Looking For AND

Have you watched the Apple TV+ show about an American football coach who is hired to manage a Premier League soccer club in the UK? Hile and I liked it because it was funny, emotional and entertaining. And, we realized that it was chock-full of leadership lessons. So, we decided to dedicate an episode (ok, 2 episodes!!!) to discussing what lessons we think Ted Lasso can teach you. In this episode, we talk about receiving feedback, soliciting ideas, being vulnerable and the importance of engaging at all levels of the organization. What's your favorite Ted Lasso lesson?

Spoiler alert: We talk about specific scenes, characters and outcomes. You may want to watch this 10-episode series before you listen...or listen to the podcast then watch it with an eye on learning!

Problems arise every day, in business, government and non-profit organizations. Unfortunately, leaders often trade 'looking busy' and activity for real progress. Kristen Cox, former Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Management and budget for the state of Utah and recipient of Governing Magazine's "Public Official of the Year" award joins us to talk about a book she co-authored with Yishai Ashlag - "Stop Decorating the Fish - Which solutions to ignore and which problems really matter." Cox and Ashlag use a simple story about a dwindling fish population in the fictional town of Busyville to demonstrate the "Seductive 7" approaches that frequently keep leaders from truly solving big problems. In this episode we dive into the Seductive 7, how framing problems is half the battle, why we should walk away from some problems and how her blindness made helps her think differently.

Hile is back and he is REALLY self-aware!! Or, is he?? Hile and I talk about the importance of emotional self-awareness, how it is related to empathy and how we can learn it from others (even our 20-year old sons!).

You will walk away from this episode with several simple, science-backed tools for improving your emotional self-awareness, so please let us know which one makes the most sense for you.

Finally, please don't forget to head over to www.OKA-online.com and check out their new assessment, DRiV - learn what drives you and what drains you!

On average, about 4,000 self-improvement books are published each year. Often, they call upon years of extensive research and have wonderful, science-backed tips for improving our lives. In this week's episode, we talk to William B. Irvine, PhD, Professor of Philosophy at Wright State University about his new book, The Stoic Challenge - A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient. And, while the book is new, the teachings are not. We discuss how the Stoics got it right several thousand years ago. Their goal was to live a life of tranquility and Irvine has done a masterful job of bringing Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus (Bill's favorite, right now) and Seneca back to life with practical, life-changing tips that today's researchers might with they had thought of.

In this episode Hile and Doug dig into some interesting topics like self-awareness, trust, delegation, conflict and curiosity. We argue that there are a handful of essential skills that most leaders will need to be successful and that acquiring these skills builds an upward spiral of improvement. What do you think is necessary to be a good leader in today's world?

Have you ever met an incredibly peaceful, compassionate person who gives you their full attention? Feels good, right? Please welcome Timothy Dukes, co-author of Present Company - Cultivating Cultures of High Performance in Teams and Organizations to the podcast. Within seconds of hearing his voice, listening to his wisdom and contemplating his ideas, you will want to get a copy of the book and dive right in.

In this episode, we define "presence," we talk about it's effect on teams, what enables presence and one simple thing we can all do to be present with our colleagues, friends and families, right now.

"What is your favorite movie?" Hile and I pose this question to each other and do our best to find the lessons in our top ten movies. Hile's list includes Tootsie, The Godfather and Field of Dreams. Doug talks about Rogue One, Talladega Nights and Miracle, to name a few. We found courage, transformation, humility, vision and emotional intelligence in our favorite characters. Please join us for a lively conversation, a few surprises and some tips for being a better leader.

What are the most critical aspects of being a great leader? While there are literally thousands of books on this subject, Capt. Mark Brouker takes a stab at this in his new book, "Lessons From the Navy: How to Earn Trust, Lead Teams, and Achieve Organizational Excellence."

In this week's episode of Looking for AND, we talk about the "six critical behaviors" that Brouker has identified and we dig into each one. This is probably one of the more practical shows we have had in a while. Please join us as we discuss respect, listening, Colin Powell, culture and (my favorite) humility.

Hile Rutledge is back for another great conversation about leadership! This week, we ponder the question, "Who is your favorite non-fiction leader?" As expected, the answers we both give to this question take us down a couple of different paths. We talk about having a vision, the role of empathy, how execution is critical and the role of growth and learning. We also get into the downside of optimism and how humility just might be in short supply.

Please join us for another lively conversation as we explore the AND of leadership.

Be sure to check out www.OKA-online.com to check out a new assessment that helps explain what drives us and what drains us.

Please also check out www.DRHleadership.com for a wide variety of leadership courses and services.

Dr. Oleg Konovalov wanted to be an explorer when he was a kid. His vision was to investigate this beautiful planet to solve it's greatest mysteries. As Oleg matured and paid attention to his surroundings, he decided to explore something we know less about...people.

In his latest book, "The Vision Code - How To Create And Execute A Compelling Vision For Your Business," Oleg writes about the need for a positive, compelling vision, how to develop this vision, what mistakes to avoid and why it will help you, your company and even your family navigate this complex, every-changing world.