience of personally trying and evaluating almost every self-help resource out there, Sincero recommends finding the approaches that work best for you and then taking action.  Don’t over-control the situation.  Have faith and trust that the “how” will take care of itself—even if it scares you.

As Sincero explains, “It’s never really the right time—but you have to decide and put yourself into motion.  Inside all of us is incredible potential.  Open yourself up to a new reality. It’s about rediscovering your true nature and tapping into the mother lode of potential available to you. That’s when you can start to make big, fat changes in your life.”

Be sure to listen to the very end of the interview, where Ken Blanchard shares his thoughts and takeaways.

Drawing on his years of experience coaching top executives Goldsmith shares an inside look on how to achieve change in our lives. He discusses the unique challenges top executives face and shares the number one reason people don’t act on their good intentions. He also shares six questions he recommends asking yourself everyday to stay on track and begin to find alternatives to instinctive impulse-response behavior patterns.

As a part of onboarding, Mike Rognlien, builder of awesome people at Facebook, would always ask new employees if the culture at Facebook was a deciding factor in their decision to join the company.

“Every time, in more than six years of asking that question, almost every hand would go up,” says Rognlien. “Then I would tell them, ‘Great, now it’s your responsibility not to mess it up.’”

In his new book, This Is Now Your Company: A Culture Carrier's Manifesto, Rognlien shares that every person must own their contribution to the organizational fabric of a company, no matter what role they are stepping into. It begins by owning your role.

“If the definition of culture is the sum total of all of our behaviors, then you can start tipping the culture in another direction by changing your behavior.”  

To help with that, Rognlien suggests organizational leaders encourage higher quality conversations between managers and direct reports. He says most companies don’t have an environment that allows people to sit down with their managers and ask, “How are we going to get through this together?”

Rognlien describes this relationship as a 50-50 partnership—meaning the direct report has just as much responsibility for clear goals and performance feedback as the manager.

“You are half the relationship. If you know more about something—or if something specific requires special care or attention—then you’d better be willing to have that conversation.”

Rognlien goes on to discuss personal branding, feedback, and leveraging your strengths. He closes the interview by discussing a hot topic in today’s organizations—unconscious bias. He explains that bias exists in every organization—and that some biases can actually be helpful and support organizational values.

“At Facebook, for example, we had a bias for moving quickly. When interviewing or working at Facebook, if you were moving slowly, you would feel it—the bias for speed was ever present. That’s an example of a conscious bias that is useful and has served Facebook well.”

Rognlien explains that the unconscious form of bias accumulates over time without being recognized—and it can lead organizations to act in ways that go against stated values. While he believes organizations can’t completely eliminate bias, he suggests steps can be taken to bring it out into the open.

“Our goal is to create people and organizations who are comfortable talking about unconscious bias. We have to stop being afraid and we need to have those conversations.”

In closing, Rognlien encourages listeners to step into their fears.

“The only way you will know if something isn’t going to work is to try and fail. If you can learn something from it, was it really a failure?”

Be sure to listen through to the very end of the session, where Ken Blanchard shares his key takeaways from the interview!