Bold Leadership podcast

So you like your coach, Honestly I loved all of my coaches in life, but I didn’t really like them.  They pushed me. They challenged me and they made me better. Is your current coach doing the same?

I am Dave Evans, a business consultant and coach.  I have been privileged to lead thousands of people into combat operations and helped small business owners define their path to success.

If I ever stop learning and embracing change, please find a nice pasture to send me to.  People that don’t continue to learn and adapt to their changing environment will never see true success in life.  You are either growing or dying and I want to live!

 Technology changes every two years.  Processes are never perfect. The world economy is more connected than ever.  You have access to more knowledge now than ever before: Podcasts, Youtube, Google and the list goes on  How do you spend your time.

Today we are going to quickly discuss three challenges every business owner faces and offer solutions to find the right coach to guide you along the way.

• Systems and Processes
• • Organizational Chart
  • Roles & Responsibilities
• Hiring quality employees
• • Evaluation Criteria
  • Personality Assessment - DISC is our favorite
  • Sales Assessment - SPQ Gold
• Work life balance - your circle of trust

Finding the right coach is finding a person that pushes you to be better.  They push you to failure and force you to broaden your perspective. You need to have a coach who has experienced failure and pushes you to your limit.

 

Be Bold

Dave

Today we have the privilege of sitting down with an incredible leader, mentor, and coach. George Glover is quickly becoming the go-to coach for leaders in Oklahoma. He and his team at Vistage are helping leaders solve tremendous challenges with their organizations.

George believes that everyone knows the solutions to their most difficult challenges and he strives to help leaders find solutions. He has served as a CFO and CEO and some of the largest manufacturing companies in the world. Today he shares his views on leaders and offers some incredible tips on how to grow your company, face challenges and find ways to success.

Be Bold
Dave

We all know that the cost of a bad hire is expensive. Career builder states that these costs can exceed $50,000. None of us can afford that. Fast Company recently released an article interviewing the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh. It's a fast read and the link is below.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3028628/infographic-how-much-a-bad-hire-will-actually-cost-you

So how do small companies afford a hiring process that enables success? It's simple to develop a hiring combine much like the NFL. You need two things: a personality assessment and a test to discover whether or not the salespeople you hire have the tools needed to be a great salesperson.

Check out this episode to learn more!

Be Bold
Dave

Its times like these when we need to work together to solve challenges. We need to act locally to solve problems nationally. Today we discuss the importance of doing something. We challenge you to stop acting like pigeons and dropping your problems without solutions on your favorite social media site to garner support for your opinion. Work with leaders locally and finds ways that work in your community to protect your children and families.

I have to admit, I came off of the top rope on some folks recently on social media and I shouldn't have. Hey, most of us have made that mistake. But after listening to one of my college classmates on MSNBC, Chief Paul Cairney, I was reminded of the importance of finding solutions. Paul defines what a Bold Leader is. He is open to ideas and solutions. Instead of finding ways he can't solve a problem he found a solution that works for his community. I recommend that we all follow Paul's lead and make our communities safe again. Stop being weak and Start being Bold

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Dave

Today we have the pleasure of interviewing Greg Dowty. A former marine and now a scientist, his company's goal is to change the way we handle tough mental challenges.

A passion...
We represent a new force in the behavioral sciences that reverses the flow of information. Until recently, clinicians have been in a trickle-down economy when it comes to applying research in their practice.

Our goal is to create a torrent of activity that directly feeds the efforts of those on the front line. Our system is built on utilizing data from all available sources. Our plan is to give back in the form of outcomes and in AI solutions. We are here to make a significant impact.

Meets new science...
Neurology and the advent of increasingly advanced imaging technology is the great equalizer that enables our work through design and, eventually, as a source of data.

The neurosciences have already made an impact in mental health treatment through verifying the effectiveness of activities historically neglected by research such as meditation, yoga, and mindfulness training. Beneficial practices have gained serious traction in both research and practice.

We will initially advance through the collection of data from those who have the most exposure to the behavior and situations that impact their life. And, in this context, the educated, trained, licensed and experienced clinicians that work with them.

And busts a paradigm.
Imagine the information that we will all have when we collect this targeted data from tens of thousands of clinicians over the next 2,4,10+ years. Now imagine that the data collected represents every known environmental impact and its influence on cognitive/affective processing throughout the progression of a specific behavior.

Finally, what if the program were to loop the analytics back into the system and... learn... to become more efficient... more predictive. The benefit would be staggering and it would change the way we understand and respond to behavior.

Check out his work at: https://thelipidbrain.com/

Be Bold
Dave

Negative feedback may be the most important feedback you ever receive as a leader so long as there is a proposed solution. In this episode, we discuss This is Why Your Boss Deserves Your Negative Feedback by Jane Claire Hervey. The article is shared below.

This Is Why Your Boss Deserves Your Negative Feedback
Jane Claire Hervey, WOMEN@FORBES

I romanticize my work. I love to solve problems. I want to be the change I wish to see in the world. (I'm also a millennial—what can I say?)
So, when I started my first full-time job at a digital marketing firm, I had high expectations. I was ready to learn, maximize my role and help the company drive revenue. When I noticed a problem within our operations, I pointed it out. If I thought there were areas in which we could improve, I spoke up. If I had a good idea, I gave it. But, more often than not, this feedback was met with silence and inaction, and over time I began to contribute less and less. When I left the company after three years, the CEO was surprised. "I didn't see this coming," he said.

That stumped me. I had been vocal about my needs, pointed out gaps in our infrastructure and nothing had ever changed. Wouldn't my exit be expected?
It turns out I'm not the only one with this experience. According to Claire Lew, the CEO of Know Your Company, this phenomenon is common—and it's the reason she's got a job today.

Before Lew started Know Your Company, a software tool that helps business owners collect and utilize feedback, Lew also hated her job. She couldn’t give feedback to her boss, and the problem frustrated her so much that she quit to find a fix. She launched a consulting agency to help CEOs build better work cultures, and surprisingly one of her first clients, Basecamp, happened to be working on a software prototype for feedback. Together, they launched Know Your Company as a product in 2013, and Lew became the project's CEO in 2014. Since, Know Your Company has served more than 15,000 people in 25 countries.

A couple of weeks ago, I caught Lew's talk on building feedback loops at the Culturati Summit in Austin, Texas and I immediately had a million questions: How do we build work cultures within our economy that better prioritize women and healthy lifestyles? How can we empower employees to give negative feedback? What can we do better—as bosses, as leaders, as employees—to turn problems into solutions?

In this interview, Lew and I thankfully get to some potential answers.

Jane Claire Hervey: Who are you and what do you do?

Claire Lew: I’m the CEO of Know Your Company, a software tool that helps leaders create more open, honest environments by getting ongoing employee feedback. We also founded an online leadership community called The Watercooler, with 500+ managers and executives from all over the world.

Hervey: There’s a lot of pressure on women and people of color to advocate for themselves and negotiate harder to claim their seat at the table. The mindset behind Know Your Company implies that dismantling the power dynamic that may hold certain employees back is on the CEO/leadership team. What do you have to say to the former? What may be misleading about that way of thinking?
Lew: Asking women and minorities to advocate and negotiate for their seat at the table is like saying that people who get mugged on the street should take self-defense classes or carry a gun on them. It’s placing the burden of the problem on the victim, instead of addressing the underlying root cause of the problem. The problem is the work environment and culture—not the lack of action on the part of women and minorities. On top of that, the fact is that negotiating compensation is empirically disadvantageous to women and minorities. So negotiating for equal pay, let alone a seat at the table, has a ton of deeply entrenched hurdles around it.

Hervey: How can start-ups, small businesses and lean creativ

We summarize Bill Zip's article in our latest episode...Do Metrics Matter.  I have included his article below.

 

I’ve never met a business leader who’d actually say, “Oh no, metrics don’t matter to me.” Have you? I didn’t think so.

So why ask the question, “Do your metrics matter?” Because I’ve found the way most business leaders operate is like they’re practical atheists when it comes to metrics.

I know, I know that’s an odd phrase. A practical atheist is someone who believes in God, but lives like they don’t. So a practical metric atheist is someone who believes in metrics, but leads like they don’t.

Are you that kind of leader? Here are four questions to ask yourself to find out if your metrics really matter.

Question One: Are your metrics few in number?

The first indication that your metrics don’t really matter is that you have too many of them. Way, way too many of them.

That’s the nature of the age in which we live, we have lots of data. Big data, little data, and all kinds of data in between. Drowning in data, we never take the time to find out what the data means and count the things that really count.

Take for example sales, the field in which I have the greatest business expertise. You can measure close ratio, number of calls per client to close, net new appointments, forecasting accuracy, time in the funnel, velocity of execution by sales stage, average deal size, weighted deal size, proposals under consideration, probability of proposals under consideration, and performance against goal by week, month, quarter, and year.

You get the idea, right?

Most salespeople, when confronted with a barrage of data like this, ignore it all. That’s true of other people as well. A wall of numbers never get read, except by the most brave mathematical souls (not you and me).

And that’s too bad, because some of these metrics are essential to success. A head of sales who wants to make her metrics to matter will select the three or four critical ones to focus on like a laser, letting the inconsequential ones go.

I refer to this as the vital signs approach to metrics. Our vitals signs track the three or four things that are key to good health, like pulse at resting, blood pressure, body mass index. If any of those numbers are off, you take a deeper dive with your doctor. So too with sales. If sales are off, you take a deeper dive with your manager (known in the sales world as a strategic account review), but week by week you watch your vital signs.

In other words, the very first—and foundational—way to have your metrics matter is by identifying the vital few that make the biggest impact.

Question Two: Are your metrics predictive of performance?

So then, which metrics make the biggest impact? The ones that predict performance, not just report it. Let me explain.

If you’re driving a car, which would you rather be looking at, what’s ahead in the windshield or what’s in the rear view mirror? The windshield, of course, because that’s where you’re going. The rear view mirror only tells you were you’ve been.

Metrics that matter, then, are windshield metrics, leading indicators, not rear view mirror metrics, lagging indicators. While lagging indicators tell you some things, it’s too late for you to do anything about those things because they’re in the past. Leading indicators allow you to steer the course of your company into the future.

As important as windshield metrics are, it’s far easier to focus on rear view mirror metrics. Mostly because they involve less thinking. The data’s easily accessible and fairly easy to interpret. But the key to high performance is being able to shape the direction of the marketplace, not just react to it.

In other words, think! If you want your metrics to matter, use your brain to find the ones that focus on the future and actually predict performan

Are leaders trained or developed?  Today we will answer this question with some help from an article written by Matt Myatt.  The short answer is this...leaders are developed.  It is a continual process that requires a plan.  A 3-hour training session does not really build great leaders.    Its a lifetime of education.  Below are 20 differences between training and development from Matt Myatt.

The following 20 items point out some of the main differences between training and development:

1. Training blends to a norm – Development occurs beyond the norm.
2. Training focuses on technique/content/curriculum – Development focuses on people.
3. Training tests patience – Development tests courage.
4. Training focuses on the present – Development focuses on the future.
5. Training adheres to standards – Development focuses on maximizing potential.
6. Training is transactional – Development is transformational.
7. Training focuses on maintenance – Development focuses on growth.
8. Training focuses on the role – Development focuses on the person.
9. Training indoctrinates – Development educates.
10. Training maintains status quo – Development catalyzes innovation.
11. Training stifles culture – Development enriches culture.
12. Training encourages compliance – Development emphasizes performance.
13. Training focuses on efficiency – Development focuses on effectiveness.
14. Training focuses on problems  - Development focuses on solutions.
15. Training focuses on reporting lines – Development expands influence.
16. Training places people in a box – Development frees them from the box.
17. Training is mechanical – Development is intellectual.
18. Training focuses on the knowns – Development explores the unknowns.
19. Training places people in a comfort zone – Development moves people beyond their comfort zones.
20. Training is finite – Development is infinite.

BE BOLD and Develop Great Leaders

Our nation is struggling to find leaders who can negotiate like adults and find a way to yes. Today we discuss the challenges our nation faces with the recent the government shutdown. Leaders continually draw battle lines based on party affiliations with no conscious to do what is right for our nation.

Great leaders find a way to yes. It's time that we reflect on our own leadership style. We must shift from selfish to selfless leaders. I challenge all of our listeners to forward this podcast to your friends and family. We must hold all leaders accountable and remember it is not about our party affiliation it's about the nation as a whole.

Every good business owner knows you can't stay in business long when you elect to pay yourself and not your employs.

Be Bold
Dave

In this episode, we have the privilege of discussing leadership with Christoph Szakowski. He serves as a managing partner for Logcon East. To say he understands the challenges associated with leadership is an understatement. He has lived through some challenging times and his views on leadership will make us all better leaders.

Tune in and broaden your leadership perspective. Its time we start growing our relationships across the globe.

Be Bold
Dave