In the second half of Sylvia's conversation with Dr. Assegid Habtewold, the host of the TV show “Pick Yourself Up”.  The conversation around masterminds continues.  Sylvia shares with us how you know if you need a mastermind group and where to begin your search in looking for one.  

 

:54 - How do you know what the right mastermind group is & how do you find it?

Sylvia explains the first thing you need to think about before joining a mastermind is to answer the question: “do I need a mastermind group?”.  If you are unsure of the answer to that question then generally, the first sign that you need a mastermind is when you find yourself struggling. Whether that be the fact that you need to clarify your thoughts or you have an idea you want feedback on, even if you find yourself struggling to get things done at work.  These are all signs that you may need the support of a mastermind. 

 

2:00 - Where to find mastermind groups? 

Before you start your search for a mastermind group you need to sit down and do some internal thinking. 

 

Ask yourself: 

What type of mastermind are you looking for? 

Where will you feel most comfortable? 

What do you want from the mastermind? 

 

Where to find masterminds:

Look online for groups 

Ask your network 

Search around locally 

Ask others like you 

Social media - put a post out 

 

4:08 - What are the main takeaways from your book, Internal Masterminds Sylvia? 

Sylvia explains the main concepts inside the book: what is a mastermind, why you should be in one and what it can do for your career

How do you create a mastermind or get into one 

How facilitating a mastermind helps you grow your leadership 

 

6:40- Sylvia's 3 Success Factors

 

Connecting with people who are different from you

Fast is listening: be silent and listen.  People will tell you what you need to know. 

Collaborate

 

11:20 - How to deal with setbacks? 

Sylvia explains how she views setbacks. She focuses on the bigger picture and you will understand the situation you are in now, will pass. 

 

Sylvia closes off the conversation by sharing her biggest tip.  You need to get out of your own stuff. Stop worrying about what you think you need to be doing and who you need to be around and just get out there. Get out into the world and move forward!

Connect with Sylvia Henderson

Website: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/mindteamsolutions

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviahenderson/

   

Connect with Dr. Assegid Habtewold

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/assegidhabtewold/

Pick Yourself Up Show: https://www.mmctv.org/programs/pick-yourself-up/

Connect with MindTeam Solutions:

Website: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/mindteamsolutions

Email: Info@MindTeamSolutions.

On this week's podcast episode we have chosen to share part 1 of Sylvia’s - MindTeam Solutions CEO - conversation with Dr. Assegid Habtewold, the host of the TV show “Pick Yourself Up”.  “Pick Yourself Up" is designed to inspire, inform, and equip immigrants, job seekers, and those who are experiencing continual setbacks in their personal life, relationships, profession, and/or business”.  Inside this episode, Sylvia discusses the power of masterminds and why they are important. 

 

4:32 Why did you make the shift to masterminding from ideation? 

Sylvia explains that there is a big connection between the two, people and ideas come together in many ways - Sylvia has chosen to make them come together in mastermind groups and create a business around that. 

 

The goal was to figure out how people in companies can come together, share ideas and make companies more innovative & build culture. As this is Sylvia's passion, being able to bring this idea to life in a business sense and create a business around her passion has been a huge driving force.  

 

6:05: The benefits of masterminding

Sylvia breaks down the difference first between “masterminding” the verb: coming together of people and “mastermind” the noun, like a mastermind group — which is a small number of people who come together with a similar goal.  When you do this, you can gain other people's ideas and thoughts that are different from your own.  

 

8:30: Whether you are a speaker or not, masterminding is beneficial 

Getting together with other people is huge.  Success does not come alone and any business anywhere can benefit from working together and sharing ideas with each other in the form of a mastermind.  It’s not a competition.  It is the outreach and connection that will propel your business forward.  

 

10:03: Why is masterminding important now?

We have just been through over a year of dealing with the pandemic. This means we have been isolated socially, this has affected our minds and bodies in so many different ways.  We as humans need to connect and feel connected to other people.  That’s why now more than ever we need masterminds.  

 

11: 40- What makes a mastermind group successful? 

Sylvia leaves us with her top tips to make sure a mastermind group is successful: 

 

Long-term, small groups

Same people - builds trust 

Facilitated

Have an agenda 

Regular - same time & date 

Commitment

Connect with Sylvia Henderson

Website: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/mindteamsolutions

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviahenderson/

   

Connect with Dr. Assegid Habtewold

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/assegidhabtewold/

Pick Yourself Up Show: https://www.mmctv.org/programs/pick-yourself-up/

Connect with MindTeam Solutions:

Website: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/mindteamsolutions

Email: Info@MindTeamSolutions.

In the final installment of our conversation with Theresa Royal Brown the founder of Entrepreneur Professional Network and CEO of Premier Events Management, we dive deeper into our conversation around networking. In today’s episode, we discuss where you will find networking opportunities and how you should conduct yourself when you meet them.  

1:40 - Fear of being the only one - how to get past that?

Theresa shares with us her top tips for this fear.  Her first tip that she believes is one of the most important is to take a minute, calm your nerves and walk into the room confident. Even if you don’t feel that confident you must exude that confidence.  

How can you do that? 

Start by saying hello to others in the room, introduce yourself and ask them about themselves.  This will take the focus off of you. Remember, the goal is not to talk about ourselves but to ask & think about how we can help others. 

3:55 - When it is applicable, share interesting facts about yourself. 

This is a great way to find commonalities or even to open up the conversation to more discussion.  As you build discussion, you can build connections but in order to build connections, you have to be able to learn about others and open up those conversations to dive deeper into other's lives. Think about ways you can connect & stand out among others.

5:11 Seek out fellow loners 

Strike up a conversation with those who are not in big crowds. It’s easy to want to flock to where everybody is but instead try to find that person who is sitting alone.  This person may provide you with so much information and become someone that is very valuable to you. 

7:40 - Listen first 

It’s crucial that you remember to listen first. As tempting as it is to just begin talking and continue, the value comes from listening. Pick up key facts about the other person and remember those things. The value of setting yourself apart from others is what will make sure you are remembered. You must set yourself apart from the competition. 

 

   

Connect with Theresa Royale Brown

Website- https://premiereeventsmanagement.com/ https://www.epnetonline.com/?fbclid=IwAR1F9aHmKrR5U76FotUtpZbmhD0GlmJjTpowncmGlLBvQV3HopztEc-O5yU

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresaroyalbrown/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/theresaroyalbrown/

Connect with MindTeam Solutions:

Website: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/mindteamsolutions

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/mindteamsolutions

In the third installment of our conversation with Theresa Royal Brown the founder of Entrepreneur Professional Network and CEO of Premier Events Management discuss how developing good networking skills not only helps you in your career but also helps you to grow as a leader.  

:13 - How does networking help develop leadership skills & how do these skills overlap?

As many know, being a leader means that you have to be assertive, you have to push for change, do things others won’t and learn to be bold. This overlaps with networking as when you network with others you must learn to be bold as well. You are speaking to people you do not know. By doing this, it helps you as a leader to begin to think outside the box & also receive outside the box thinking which is key to being a leader.  When you begin to start doing that internal networking, it forces you to change & really grow your thoughts & ideas.  As Theresa states, everything changes & as a leader you have to be able to change and adapt as well. By networking, you are opening yourself up to new ideas and ways to implement change.  

3:12 - The more you do something, the more you master your craft 

Networking is a skill. It is not a natural skill that we are all born with and that is something that a lot of people get wrong about networking. They believe they just can’t network but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  As Theresa explains to us, you can master networking simply by practicing it. The more you do something, the better you get. 

5:21 - There are commonalities with everyone you met 

Sometimes, it can seem overwhelming thinking about networking, but in reality, you can find commonalities with everyone.  There is always something you can talk about, whether it be your past schooling, jobs, the location you can find something. Which can make it less scary.  As mentioned earlier in the show, networking takes practice so if you can find a question and even if you ask that same question again and again that practice becomes a skill that becomes a habit and will turn into competency.  

6:45 - Everything is changing

As we all know, everything is always changing right now. That can sometimes bring around confusion and can lead others to feel as though they don’t understand it and if you don’t understand something you may run away from it — change is scary. Networking can be a tool to propel yourself forward and combat change. With this thought in mind, Theresa leaves us with her opinion on how she believes networking should be addressed in corporate situations and that is that companies should focus more energy on making sure employees are networking, with a focus on making employees network & interact with each other that can bring about more change. 

   

Connect with Theresa Royale Brown

Website- https://premiereeventsmanagement.com/ https://www.epnetonline.com/?fbclid=IwAR1F9aHmKrR5U76FotUtpZbmhD0GlmJjTpowncmGlLBvQV3HopztEc-O5yU

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresaroyalbrown/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/theresaroyalbrown/

Connect with MindTeam Solutions:

Website: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/mindteamsolutions

In the second part of our conversation with Theresa Royal Brown the founder of Entrepreneur Professional Network and CEO of Premier Events Management we dive deeper into our conversation around networking. In today’s episode, we discuss where you will find networking opportunities and how you should conduct yourself when you meet them.  

 

:01 - Do people need formal events to network or can impromptu situations pop up?

It is often thought that in order to “network” we must be at an actual “networking” event. Theresa shows us that this couldn’t be further from the truth.  Theresa explains that regardless of where you are, networking happens. Networking happens everywhere and we must be conscious of that and how we act.  Whenever we are, whether it be new places, common areas like a grocery store, or in an elevator, we have the potential to connect with people we don’t know.  It’s here that we begin to network. You never know who you may cross paths with & because of that, we must always put our best foot forward. 

 

2:06 - This leads us to Theresa's next main point: you have to be nice to people all the time. 

 You never know what opportunities you may be presented with unknowingly.  It is the little compliments that can go a long way to helping you open a conversation.  A small compliment could open up a door to a conversation that excels your next career move. Never miss an opportunity to network. 

 

Does this look different when networking internally in an organization? 

 

When you are networking internally this may look like being nice to people in the hallway, talking to people on the elevator. Theresa has seen many people get jobs by doing these small things. Your personality will be the first thing that people see come through and help to open the door for you.  

 

3:43 - The gatekeeper you must get to know at any company is the receptionist.

Theresa explains how the receptionist at a company can become your biggest ally internally.  Treat them kindly & strike up a convo with them. When the time comes that their boss is looking for someone, you will stand out in their mind and that could make the difference between you getting looked at or overlooked. This goes back to Theresa’s initial comment of making sure that you are nice to everyone. 

 

4:52 - How can organizations help facilitate networking & building relationships within the organization? 

Theresa emphasizes the value again of simply getting “back to the basics”.  There seems to be a trend of companies moving away from events that facilitate teammates connecting, such as a company BBQ, but really these events are quite valuable.  We need to incorporate more correspondence internally.  It’s not just about networking, it comes down to having great relationships between employees, this includes zoom calls, telephone calls, internal messages and events if possible. In the end that is how you sustain & build great employees — collaboration over competition in culture. 

 

7:20 - Remote workers & companies can still build that “culture of collaboration”.  While many companies are choosing to change the way their employees are working, allowing them the option to work remotely does not mean that you can not create a culture of employees who feel connected and valued and part of a team. Connecting via Zoom where you can have that face-to-face contact can provide valuable connections between a team. Moving away from just emails to more personal and face-to-face conn...

Theresa Royal Brown, the founder of Entrepreneur Professional Network and CEO of Premier Events Management has focused her career around planning corporate & high-end events and teaches networking with a focus on internal networking.  She chats to us today about the power of networking and why more than ever we need to be focusing on this core skill. 

 

3:06: People don’t know how to network the right way.  

After being at a few different networking events one thing became blatantly obvious to Theresa — not many people know how to network “the right way”. This lead Theresa to create her signature class: “Networking Your Way Into Your Next Job”.  Inside this class, she teaches people in organizations how to network correctly. She aims to help people learn how to use networking to get that new position and move up the ladder internally,  all based around networking across multiple departments and internal groups.  One of Theresa's goals is to put an end to a trend we are seeing more and more inside companies: a lack of cross-communication between departments.  As Theresa states, “We stay in our own little cubicle - we don’t meet anyone else.” 

 

4:47  What is the biggest mistake you see in Networking? 

Theresa begins by explaining to us the biggest mistake she sees while watching other's network at corporate events.  She calls it “Business Blocking”.  At its core, this involves a person interrupting a conversation when there are two people already engaged in one. This is a classic example of trying to network at the wrong time, by blocking a conversation and inhibiting it to go further. 

 

How do you change this and “interrupt” properly? Theresa explains you must put yourself in the peripheral vision of the person you want to talk to.  Allow them to “feel you” near them.  If that person does not look at you, this signals to you they are heavily invested in their current conversation and this is not a good time. Simply walk away and come back later.  You must learn to follow the signals of others in order to network efficiently. 

 

8:07 - While networking involves basic skills that we think everyone should know, we are finding the new generation doesn’t know these things. To fix this, we must begin to teach these skills & go back to the basics. Theresa highlights that these are valuable skills that you need as a professional in order to advance your career, it is the little things, such as the ability to network, that will help you to make the biggest moves.

 

10:30 - Networking can be intimidating if you feel as though you are more on the introverted side. However, Theresa explains networking is not intimidating because you are introverted, that is simply a common misconception. The reality is you need to learn the skills to network and you need to be given tips and advice on how to do it properly. Regardless of what industry you are in, or your personality type, you can network successfully. 

 

11:00- What makes internal networking different? 

When you are internally networking you have to remember that the people you are networking with are ones that you see every day. Your etiquette should be the best it can be, you must be mindful of who you are talking to and what their position is in the business and understand that the conversations and questions you have internally while networking are much different than in another networking setting. While networking internally it is much more strategic than when you are at an external networking event.  

 

During the first installment of this two-part chat with Sylvia Henderson, futurist Joyce Giola illustrated how mental modeling and scenario planning form the backbone of her work. Looking through the lens of the COVID crisis, the speaker and corporate consultant explored the ways successful businesses navigate times of uncertainty. In the compelling conclusion to this conversation, Giola underscores the importance of investing in an organization’s talent.

 

0:28 Holistic Healing

In the wake of the many grand reexaminations characteristic of our times, Joyce Giola highlights the essential nature of ensuring their team members are equipped for change. Along with facilitating regular virtual group meetings, she implores organizational leaders to reach out to their employees one by one. A personal interest in your team member as a person has never been more important, as this moment provides a platform to assess all aspects of an individual path in life. This makes now the right time to reward those focused on creating a shared future.

 

2:28 Recognizing Reality

A viable recovery from this ongoing crisis will require a sober look at the circumstances that surround us. Giola forms the foundation of her action plan on a number of reasonable assumptions, including the adequacy of current public health measures as well as the psychological comfort of team members. Only when these things in place can a full return to normalcy begin. Looking into the near-term future, Giola projects more spaced-out office settings as well as staggered shifts to bring maximum typical office capacity down.

 

4:24 A Dose of Truth

Taking a sober view of the national recovery initiative, the futurist points to a few impossible to ignore factors. Businesses that are predicated on heavily trafficked indoor spaces, such as bars, restaurants, and hotels, will see significant logistical issues in returning to their pre-pandemic revenue levels. Other businesses that will be severely impacted over the coming months are those whose business model is predicated on entry-level employee compensation. This means that those organizations that work to make themselves actively attractive to talent will thrive.

 

5:48 Not Sharing is Caring

For better and for worse, the gig economy is one of the pillars of life in the United States. Giola forecasts a significant slowdown in the business of sharing-based services such as rental cars, livery services, and instant hotels. She points to the added overhead that public health awareness brings to business owners in these industries, such as cleaning supplies as well as added packaging. She also questions whether consumers will be willing to shoulder the increased expenses involved with keeping shared public items sanitary for constant use.

 

7:13

No matter whether your company has two employees or two million, it will have to devise new answers to new questions. Giola advises organizational leadership to arm themselves with knowledge in these uncertain times. Her Herman Trend Alert delivers a wealth of keen insights on the direction of commerce, giving team leaders a powerful resource for contributing to a future compatible with enduring success. With one eye on employee engagement, and the other on sustainable development, we can gain and maintain a clear view of tomorrow’s victories.

   

Connect with Joyce Gioia:

Website:

Futurist Joyce Giola’s entire career hinges on her ability to see into the unknown with uncommon clarity. While her chosen title may evoke images of crystal balls and nebulous prophecies, Giola’s work is actually driven by comprehensive analysis of hard empirical data. On today’s two-part episode of “Think About It,” the speaker and consultant offers her practiced perspective on what comes next for organizations in a post-crisis world.

 

1:38 Beyond the Tea Leaves

Asked to define the role of a futurist in the professional ecosystem, Giola emphasizes her focus on identifying trends. Dismissing those in her field who claim to offer “predictions,” she acknowledges the inherent impossibility of perfect accuracy in seeing what lies ahead. Instead, her goal is to create a forecast. By studying existing data, a futurist can form a spectrum of realistic projections and assist team leaders in making more effective decisions.

 

2:41 Twist of Fate

Giola certainly could not have foreseen her destination at the forefront of corporate futurism. She recalls stumbling upon an entirely new career path during her time working for a consumer electronics review publication. Here, she quickly discovered that there was tangible value in credible projections. Applying her inspiration to coursework in future studies at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, she rapidly expanded her skill set. Time has only validated her decision to look forward, as her clients continue to rely on her expertise.

 

5:05 Mental Models

Much of Giola’s work hinges on her ability to extrapolate from incomplete information. Using a technique she calls “mind mapping,” she observes and understands potential outcomes of hypothetical scenarios. She speaks on her time collaborating on a project with the municipal government of Charlotte. As an exercise in multifaceted thinking, she split team leaders into groups. She asked one group to speculate on what could go wrong, and the other to imagine what could go right. In time, these exhaustive examinations yielded real-world benefits.

 

8:01 Sea Changes

Along with the inevitable “wild cards” that may force us to alter aspects of our plans, there can also be events which can totally transform the nature of our aims. Instances in which an organization must completely reconsider their means as well as their ends are explored in a futurist’s “scenario planning.” To illustrate this, she uses culture-shifts such as a massive ideological awakening or unknown health crisis as extreme outlying frames. By accounting for unknown unknowns when devising an action plan, flexibility gains its due importance.

 

10:59 The World of (Literally) Tomorrow

Closing out the first segment of this two-part conversation, Giola offers some guidance for the business leaders of today still working to navigate a recovery. She advises team leaders to leverage any advantages that may have proven themselves viable during the crisis. For example, the individuals that make up an organization are coming off unprecedented time and space for consideration. The corporate futurist advocates creating spaces for talent to share insights that have bloomed from this fertile creative soil, building a competitive edge.

   

Connect with Joyce Gioia:

Website: https://www.hermangroup.com/joyce_bio.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joycegioia?lang=en

Connect with MindTeam Solutions:

Website:

Even as many of her contemporaries wistfully gaze back at 2019, Joyce Giola’s gaze toward tomorrow is unblinking. In the first installment of this two-part discussion, the acclaimed speaker and futurist took a hard look at the cascade of mismanagement that created our current crisis. In this follow-up segment, she explores a vision of a better future once the dust is finally settled. She also offers keen insight on what an America that lives up to its reputation might look like.

0:38 A Dose of Reality

Part II of this conversation opens with further background on her industry-shaping Herman Trend Alerts. The latest editions spotlight the COVID response and recovery effort in the United States, which have yielded mixed results at best. On this topic, Gioia emphasizes that any enduring economic recovery must have a public health component. Specifically, she advocates for increased testing and contact tracing so that outbreaks can quickly be identified and addressed. Only by defeating the pandemic wherever it lurks can any sense of “normal” flourish.

2:32 The World of Next Week

Asked to project an image of our immediate future, by all indications the future is now. Using an upcoming October conference as a model, the futurist expects that indoor mask mandates and other public health protocols will still be in place. With this in mind, she anticipates having to reconsider her outreach strategies to deliver an experience tailored for the times. From shared spaces to audience engagement, public practices will have to be reimagined. In Gioia’s view, the most dramatic changes to our lifestyles and practices will be those we make ourselves.

6:43 Squinting Further into the Future

Of course, even after the pandemic has come to a full conclusion, its effects will mark the way we live for generations. Health and sanitation have never been a bigger part of the public consciousness, and many things we once accepted as normal will one day soon be practically unimaginable. Medical care and treatment will benefit from obvious advances, but the effects may render the future into truly unfamiliar forms. The ripple effects could be surprising: Gioia even anticipates cashless and prepaid transactions sending ATMs the way of the pay phone.

8:12 Social Restructuring 

Perhaps the most profound legacy of the COVID crisis will be the collective evaluation of social priorities. After months of inactivity to consider every aspect of modern life, individuals are coming to new and provocative conclusions about their place in the world. Gioia points to the renewed enthusiasm for family life, with the workplace losing some social status as a provider of fulfillment. Families and friends are treasuring the time they have together more. Indeed, the tragedies of our time have inspired a renewed appreciation for the people we choose.

   

Connect with Joyce Gioia:

Website: https://www.hermangroup.com/joyce_bio.html

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joycegioia?lang=en

Connect with MindTeam Solutions:

Website: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/mindteamsolutions

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/mindteamsolutions

Joyce Giola has consistently taken the long view of both her professional and personal life. A management consultant and keynote speaker by trade, she takes a focus on tomorrow’s challenges in her work. With a number of ongoing crises still shaping the landscape of our times, the value of Giola’s forward-looking insights are being demonstrated like never before. Today, the futurist sits down for a two-part conversation on the societal shifts that are inevitable for our times, and how they have impacted her outlook for the years ahead.

 

1:22 Concrete in a Crystal Ball

Between the COVID pandemic itself and its economic shockwaves, organizations across industries are scrambling to find answers to entirely new questions. Gioia opens the discussion by highlighting the importance of a progressive approach to establishing a foothold on what is shaky ground for many. Moving past conventional perceptions of a business futurist as a baseless speculator, she delves into the science behind her beliefs. 

 

2:15 Knowledge is Profit

Asked to share the spark that illuminated her path into futurism, Gioia reaches back to her time in marketing. Here, she quickly discovered that the ability to reliably predict trends had substantial tangible value in the boardroom. Rapid advancement in mind, she would scour publications and periodicals for data that she could translate into actionable advice. Armed with this hard-earned knowledge, she was able to double her advertising revenue 5 years in a row. It became clear that educated guesses could prove a profitable commodity.

 

3:12 Childlike Enthusiasm

The unfiltered curiosity of youth can never be satisfied, and Gioia identifies this trait as the one from her childhood that has served her best in her adult life.  Describing herself as “curious about everything,” the information she absorbed in her spare time frequently found use in the Herman Trend Alert. This weekly report is distributed to a regular audience of nearly 30,000, and translated into multiple languages. Interacting with such a diverse array of influences gives her perceptual radar broad reach, driving a collective vision of the future.  

 

7:03 Balancing Proof and Projection

On the topic of futurism, it can be easy to get lost in flights of airy speculation. The celebrity futurist emphasizes a grounded perspective on assessing the trends of tomorrow. For example, it’s easy to see the immediate ways in which COVID and its related crises have forced us to reimagine our modern lives. However, Gioia always evaluates the process of change with both trends and outlook in mind. With so many factors at play, she views looking to the future more as generating a spectrum of possibilities than yielding a hard prediction. 

 

10:53 

Among other social shortcomings, the COVID era has exposed critical weaknesses in American systems and infrastructure. From first responders to the labor force, federal support as well as local initiatives have been woefully inadequate in the world’s wealthiest country. The meager action plan at all levels of government bodes poorly for any future crisis that American citizens will face. For this progressive thinker, any lasting recovery for the nation will center on how well it responds to being weighed, measured, and found wanting.

   

Connect with Joyce Gioia:

Website: