Leadership Jam Session

Today's episode will feature a new format we're launching called 'Ask Rob', where I answer questions I've received from listeners on how to handle challenging scenarios related to managing teams.

This episode is based on a question I recently received asking me how to manage two employees who are not getting along but need to work together to achieve a common goal. 

To help me tackle this specific, challenging scenario, I brought in Eddie Dowling, a seasoned leader and a dear friend of mine who's also been on the Leadership Jam Session podcast before.

We'll discuss why it's essential to take a step back and understand the context of the conflict and that it didn't happen overnight. And we'll also talk about why it's in your employee's best interest, and yours, to get them to work it out themselves.

If you have a challenging scenario that you'd like to get my thoughts on, please go to my website at leadershipjamsession.com and look for the ‘Ask Rob’ logo. There, you'll find out more about how you can submit your challenging scenario to me - which could get featured right here on the jam session.

- Episode intro (00:00)

- How to handle two employees who are not getting along (01:27)

- Trying to find a shared purpose (02:43)

- Why it's important to expect and encourage healthy debate (06:03)

- Why a leader's role is to be a guardrail for the team (08:08)

- Assessing your role in the conflict (13:35)

- Episode recap (15:26)

How are the leaders at all levels of management tackling the toughest challenges each day? Learn more at: https://sartoleadershipgroup.com

How do you handle getting directions passed down from your boss that you don't necessarily agree with? And how do you communicate these decisions to your team?

There may be cases where these directions are coming from high up in the organization, and there's not much you can do about it.

But you need to know that sometimes it's okay to push back, especially if you understand the environment you're operating in and assume positive intent on what the company is trying to accomplish.

Situations like these can get tricky to solve since much is determined by context, but you can do a few things to make these processes run as smoothly as possible.

In this week's episode of the Leadership Jam Session Podcast, seasoned leaders Cherie Tofthagen, Brian Reardon, and Mike Sabol join me to discuss the best strategies to adopt in these scenarios. We'll talk about why transparency and communication are crucial, how to give ownership to your team, and the importance of mentorship and building advocates.

- Episode intro (00:00)

- Why you need to develop a global mindset (02:38)

- How to get your team involved (04:54)

- It's okay to push back (06:45)

- Why transparency is vital (12:34)

- The importance of employee engagement (18:51)

- Why you need a strong communication plan (22:04)

- Episode recap (24:37)

How are the leaders at all levels of management tackling the toughest challenges each day? Learn more at: https://sartoleadershipgroup.com

What does it mean to be an authentic leader? And how can you develop that mindset?

Today's guest is Sean Georges, a former Marine Corps officer who graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as a Senior Vice President and General Counsel for a publicly traded company. 

Sean's experiences during his years in the Marine Corps provided him with a vast repertoire of valuable leadership insights and team-building skills. 

However, one of the most profound lessons Sean has learned on authentic leadership springs from the story of a near-fatal car accident involving his daughter. He witnessed the power of teamwork towards accomplishing a shared mission embodied in the bold actions of the rescue team.

In this episode of the Leadership Jam Session Podcast, we'll discuss what lies at the heart of genuine leadership, the difference between managing and leading, and how to develop an authentic leadership mindset.

- Episode intro (00:00)

- What inspired Sean's message (01:15)

- Leadership lessons from Sean's daughter's car accident (03:39)

- How to develop authentic leadership (07:52)

- Your job as a leader is not to have the answer (16:10)

- What is my best and highest role? (24:00)

- What the essence of authentic leadership is (25:12)



How are the leaders at all levels of management tackling the toughest challenges each day? Learn more at: https://sartoleadershipgroup.com

The COVID pandemic drastically changed the way we think about business and community-building.

Virtual environments have practically become the new workspace for a significant part of the worldwide workforce. As a leader, building and maintaining your team's trust in such strange times can be challenging to get right.

Perhaps your team doesn't get along too well virtually, or the strategies you have adopted to build this trust haven't worked at all. What can you do then?

Fortunately, there are indeed some tools and actions that can help you boost your team's sense of unity and camaraderie during those long Zoom calls.

Getting to know each of your team members' personalities and different communication styles can go a long way. Having one-on-one conversations with them will allow you to build and maintain a sense of trust and connection in a virtual space.

And sometimes, it can be better for you to lay low and stay behind the scenes. For example, having your team meet periodically without you can also make a big difference to help that team build the connectivity you're looking for.

In today's episode of the Leadership Jam Session Podcast, we'll welcome a panel of leaders who are participants in a new program I recently launched called the Coach's Jam Session to discuss how to build and maintain trust with your team in a virtual environment. 

- Episode intro (00:00)

- Why it comes down to communication (01:18)

- The importance of one-on-one conversations (02:06)

- How technology can bind teams together (03:00)

- Why you can't force trust (05:23)

- Understanding different communication styles (08:17)

- How to build a cohesive team online (12:30)

- Why sometimes you need to step back (17:00)

- Episode summary (20:55)

How are the leaders at all levels of management tackling the toughest challenges each day? Learn more at: https://sartoleadershipgroup.com

Regardless of the industry you come from, trying to lead your teams through a restructuring or a merger acquisition while keeping them focused can be daunting.

Problems such as a lack of communication among the team or a shared frustration over a slow transitional process can quickly arise. The difference between success and failure will depend significantly on your team management and leadership skills.

In this week's episode of the Leadership Jam Session Podcast, we welcome Fred Rapp, a highly successful executive with over 20 years of healthcare experience - and no stranger to leading teams through several of these types of scenarios. 

We'll discuss the specific challenges he had to overcome, his leadership principles, and how he believes his success as a manager during these challenging events comes from adopting a leadership style based on honesty, respect, and transparency.

- Episode intro (00:00)

- Fred's journey and leadership principles (01:54)

- How to deal with an emotional rollercoaster (03:01)

- Why communication is critical when making decisions (08:36)

- Fred's biggest struggle during restructurings (11:25)

- How change impacts the culture (16:25)

- The importance of transparency (20:30)

- The key ingredient of change management (24:43)

How are the leaders at all levels of management tackling the toughest challenges each day? Learn more at: https://sartoleadershipgroup.com

What happens when you've had multiple coaching discussions with your employee, and you haven't seen any progress made against the expectations that you previously set for them? 

Situations like these are never easy, but the best way to deal with them is to have a particular and direct conversation with your employee. In business, we call it the 'Come To Jesus Meeting.'

And fortunately, there are some efficient action steps you can take to have this meeting with your employee.

But when is the best time to have the 'Come To Jesus Meeting" with this employee? And how do you approach it? Timing and preparation are crucial indeed, and as a manager, it can be challenging to get these aspects right.

Discussions like these tend to be delayed, and sometimes you might not be considering the whole picture and your role as a leader in it. Perhaps you're unsure whether you invested the right amount of time in coaching or providing the right resources to your employee.

In this episode of the Leadership Jam Session Podcast, Kevin Manning and Steve Tuciarone join me to talk about everything you need to know to have a successful 'Come To Jesus Meeting' with your employee.

- What is the 'Come To Jesus' meeting?

- Why this discussion is a gradual process

- How leaders approach a one-way conversation

- Why discussions like these are often delayed

- The importance of preparing

- How to get your employee back on track

- Episode summary

How are the leaders at all levels of management tackling the toughest challenges each day? Learn more at: https://sartoleadershipgroup.com

Imagine the following: you have an employee looking to get promoted, but your manager or other decision-makers don't think they are ready. What is the best way to deal with this challenging scenario?

Like in most tricky situations in life, the key lies in effective communication. It takes coordinated effort and honest conversation to determine if the employee truly meets the required skills for that promotion. 

You may have to tell your employee to pump the brakes and work towards getting in the right light to be promoted.

And as a manager, you have to make sure you're providing the right opportunities for your employees to demonstrate that those changes are taking place. 

But your employee owns those action steps. You're helping them to create it and providing them with the action steps, but they own executing that plan as well. That's when actual growth as an employee happens.

I'm Rob Fonte, and today I'm joined by Kim Metcalf, Paul Catanzaro, and Joe Schnebelen to discuss the best ways to deal with a promotion when it's too soon.

• Dealing with promotions when it’s too soon (00:00)
• Keep it to the criteria you’re discussing (03:00)
• Test the waters (04:00)
• How to handle baggage and negative perceptions (06:05)
• Is this the right role for the employee? (08:26)
• Why teamwork is crucial during the hiring process (12:53)
• Why it's important to create a culture of redemption (15:55)
• It’s all about coordinated effort (18:58)
• Episode summary (21:33)

How are the leaders at all levels of management tackling the toughest challenges each day? Learn more at: https://sartoleadershipgroup.com

In this Jam Session, I sit with Abigail Manning who is the Founder of CACL Inc., creator of the Authentic Health curriculum, workshop trainer & international speaker on professional & personal development & wellbeing. Abigail is passionately committed to helping others live their best lives by removing limiting thoughts, overcoming life obstacles and relentlessly moving forward. She combines an Indiana University double major (Cognitive, Social & Behavioral) and her firsthand life lessons learned from overcoming childhood abuse, domestic violence & PTS.

As a proud mother of U.S. Marines, she is keenly aware of military culture. Working primarily with military, government & national security companies, Abigail has a heart-felt passion for the people she serves. Thanks to her unique and innovative language of Purple Threads, and her optimistic and empowering approach, she truly changes lives.

• The only way to have self-mastery is to have empathy
• TRUST (Truth, Respect, Unity, Safety, & Transparency). You must give these 5 elements, and expect them back from others, if you want to build trust
• Communication and Self-Awareness - become more aware of your own “communication irritations” and how it lands on others
• Be an authentic leader – be yourself, lead with care, understand what makes a person tick
• Good leadership is calm, consistent, and reliable

• abigailgmanning.com  
• linkedin.com/in/abigail-g-manning-915ab2154
• USAF LEDx Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqZrJCqoH0I

In this Jam Session, I sit with successful real estate leader Karlton “Karl” Utter who is Vice President of Career Development at Howard Hannah Real Estate Services. Karl shares his experiences with leading new teams and his approach to leadership development through the lens of real estate sales and management.  

• If you want to grow professionally you must keep looking at new opportunities 
• As a leader, you should ask yourself if you are challenging your people enough 
• If you always do the easy stuff first, you will continue to push the hard stuff to the side, and it’s the hard stuff that can be the most fulfilling  
• If you feel as if you do not have the time, change the word ‘time’ to ‘energy’ and ask yourself the same question, because most likely, it’s energy that you’re needing 

In this episode I sit with Rebecca (Becca) Mehrwerth, a biotech executive with 30 years of healthcare industry experience having held leadership positions within small and large companies. Becca brings some unique leadership experience related to being a part of three startup companies.

Becca shares her leadership journey and approach to successfully leading teams through a startup environment, including leading through times of uncertainty, and how her leadership style has inspired people to continuously work for her. 

• Alignment to a Vision: articulate a vision that is incredibly important. This starts with senior leadership 
• Transparency: be upfront with your team in the good times, as well the not-so-great times. Share as much information as you can (and as appropriate) 
• Feedback: be open to giving and receiving feedback 
• Purpose: resources can be scarce in a startup, but don’t forget the purpose for being part of one 
• Voice: be a voice for your team and allow them to be heard individually 
• Get in the trenches: Leadership is very much about removing roadblocks for your team, but don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get to work alongside your team