Over the course of delivering numerous leadership keynotes and workshops this past year, it’s been interesting to see what themes leaders are looking for answers or guidance on. On a personal note, it’s also been gratifying to return once again to delivering these sessions in person and not just virtually.After all, there’s nothing more rewarding than being in a room full of leaders and watching as those light bulbs go off as they now realize what they need to do differently to address a current issue or problem.One of the common issues I’ve been asked to speak on is how to both re-engage employees and re-ignite team camaraderie after two long years of working apart. In one of the keynotes I gave in person back in March, I shared a personal story that illustrated what leaders need to do to inspire their employees to bring their very best to work every day.Seeing the enthusiastic reactions of the leaders in attendance as I shared this story – not to mention hearing from many of them afterwards about how much this story resonated with them – I made a note that it might make for a good story to share with my podcast audience as well.So in this Leadership Espresso Shot, you’ll hear about one of the best leaders I ever worked for, what he taught me about understanding your real potential, and what leaders need to do to inspire the best in those they lead.His leadership example demonstrates that while this is a simple approach, it has a powerful impact on helping to inspire the best in others.https://open.spotify.com/episode/4OT0wYCTLYbPWRDJ22AEH2?si=RolBNscFRzKs1j9Z0a4pug

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There’s no question we’re living through a period of unprecedented change and uncertainty. But is this period of uncertainty something to dread, or does it present an opportunity to transform the way we lead to achieve enduring growth and success? My guest for this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe”, Faisal Hoque, certainly sees the latter as being true and he presents a compelling case for why the rest of us should, too.Faisal Hoque is an accomplished entrepreneur, author, thought leader, and advisor to management teams and boards with more than 25 years of cross-industry success. He has successfully founded numerous companies, his latest being SHADOKA and NextChapter, where they focus on enabling sustainable and transformational changes.Faisal has worked with many private sector giants including GE, MasterCard, American Express, PepsiCo, IBM, Home Depot, Gartner, JP Morgan Chase, and others. His work has appeared in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Business Insider and Huffington Post among other publications.In this episode, Faisal and I discuss his best-selling book, “Lift – Fostering the Leader in You Amid Revolutionary Global Change”, which leads us to discuss the impacts of not just the pandemic and the on-going debate around Quiet Quitting, the Great Resignation, and the future of remote work, but of also how climate change and the spread of misinformation into numerous facets of society present unique challenges today’s leaders need to be ready to meet head-on.It's a thoughtful and at times very personal, conversation between Faisal and me. And definitely one that will not only have you rethinking your outlook on these pressing issues, but it will also encourage you to embrace the opportunities for improvement and being the kind of leader that brings out the best in those they lead.https://open.spotify.com/episode/06dEN5DJgUkH1c9WJBE82YNoteworthy links:Buy Faisal’s book “Lift” on Amazon* Learn more about Faisal’s work on his website: faisalhoque.com*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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With the arrival of Fall, it’s only natural that leaders are shifting their focus towards what needs to be done to complete those goals they set out for their team at the start of the year.But this time of year also presents an important opportunity for leaders to energize – or in some cases re-energize – collaboration within their team, as well as help reinforce a sense of belonging and camaraderie that will help keep employees motivated as well as invested in sticking around.As such, in this latest edition in my Leadership Espresso Shot series, I share three easy steps that any leader – regardless your position or what industry you operate in – can employ to energize collaboration to achieve a successful outcome in your year-long goals.As I point out in this episode, this topic for this episode of my podcast was inspired by some of the parallels I’m seeing in conversations I’ve had with leaders about the upcoming leadership keynotes or workshops I’m scheduled to give for their organization. So I imagine this is something that will prove to be timely and instructive for all leaders.So grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and check out this episode for some simple, but powerful steps that will ensure a successful outcome to your collective efforts.https://open.spotify.com/episode/0JwLJjQ3VyV4divPtT2OZc

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No matter which industry your organization operates it, there’s a pretty high chance that you’re grappling with how to motivate and engage your employees in the daily work they do. This challenge has manifested itself in various ways – from the Great Resignation to more recently the notion of quiet quitting.Regardless of what we choose to call it, the underlying problem is the same – people don’t feel a strong connection to the work they do, and consequently are not as invested as leaders want them to be.But research done before the pandemic has revealed what’s needed – people need to do purpose-led work if they are to genuinely care about the vision or long-term goals of the organization. Invariably, this leads to the question of how can leaders create purpose-led work for all their employees? Well, my guest for this episode of my podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe” has the answer and it all comes down to the conversations you’re having with your employees.Steve Curtin is an expert on customer service management and leadership. After a 20-year career at Marriott International working in operations, human resources, sales and marketing, Steve launched his own consulting company to help organizations improve their customer service operations.He’s the author of two books, Delight Your Customers: 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary and The Revelation Conversation: Inspire Greater Employee Engagement by Connecting to Purpose, which is the focus of my conversation with Steve.Over the course of this episode, you’ll learn:The common misunderstanding leaders have about purpose at work that impedes their ability to create opportunities for their employees to do meaningful work.Four questions leaders need to ask to help identify what their employee’s work purpose is and how it ties to their everyday responsibilities.What is the Revelation Conversation and how can it help address issues like quiet quitting and the Great Resignation.How leaders can make purpose-led work less fuzzy and more quantifiable to track how it impacts achieving business objectives.If you enjoy this episode, please do take a moment to rate and review my podcast on your favourite streaming platform to help support the podcast.https://open.spotify.com/episode/1tKQpSXrWWEJgMhyIMawBmNoteworthy links:Buy Steve’s book “The Revelation Conversation” on Amazon*Visit Steve’s website: stevecurtin.comWatch my TED talk “Forget Passion - Purpose is the Real Spice of Life”*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Without question, being an effective listener is definitely a critical skill for leaders to demonstrate, especially as workplaces continue to become more demographically diverse. And yet, even the best leaders can fail to truly listen and understand what their employees really need from them, especially during times of uncertainty about the future.It's one of the reasons why in so many of my leadership keynotes and workshops I touch on what leaders need to do to become better listeners. And it was following one of those leadership keynotes that I was asked by one of the leaders in attendance about one of my failures as a leader and what I learned from it going forward.The story I shared was so well received and appreciated by the leaders in attendance that I want to share it in this edition of my Leadership Espresso Short series because I think it really helps to show that even when we have the best intentions, we can fail to show up and really hear what those we lead are trying to tell us.So I hope you’ll check it out as I’m sure like many of the leaders in attendance for my keynote you may find some parallels with your leadership as well.https://open.spotify.com/episode/7Jr6bx7C6dlDUdgMTdeh1U?si=NvlaGOeiSjmzBHvYk1L8JgNoteworthy links:Watch my TED talk on the power of purpose.Learn more about my speaking work.

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If there’s one thing leaders everywhere want to avoid it’s conflict in the workplace. Not only is workplace conflict counterproductive and stressful, but it makes everyone feel uncomfortable. But what if the problem is not with conflict itself, but with how we mismanage conflict? That’s the perspective of conflict expert Marlene Chism, my guest for this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe”.Marlene is an expert on identifying and stopping workplace drama, and she’s worked with leaders to help them build drama-free workplace cultures that drive growth and long term success. Marlene also happens to be one of the very first guests I had on my podcast over 10 years ago when we talked about her book “Stop Workplace Drama”. This time, I’ve invited Marlene back on my podcast to talk to me about her latest book “From Conflict to Courage: How To Stop Avoiding and Start Leading”*.Over the course of this episode, Marlene and I discuss:What we get wrong about conflict that makes leaders mismanage these situationsThe three distinct elements of conflict capacity and how they can help leaders better manage workplace conflictWhy we need to change the narrative we tell about ourselves if we are to manage conflict more effectivelyThe two types of resistance we should be focusing on to resolve workplace conflictsHow getting out of our comfort zone is key to successfully manage conflictIf you’ve been enjoying my podcast, I’d like to ask you to please take a quick moment to rate our podcast on your preferred podcast platform. And if you can, to also write a short review to help others discover my podcast and also benefit from the leadership insights shared on this show.https://open.spotify.com/episode/48DyGZSDx1CiL4s2bhCv0A?si=043db80422ee424eNoteworthy links:Buy Marlene’s book “From Conflict to Courage” on Amazon*Learn more about Marlene’s work - marlenechism.comListen to my interview with Marlene about her book “Stop Workplace Drama”*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Numerous studies done over the past decade have demonstrated that those who succeed at leadership have not only developed strong technical abilities, but they’ve worked on building their emotional competencies as well.In this latest instalment of my Leadership Espresso Shot series, I share two simple, but powerful steps based on neuroscience and other studies that will help you to build your emotional competencies so you can better understand what your employees need and what would motivate them to deliver their very best.If you haven’t listened to one of these yet, my Leadership Espresso Shots are short, but powerful episodes of my “Leadership Biz Cafe” podcast that provide you with insights to improve the way you lead.And with the world of work in a state of flux right now, this edition offers some practical insights to help you better connect, understand, and lead those under your care as the workplace and the expectations of employees and employers continue to evolve.https://open.spotify.com/episode/4z15M6kzSBhEfzbb0LCVVY?si=QLzGRJePTWK3OrviZR0ZXQ

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It’s hard not to feel as though there’s a growing tide of divisiveness spreading across the world, splitting people into us vs. them camps on a variety of issues. Of course, those divisive issues found in various communities and countries inevitably spill into the workplace. So how can leaders ensure they’re closing the gap between those us and them groups within their workforce?My guest for this episode of my “Leadership Biz Cafe” podcast, Laura Kriska, not only has the answer, but she has a proven process for how leaders can succeed at creating a more diverse and inclusive organizational culture. And I even apply one of those lessons in my conversation with Laura to prove leaders can start making these efforts right now.Laura is a leading cross-cultural consultant with more than 30 years of experience working with organizations to help them bridge gaps in diverse workplaces. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies around the world helping leaders and their teams overcome us versus them gaps fostered by differences in nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, or other demographic identifiers.In this episode, I talk with Laura about her book “The Business of WE – the proven three-step process for closing the gap between us and them in your workplace” and how leaders can better succeed in their diversity and inclusion initiatives.Over the course of this episode, some of the topics Laura and I discuss include:What’s behind organizations failing to truly embrace diversity and inclusion in the face of a growing talent shortage.What leads to a gap between our awareness and understanding of the different cultural identifiers found within today’s increasingly diverse workforce.5 important rules leaders need to observe when carrying out any kind of diversity and inclusion assessment in their organization.3 types of action leaders can take to close the us versus them gap in their workplace.The unspoken problem behind hiring for “culture fit” when it comes to diversity and inclusion.How to ensure hybrid work arrangements don’t adversely impact career opportunities for minority groups in your workforce.If you enjoy this episode, I’d appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate and review my podcast on your favourite streaming platform.https://open.spotify.com/episode/5I9WEqDrMNJAFqm1XObsnG?si=A6ZmEIUKT1WQw4jYRIqjbANoteworthy links:Buy “The Business of WE” on Amazon.*Learn more about Laura’s work (and her free online assessment) at laurakriska.com.*sponsored link that helps to support this podcast. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Effective communication is a critical cornerstone to succeeding at leadership. And yet, numerous studies have shown that a majority of leaders lack this necessary skill to not only empowering employees, but retaining talent necessary to drive their organization’s growth and long-term prosperity.It’s not surprising then why every month or two we see yet another example of leadership failure where a leader communicates a message that creates outrage, both within and outside their organization.That’s why I wanted to use this latest “Leadership Espresso Shot” on my podcast to provide leaders with the opportunity to consider and reflect on the power of our words, where we can either inspire employees to commit their full potential or extinguish any internal motivation they have to doing more than what’s expected of them.Specifically, I share the examples of two leaders and what you can learn from their communication success – and failure – to help you better understand the power of words and what your employees need from you to truly succeed and thrive under your leadership.https://open.spotify.com/episode/7zL5Iw2wlsrjHzYjMiONsz

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