John discusses the importance and impact of leading with kindness, courtesy, and poise – grace.

John discusses the impact of leadership fatigue on leader and team, strategies to reduce fatigue and minimize the fallout, and organizational values around leader and team wellness.

What truly sets exceptional leaders apart? In this episode, John dives into 11 critical personality traits every leader must cultivate to inspire trust, lead with confidence, and drive results. Whether you're a seasoned executive or an emerging team lead, discover how to sharpen your leadership mindset and elevate your impact.

John discusses the impact of a leader’s or teammate’s ego upon an objective, distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy ego, and discussing the ways a dangerous ego manifests itself.  To frame the issue, John discusses the role ego played in the thinking of one of the most infamous spies in American history.   

 Media Links:

 USA v. Robert Philip Hanssen: Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint, Arrest Warrant and Search Warrant".

What made the American turncoat tick?

The Inside Story:  Robert Hanssen’s Psychiatrist Reveals Secrets of the KGB Super Spy

Higher Ground is back!  John talks about:

•  A pause from all things digital, including social media and the show, and the decision to continue Higher Ground;
•  The amazing NACUA 2023 Annual Conference;
•  The psychology of revenge; and
•  The impact of revenge and cancel mindset on team performance.

 Media Links:

•  https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/celebrities-who-dont-use-social-media
• https://www.dailydot.com/irl/doordash-wendys-no-tip-order-revenge/
• https://www.procon.org/headlines/is-cancel-culture-or-callout-culture-good-for-society/
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/t-magazine/cancel-culture-history.html
• https://nypost.com/2023/08/22/jennifer-aniston-declares-she-is-so-over-cancel-culture/

John reflects back on leadership and life perspective lessons learned after nearly two years of the pandemic and while we are still not out of the woods. 

John discusses big picture Clery Act compliance thinking and leadership with Melinda Latas, Director of Systemwide Clery and Campus Safety Compliance for the Cal State University system.  Melinda has extensive knowledge and experience managing Clery compliance issues; has worked in student affairs; and holds a law degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, an M.A. in Higher Education Student Affairs from The Ohio State University, and a B.S. from Texas A&M.  John and Melinda talk about managing Clery Act compliance efforts in a way that empowers campus professionals to have confidence and encourages them to avoid being fooled into thinking that room for improvement indicates impending doom if audited by the Department of Education.  Although focused on a higher ed topic, the leadership principals discussed carry over into any effort.

John discusses some psychological factors and indicators of unhealthy drama, and provides suggestions on strategies to mitigate the impact of unhealthy drama on your workplace, school, team, or project.

Drama left unchecked in an organization can be lethal to survival of team, mission, individual, or all of those.  John discusses the instinctive human drive toward drama and its dangerous impact on collaboration against the backdrop of literature, history, and Guns N Roses’ debut album Appetite for Destruction. 

WARNING:  Although the episode contains no profanity, it does contain a gritty discussion about the addictive realities of drama through comparison to drug addiction.

John Graff and returning guest Scott Schneider kick off the season by catching up on music, the realities of trial work, stand up comedy, UFC, and maintaining one’s own identity in a demanding career.  They also dive deep on why the recent U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a Taliban Twitter post, an over-reliance on social media, and a recent poll on the American political divide from the University of Virginia Center for Politics matter to higher education.