Change Your Mindset

"Every single day in our role as leaders, we encounter situations where empathy would serve us and others well." Peter Margaritis

There are dozens of remarkable leaders and scholars singing the praises of empathy in the workplace. For example, in his book, Geoff Colvin, the Fortune Magazine Senior Editor, argues that as workplaces evolve and leadership models change, the most important skill that leaders must possess is empathy. Similarly, an article published in the Harvard Business Review after a survey of 6000 leaders, Jack Singer and Joseph Folkman, revealed that women leaders were more decisive as compared to their male counterparts when it came to empathy.

People use the terms sympathy and empathy in overlapping and interchangeable ways, but there's a distinct difference. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and feel what they feel, not what you think they feel. It involves grief and pain when and because someone else is feeling it. Every single day in our role as leaders, we encounter situations where empathy would serve us and others well. Sympathy, on the other hand, means understanding someone else's suffering. It is more cognitive and keeps a certain distance.

Even if it is hard to show empathy, you must be vulnerable and authentic and put your ego aside. It's about making a human connection and not just pushing the conversation to a conclusion so you can get on with your day and get back to work. Being vulnerable is putting yourself out there for others to see. It takes courage, and it takes time. Being vulnerable is a sign of being human, authentic, genuine, and honest, and by being vulnerable, you create a stronger human connection. 

To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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‘It's not the people that quit and leave your organization that you have to worry about, it is the people that quit and stay.’ Dr. Hope Zoeller

My guests today are Dr. Hope Zoeller and Dr. Joe DeSensei. Dr. Hope is the founder and president of Hope LLC. Hope stands for Helping Other People Excel, and it is a firm that specializes in facilitating leaders’ success at every level of an organization. For 14 years of her professional career. Dr. Zeller worked at UPS in a variety of roles including customer service training and development and employee relations. For16 years she has been consulting with organizations on leadership development.

Dr. Joe DeSensi is the president of Educational Directions LLC, an educational consulting firm helping schools around the southeast for over 20 years. He developed custom and enterprise software to help districts track data and target students’ needs. Joe holds patents in school data management software and database integration.

Hope and Joe have co-authored two books, Hope for Leaders unabridged, Volume One and Hope for Leaders in the 2020s: New Issues to Face, New Problems to Solve, New Hope for the Future, Volume Two.

Leaders question how they can be able to lead post-pandemic, which is now normal. Organizations have to get on board with leading differently than they’ve ever led before. Post-pandemic, people no longer have the tolerance to work for people that they don't feel genuinely care about them. Time and time again, studies have shown that the number one reason why people leave organizations is a bad leader. People want to know that the person that they work for cares.

We have so many things that we do, just because we've always done them this way, but people have to actively go back and recapture those inefficient processes today. It is much more difficult for people to do things that they have just been conditioned to do. The workforce now has really rethought their priorities, and so organizations are going to have to take a serious look and have a serious conversation.

It's not the people that quit and leave your organization that you have to worry about, it is the people that quit and stay. There are a lot of people that quit and stay and remain working for bad leaders. In a world where we have scarce resources you've got to treat your people to where you're always getting an engagement level out of them, not just a compliance level.

Not everything before the pandemic was bad, nor is everything through the virtual world is good. It's really based on your circumstance, and not just your industry, but the talent that you have in your company. We have stopped looking at how many hours people work, and have started looking at the amount of work you can handle and if you're meeting your deadlines or not because that's ultimately the metric of success.

There is a real opportunity for collaborative conversations. If you're a leader leading by yourself, you're not a true leader. Working backward from the way people think is really important in terms of how to tactically use your resources, and retain and motivate your best people.

The four components to be able to lead with love are having a listening ear, an objective mind, and being curious rather than critical of what is being shared. Having an empathetic heart is also key. Leaders need to focus on their culture and climate since it is one of the few things that is going to retain the best people for businesses. 

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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"Leaders of organizations tend to be controlling, but the ability to let things go and see where the journey takes us can be more powerful." Peter Margaritis

This is an excerpt from the book, Off Script: Mastering the Art of Business Improvisation.

Leadership is not about self-promotion, being the center of attention, talking as much as you can, speaking in the third person, always being right, even when you're wrong, disrespecting others, or being a narcissist. However, in some organizations, these traits are viewed as effective leadership skills, which is the slippery slope to the leaders and potentially the organization's demise."

The one skill that helps to save people's careers and organizations is the art of listening. Leadership is all about becoming a better listener. Leadership is all about listening to understand versus listening to respond. Listening to understand means you genuinely want to understand what is being said to you directly, in the room as you participate in a meeting, or while attending a presentation as an audience member. When you listen to understand, you park your ideas and biases somewhere else, and you go out of your way to eliminate all distractions while listening.

When you're exhibiting the kind of listening skills worthy of a true leader, you suspend your judgment, set your ego aside to focus on listening to what the other person is trying to communicate, and you do so all the while managing your emotions. When you are "listening to respond" rather than "listening to understand," you aren't fully listening to what is being said. We can all strengthen our listening skills if we work on them daily.

Leaders of organizations tend to be controlling, but the ability to let things go and see where the journey takes us can be more powerful. Improv exercises teach us practical skills that can be applied in moments when the gameplay is the furthest thing from our minds. They can teach you and your team how to be better communicators and leaders. When practiced often, these improv games give you muscle memory of how to behave in real-world situations.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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"To get what you want as a sales professional, you have to connect with the person who has it, and that person is your client." Lon Graham

My guest is Lon Graham, who's a speaker coaching advocate. Lon speaks to sales teams, coaches, and sales leaders and is an advocate for sales professionals. He is also an award-winning sales and leadership professional. His message of getting the sales you want comes from over 25 years of experience in healthcare, corporate programs, events, and the airline industry. Lon is an active member of the National Speakers Association.

Sales are complex, and two statistics prove that. The first statistic is that sales have the highest turnover; a third of the sales force leaves yearly, which is 10 points higher than any other profession. The second statistic is that the average tenure of a sales professional is a year and a half.

There is transformational power in being nice to people. If you start by being nice to people, talking to them, and spending a little bit of time getting to know them, they will be more inclined to want to talk to you, and then they will give you a chance to come back.

The four C's is a framework designed to get people to become better at sales. The first C is Choice which addresses how to choose what you want. The following C is Commit, which addresses the steps to take for you to progress towards that goal. The third C is Connect which is about knowing who to connect with. Finally, the fourth C is celebrating, which is about recognizing the progress that you've made and acknowledging wins.

To get what you want as a sales professional, you have to connect with the person who has it; that person is your client. What makes sales so hard is how to connect with your client. The starting point is meeting your client in their story and understanding what they're doing and what they're dealing with so that you can provide solutions to their challenges. When you do that, they're going to connect with you, and they're going to help you get what you want. The four Cs framework is shaped like a wheel because it's progressive.

The two things that are so important for sales professionals to learn are first, what your client or potential client does best, and their productivity. The second thing is knowing your ideal client. By knowing these two things, you have an insight into how that potential client thinks, and if you can contribute to them doing more of what they want to do with who their ideal client is, you've just made them more productive and more profitable.

To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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"Any gathering of individuals, no matter how large or small, is an opportunity to meet someone." Peter Margaritis

If the thought of networking makes you sweat, it's time to rethink what networking is. Anytime you are at an event or even in a meeting where you don't know someone, you have the opportunity to network. It's about introducing yourself and getting to know someone. This involves having the right attitude, believing in yourself, having a plan, and remembering to smile.

By taking just a little time to get in the right mindset, you'll have a lot more confidence walking into any event, and simply smiling can make anyone more approachable. Any gathering of individuals, no matter how large or small, is an opportunity to meet someone. Preparation is vital in making connections, and this means doing your homework. Engage people by being curious about them. It is a great way to break the ice and create a rapport with someone. The key to effective implementation is to be a good listener with your eyes and ears. Always end a conversation by asking someone to feel free to contact you at any time, if you could do anything for them

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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"We have to do a better job of providing kids with the foundation of financial literacy so we can set them up for success in the future." Rory Henry

My guest was Rory Henry has 15 plus years of experience working in tax and, most recently, financial advisory professions. He's built a program AFO Wealth Management Forward, that works with accounting firms to implement holistic Wealth Management Services. Rory is a technology enthusiast at heart and adept at finding ways to improve the client experience using technology to streamline tax, accounting, and wealth management services.

Rory is the co-host of a leading accounting and financial podcast, AFO Wealth Management forward. His interviews include the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Fortune Magazine, accounting today, Channing Webb and venture-backed FinTech companies, and nationally recognized thought leaders. In addition, Rory has launched Arrowroot Family Office and Goal Setter Financial Literacy Initiative to help 1 million kids gain a pathway to financial freedom. The program is enlisting fortune 1000 companies, athletes, entertainers, and Financial Thought Leaders, to bring resources and awareness in the fight to help kids in underserved communities. Rory has a bachelor's degree from UCLA and passed the series SIE, Series 63, and series 65 Security exams. Rory is an avid sports fan outside of work, plays golf, and enjoys performing improv comedy at theaters throughout Los Angeles.

Active listening and dropping the ego is huge because it helps you find out what a person's wants and needs are. Improv is empathy because, in the end, you're trying to put yourself in someone else's shoes. It's finding out where they are in life, where they want to be, and then helping them get there, and that's real influence. People want to be heard and understood. You can provide some feedback or add to a conversation. But coming in and providing unsolicited advice is never the smart thing to do. When an improviser has a good idea or wants to interject, they'll lean forward.

I love helping out clients by looking at their situation in a holistic viewpoint and then being able to provide the right advice to set them up for success in the future. For example, we have a program promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion through financial literacy. We believe that providing financial literacy to the next generation is vitally important to our society.

We have to do a better job of providing kids with the foundation of financial literacy so we can set them up for success in the future. We have teamed up with technologies to help kids learn about financial literacy exciting and fun. Reaching kids in underserved communities that may not have financially literate role models is especially important.

We're sitting in a technological revolution, and these digital devices enable us to reach the masses. Children are inundated with information, so we have to try to set up an environment and make the content engaging. This will enable them to start understanding financial concepts.

To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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"By injecting humor and levity into our work lives, we give ourselves an opportunity for human connection." Peter Margaritis

According to some recent research, adding more laughter to the workplace helps improve the organization's culture. Humor allows people to cope with stress and build relationships and is associated with intelligence and creativity.

Workplace humor is about a positive, light-hearted, open attitude and a playful mindset. One of the best ways to create a competitive advantage is to create a culture that embraces laughter. By injecting humor and levity into our work lives, we give ourselves an opportunity for human connection —something so easily lost in today's pandemic weary and technology-driven world.

Humor has not been seen as a top leadership characteristic but rather a secondary leadership behavior. However, there is more research evidence that humor should be one of the top leadership behaviors. Incorporating humor into your company culture isn't that easy, but well worth it. It is essential to understand your own company culture when it comes to humor in the workplace and bring it in a way that fits and enhances the culture and the people.

There is a delicate balance between creating a culture that embraces humor and developing leadership that learns how to use humor to strengthen the organization, and it's well worth the effort.

To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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“The idea of burning the ladder is a shifting mindset, and building bridges is the action that creates opportunities to build relationships.’ Dr. Alan Patterson

My guests today are Dr. Alan Patterson and Jenny Knuth. Alan has more than three decades of international business experience. In 2006, he formed Mentore, a consulting practice specializing in leadership and organizational development. Many global and national businesses and organizations have tapped his expertise, including Anheuser Busch, Biogen, Federal Reserve Bank, Johnson and Johnson, Hewlett Packard, Major League Baseball, and the United States Navy. He's the author of 'Leader evolution: From Technical Expertise to Strategic Leadership.' In addition, Alan has been a college lecturer and frequent presenter at several state and national conferences. He released his new book 'Burn ladders, Build Bridges: Pursuing Work with Meaning and Purpose,' on May 6 of this year, and can be found on Amazon. Jenny, Dr. Alan's marketing person, also joins us in our conversation.

While working with my clients, I realized that there is blind faith in career progression and that people were on this treadmill that inherently held that someone else would decide for them the next step. Despite the need for such judgments, it is evident that devastation has taken place because people have become very limited, thus the need for a better concept and a better mindset.

Many people feel like the moves they need to make are out of their control, and I beg to differ. There's a lot within your control, but the approach has to be different. If you're looking for meaning and purpose, you're not going to find it on the ladder. That meaning and purpose comes through meeting and working with people.

It's not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to who is a ladder burner. However, the people you find on the edge of the organizations have created these multiple relationships across the organization. So people that speak up have this broader view of their job and are looking to make a difference would be characterized as ladder burners.

A ladder climber puts themselves in the middle of their universe, but it is about how they can help ladder burners and is never about themselves. The idea of burning the ladder is a shifting mindset, and building bridges is the action that creates opportunities to build relationships.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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“People's perceptions of you are their reality, so pay attention to what you want their reality to be.” Peter Margaritis

The way we show up does make a big difference, whether in person or virtually. Perception is reality, and the perceptions we create with others, especially with decision-making executives, really matter. People want to interact with humans they can see, hear and experience in person, whether remotely or in person. When we can see and hear each other, we see and feel the energy, engagement, body language, and attitude.

 According to the Vytopia press release dated April 12, 2022, executives view the lack of employee engagement as a subpar performance. 92% of the executives say employees who turn their cameras off are generally less engaged in the work overall. Having your camera turned off during any virtual event is disengaging, disrespectful, and simply impolite.

The world has changed in so many ways since the pandemic began. One of those ways is the increase in hybrid work as a preferred work method. Virtual meetings and learning are becoming part of the lexicon in evolving and growing our businesses. Ask yourself how you will change your unseen presence to one that sends a message and perception to senior leadership that you are engaged and ready.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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“The beauty of good leadership is having the ability of having a wonderful platform to impact someone that you may never know how so.“ Ruben Minor

Our guest today is Ruben Minor, who is the president of RAM Consulting Group, an organization that focuses on speaking training and coaching individuals and groups regarding leadership, team dynamics, relationship building, diversity, equity and inclusion, fundamental business philosophies, and business and personal branding. Reuben is a leader with a rich and resourceful network of professionals across the business spectrum, ranging from influential political figures to educational leaders and entrepreneurs. 

Ruben leverages his network to make more meaningful connections for his clients and business partners that evolved into lasting mutual beneficial relationships. Ruben also served this country for 15 years in the US Navy as a supply Corp officer, is a John Maxwell certified professional speaker, trainer and coach and intimately engaged in the community, serving as president of the Council for the village of Galena. Reuben enjoys spending time with family, history movies and hiking and as a side note, is a professional speaker. 

Emotional intelligence is the ability to process information that has been received. The information goes through a filter system in your mind, which helps you to dissect what's being said, what the intention is behind it, so that your response to what you are processing will be emotionally appropriate. Emotional intelligence, like sales, is either you naturally have it and you're good at it, or you don't have it and therefore becomes a difficult process for you to gain that. 

It takes a special savvy person to be sensitive and to know how to respond, and not hurt someone. Psychological safety entails asking how one can create an environment where a person feels safe enough to say and express what is on their mind. Naturally, everybody wants to be heard, and when you have the ability to exercise psychological safety, then that's the foundation of building great relationships.

Corporations have learned a lot post COVID, as employees have realized that they do not have to put up with toxic work environments. Unfriendly cultures have been in place for decades, and is therefore not expected to change overnight. It's going to be a constant, intentional effort by those in leadership, and making sure that they're keeping in step with what the culture is in the corporate community. 

The beauty of good leadership is having the ability of having a wonderful platform to impact someone that you may never know how so. 

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com

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