Lead Fresh

High achievers have a tendency to put a lot of pressure on themselves to reach specific goals.  But in very unpredictable times, that can be problematic when the pursuit of goals might not follow a traditional path.  Instead of focusing on resolutions and goals for the New Year, Liz is going to challenge you to name your intention(s) for the work you do in 2021.  

Listen in as executive coaches Liz Howard and Richard Rieckenberg reflect on 2020.  We discuss the role of change, kindness, and resolutions in the new, and equally uncertain, year.

Can leaders actually make innovation happen? Listen as Liz and her guest Jeff DeGraff talk about this and the six skills that empower innovation. Jeff is both an advisor to Fortune 500 Companies and a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is an author several times over and just released his new book The Creative Mindset; he also has a regular segment on the Next Idea's public radio. Listen in and see if you can learn some creativity skills on this episode of The Leadership Coaching Group.

Jeff shares how working with Domino's Pizza gave him the start to where he is today. Jeff discusses the one thing about creativity; he thinks every business owner should know his definition of creativity and where creativity lives. He believes that if you diversify the gene pool, meaning to talk to people outside of the business, you are in, they will usually be able to give you insights that will help you. Jeff also shares his one piece of advice for new leaders.

In This Episode

• [01:03] Welcome to the show, Jeff!
• [01:22] Jeff shares his background and how he got into the field he is in today.
• [02:27] Jeff discusses the thing about creativity every business owner needs to know.
• [03:50] Jeff gives his definition of creativity.
• [04:22] Where does creativity live? Is everyone creative?
• [07:13] Jeff talks about diversifying the gene pool.
• [10:04] Being creative comes from the inside, not what you look like on the outside.
• [12:46] Jeff believes that talking to people from the outside can create points of departure.
• [13:19] See one, do one, teach one is Jeff's one piece of advice for new leaders.
• [14:12] Thank you for being on the show!

Find Liz:

• Liz Howard
• Email
• Instagram | Facebook

Find Jeff:

• Jeff DeGraff
• LinkedIn

Have you heard of off the rack leadership advice? You know that advice that doesn't fit everyone the same way and for some may not fit at all. Listen as Liz and her guest Jodi Hume talk about leadership myths, what they are, and how to overcome them. Jodi was the COO of a growing architecture firm for over 15 years, so she has real leadership experience and is the lead singer of a band called the Wafflers. Listen to learn more about leadership myths and how you can debunk them on this episode of The Leadership Coaching Group.

Jodi shares how to behave if your leadership advice doesn't work and how to listen for the unmet need that someone is trying to show you. You have to be an authoritarian leader is one myth that Jodi wants to debunk; she believes you need to create curiosity instead. 

Can questions be weaponized? Have you ever felt like someone was trying to make you uncomfortable by asking unneeded questions? Listen as Liz and Jodi talk about how this can happen and what to do about it. Jodi also discusses decision fatigue and how you can ease the stress of making decisions. To wrap up the episode, Jodi shares one piece of advice for a new leader, manage your energy, listen as she explains.

In This Episode

• [01:40] Welcome to the show, Jodi!
• [02:01] Jodi shares how to behave if leadership advice doesn't work.
• [03:39] Jodi speaks about listening for the unmet need that's being expressed.
• [04:40] Leadership being led with authority is one myth she wants to debunk.
• [05:41] What is the first step to breaking the authoritative way and creating a curiosity instead?
• [06:22] "Knowledge is a love affair of the answers, and wisdom is a love affair with the questions."
• [08:22] Listen, as Jodi discusses how questions can be weaponized.
• [10:11] Jodi speaks about decision fatigue.
• [13:49] Prioritizing your decision making can ease the stress.
• [15:25] Unless the stakes are truly high, don't roll the mental dice, decide.
• [16:10] Jodi shares one piece of advice for a brand new leader.
• [17:07] Thank you for listening!

Find Liz:

• Liz Howard
• Email
• Instagram | Facebook

Find Jodi:

• Jodi Hume
• So Here’s My Story podcast
• Facebook |

How do you talk about gratitude after this painful year? Liz shares we will find whatever we look for, so choose to control your own mind, find things worthy of your gratitude. Think about how great people around you are and how many have jumped in to help where they saw a need. Liz is encouraging you to think about how much you have to be thankful for on this episode of The Leadership Coaching Group.

Liz believes it is one of the most self-empowering things to take responsibility, to know that you do, in fact, have an impact on your own life. She says that at a bare minimum, you can shift your perspective to one of curiosity and playfulness and see that you have the power to affect your life experience.

She offers a challenge to you to own your role in your life, start seeing where you have a responsibility and where you played a role. Then consider how you want to affect things going forward. Happy Thanksgiving!

In This Episode

• [00:35] Liz is talking today about gratitude.
• [02:11] Liz shares stories of people who have jumped in to help and how much goodness there is in the world.
• [03:05] Liz discusses an insight she shared with a group of her friends.
• [04:56] There is no promise of perfection.
• [05:26] Her challenge to you is to own your role in your own life.
• [06:03] Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for listening to the show!

Find Liz:

• Liz Howard
• Email
• Instagram | Facebook

In this episode of The Leadership Coaching Group, Liz is talking with Dr. Nate Regier. Nate specializes in personality diversity, a former practicing psychologist and an expert in social, emotional intelligence, interpersonal communication, and leadership. Listen to what Nate has to say about personality diversity.

Nate shares what the title of his book, Seeing People Through, means, the different types of personalities, and what they really mean. Nate believes there are six predictable clusters of behavior that come from self-sabotaging patterns: overcontrolling, pushing beliefs, making silly mistakes, isolation, manipulation, and blaming.

Listen, as Nate discusses how, as a leader, you can approach a team member that you see exhibiting these types of behaviors and what tank filling is. Nate shares some ways to handle being promoted above your people skills and how to create a safe space for a leader in a negative environment. Nate also speaks about interaction safety, some hindrances to avoid, and one piece of advice for new leaders. 

In This Episode

• [01:03] Welcome to the show, Nate!
• [01:17] Nate shares that seeing people through is probably the truest meaning of the word inclusion.
• [02:18] Nate discusses his background and his journey to where he is now.
• [04:00] Listen as Nate speaks about what personalities really are and the different types.
• [06:38] What happens when leaders can see personality types are out of alignment with themselves?
• [07:57] Nate shares some predictable self-sabotaging behavior patterns that lead to six predictable clusters of behavior.
• [09:37] Nate discusses ways to self regulate and self manage to see changes that indicate you are in distress.
• [10:38] As a leader, how do you approach a team member who is derailing and having some of these behaviors?
• [11:59] Tank filling is the psychological needs for each of the six types.
• [13:17] Nate shares what you can do when you are promoted above your people skills.
• [15:31] Nate discusses how to help create a safe space for a leader with good people skills but not as much knowledge of the team.
• [17:55] One of the biggest hindrances to interaction safety is if you are not curious.
• [19:06] Nate says that compassion can help bolster interaction safety.
• [20:36] If you don’t let people know what we are struggling with, you don’t allow them to see you through.
• [21:37] Why do you think people find it so hard to share their struggles?
• [23:17] Nate shares one piece of advice for new leaders.
• [24:01] Thank you for listening!

Find Liz:

• Liz Howard

Do you feel you need to move faster just to catch up? Listen as Liz's guest, Alan Willett, the author of the book Lead with Speed: Fire Up Your Team, Power Your Engines of Development, and Make Your Organization Soar and Tech Consultant, shares how to lead with speed and the laws that leaders must master on this episode of The Leadership Coaching Group. 

Alan shares why it's important for an organization to move quickly, what speed in business means, and some of the most common speed bumps that slow people down. Alan discusses slowing down while creating a process and then moving quickly to adopt it and increase speed while working virtually. 

"People need to learn how to walk around the virtual hallways." Listen, as Alan shares what he means by this and how to handle people who are nervous about speed and are scared of risk. Alan shares some great advice for anyone new to a management role and where to look for training if your company doesn't offer it.

In This Episode

• [00:57] Welcome to the show, Alan!
• [01:05] Alan shares why organizations need to move quickly.
• [01:32] Speed means understanding what the value you want to provide is and draw the best line from where you are now to that value.
• [01:49] Alan discusses the most common speed bumps that slow people down.
• [03:11] To develop a good process, don't you need to slow down first to get it created and then move quickly through the process?
• [04:41] Alan shares how to increase the speed when communicating virtually.
• [05:31] Listen, as Alan speaks about influencing planning horizons when you have a deadline.
• [07:04] Alan believes that people need to learn how to walk around the virtual hallways.
• [08:16] Alan speaks about how to handle people nervous about speed and scared of risk.
• [08:56] Alan gives some advice for anyone new in a management role.
• [10:11] Thank you for being on the show!

Find Liz:

• Liz Howard
• Email
• Instagram | Facebook

Find Alan:

• Alan Willett
• Email

Does honesty impact how great a leader you can be?  Today's guest, Peter Kozodoy thinks so.  The author of Honest to Greatness is talking about the facets of honesty and how it plays into the impact a leader can have.

Did you know that burnout has been declared an occupational hazard by the World Health Organization? Liz's guest on this episode of The Leadership Coaching Group podcast Eileen McDargh, is an accomplished speaker, author, and resilience expert. Listen as Eileen breaks down some ideas on how you can exist in everything coming at you from your own strongest stance. 

Eileen discusses why she believes burnout is so prevalent right now during the pandemic, what resilience means to her and how to get back into control. The best way to get back into control is to start with physical control by getting enough sleep, exercise, and order in the place you are working.

Listen, as Eileen speaks about how feeling burned out can affect personal relationships, why working in the same environment where we live usually means we don't get breaks. She shares some advice for new leaders. We hope you get a lot from this conversation because it's very important right now to be resilient.

In This Episode

• [01:13] Welcome to the show, Eileen!
• [01:33] Eileen shares that W.H.O declared burnout an occupational hazard.
• [02:08] Eileen defines burnout and why it is happening so often now.
• [04:41] Build resilience to refuel, recharge, and reclaim what matters.
• [05:04] Eileen discusses what resilience means to her.
• [06:37] How can a person close to burnout and get back into control?
• [08:26] Listen as Eileen shares why a person feels like they can't unplug and still feel like they haven't accomplished enough.
• [09:32] Eileen speaks about how feeling burned out affects our relationships and the results.
• [10:35] When we live in the same environment where we work, we get no breaks.
• [12:03] Listen as Eileen shares some advice for a new leader.
• [12:33] Thank you so much for being on the show!

Find Liz:

• Liz Howard
• Email
• Instagram | Facebook

Find Eileen

• Eileen McDargh
• Books
• Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn

"We have to think differently to achieve different results" Liz's guest on this episode of The Leadership Coaching Group podcast is Pragito Dove. Pragito has twenty years of stress management and meditation counseling experience. Listen as we discuss meditation and how it benefits leaders.

Pragito defines meditation as awareness and being in the present moment. When we lose focus, the mind distracts us from what our bodies are doing. Pragito believes that our mind is the bridge between our inner and outer selves. Although we need the mind, we don't need the anxiety that the mind creates.

Listen, as Pragito shares how to know that the mind is controlling us in any given moment, how, when you judge other people, you are judging yourself, and why we are drawn to authentic people. Are you distracted and having trouble focusing? This is the episode you don't want to miss.

Liz wants to introduce you to the concept that your thoughts have a primary impact on your life. It isn't just other people or a pandemic; these are just other factors that can influence you, but what's most important is how you allow your thoughts about those things to drive your actions. We would appreciate you letting us know how this topic lands with you. Email us at [email protected] if you want to share any of your thoughts directly with us.

In This Episode

• [03:35] Welcome to the show, Pragito!
• [04:06] Pragito shares that meditation is awareness, being in the present moment.
• [05:08] Listen as Pragito speaks about losing focus and being distracted.
• [06:33] Pragito believes that our mind is the bridge between our inner and our outer. We need the mind, but not the anxiety the mind creates.
• [07:25] What is a red flag that the mind is controlling us at the moment?
• [08:12] When you realize you are judging others, in reality, you are judging yourself.
• [09:37] Pragito discusses why we are drawn to authentic people.
• [11:07] Thank you for listening!

Find Liz:

• Liz Howard
• Email
• Instagram | Facebook

Find Pragito:

• Discover Meditation
• Books
• Lunchtime Enlightenment
• Laughter, Tears, and Silence