"Every time my mouth is open I’m not able to learn what others know." - Leo Ardine

Welcome to episode 21 of The CUInsight Experience podcast. Hosted by Randy Smith, co-founder and publisher of CUInsight.com. In case you haven’t already heard of Leo Ardine, let me give a brief introduction. He’s the President and CEO of United Teletech Financial, a board member of the New Jersey Credit Union League, and a graduate of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. And that’s just the beginning! He’s also a coach, instructor, speaker, and facilitator. I’ve been looking forward to this conversation for a long time, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

We start things off by chatting about meditation. Leo was trying to figure it out, he explains, when he learned that Google hacked meditation to figure out what happens to the brain when people meditate. By combining this with emotional intelligence, he explains, we can become better people. This is what held him to study at Google’s Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute.

Speaking of emotional intelligence, we’ll dig into the topic: both why it’s so important (personally and professionally), and whether it’s something you’re born with or can develop. He’ll offer advice on how to get started in meditation, even if you struggle with sitting still, can’t calm your mind, or feel like you’re just generally bad at meditating. Don’t miss this episode, which I hope will help you make progress not only in your career, but your whole life! Enjoy.

Full show notes on www.CUInsight.com. 

How to find Leo:
Leo Ardine
President and CEO, United Teletech Financial FCU
[email protected]
www.utfinancial.org
Linkedin 

In This Episode:

[00:03] - Welcome back to the show! Randy introduces Leo Ardine, this episode’s guest.

[02:42] - How did Leo get involved with the Google mindfulness training program? Will the program accept anyone who wants to take it, or is there a process to get in?

[04:50] - Leo talks about whether his work in emotional intelligence is part of this program, or an add-on that he built in.

[07:18] - We hear about Leo’s tips and hacks for creating space when we’re under a constant onslaught of emails, messages, and so on.

[09:12] - Leo explains to listeners why emotional intelligence is so important, both in our personal lives and as a leader.

[11:31] - The nature of work today makes us more insular and pulls our focus in and down, Leo points out.

[14:36] - Leo makes another suggestion for listeners: turn off notifications on your phone.

[15:44] - Does Leo feel like he has always had high emotional intelligence?

[18:47] - We hear about the ROI for the credit union of mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and training in these topics.

[22:04] - Does Leo have any hacks for the person who wants to meditate but just can’t sit still?

[25:15] - For Randall, journaling is almost a form of meditation as well, he explains.

[27:27] - What originally inspired Leo to take the gig as President and CEO of Teletech Financial? And how has that inspiration changed over the course of his time on the job?

[29:47] - We hear how Leo would describe his leadership style, as well as how his team would describe it. He also talks about where the transition in his leadership style came from.

[34:07] - As a leader, is there something that Leo’s team has heard him say so many times that they could finish his sentence?

[35:40] - When Leo thinks back to early in his career, is there a mistake that he&