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By Fief
The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.
"Hope is not a strategy, negotiating is"
This time a conversation with Carol Frohlinger about a fascinating subject: Negotiating.
It’s something we all do without knowing. About what we should eat tonight, on our way home while driving, what time our daughter must come from a party. But also, about our salary, benefits and days off. When we really, really need something we realize it’s not that easy! Especially when we are emotionally involved.
Carol Frohlinger knows all about it. She is the President of Negotiating Women, Inc., an advisory firm committed to helping organizations to advance talented women into leadership positions. She wrote Her place at the table: A Women’s Guide to Negotiating Five Key Challenges to Leadership Success and Nice Girls don’t get it: 99 Ways to Win the Respect You Deserve, The Success You’ve Earned, and the Life You Want.
In the interview we talked about “The Tiara Syndrome”, the best way to negotiate and why we should negotiate. Also when women negotiate, everybody wins.
And about research done by McKinsey about the fact that the playing field for man and women is not even yet. And what we should do about it
Listen to this episode! Carol gives us a lot of great tips how to make sure we get what we deserve.
More about Carol:
www.negotiatingwomen.com
More about Fief:
www.fiefmacrander.com
[email protected]
Be bold, be brave, be honest. A conversation with Ralf Specht.
A co-founder of communications company Spark 44, Ralf Specht has spent the last couple of years plumbing the depths of …. corporate soul! (and how to make soulless companies a thing of the past). Ralf’s new book Building Corporate Soulwill launch on 2/22/2022. He was kind enough to join me for an extremely wide-ranging conversation and a bit of a sneak preview.
Our 50-minute sojourn touched on soft factors, hard reality and shared purpose. Along the way, he shared some surprising insights on organizational forms and on weaving corporate fabric. An offhand remark about “exchange programs”, for example, once led to just such a thing in his company’s own geographic matrix. The cost? A month’s Airbnb rental. The benefits? Incalculable! Spirit, shared behaviors, belonging. Soul elements.
Combining topics as mundane as flip charts (“Flip the question if you’re not making progress!”) and as uncommon as soul building (“it’s defined by employees,” he emphasized, “not management”), Ralf deftly tacked toward the OC Tanner waypoint before gybing downwind to his own soul index. I’m looking forward to the 22nd.
Intrigued? Please come on aboard for an invigorating sail. Just press play.
More about Ralf:
https://ralfspecht.com
https://audible.com
His book: Building Corporate Soul:Powering Culture & Succes with the Soul SystemTM
More about Fief:
www.fiefmacrander.com
[email protected]
Donald Robertson was one of my first guests for Meet the Macs podcast! He is an author, trainer and writer. He has written 6 books and a lot of articles about psychotherapy and philosophy, specifically about stoic philosophy.
Back then we spoke about his book How to think like a Roman Emperor, number 1 bestseller in philosophy in the US. About Marcus Aurelius, my favourite stoic philosopher.
So…what did we talked about this time?
About his 2 new great projects!
First, we talked about his project of building a world class international conference centre just beside the original Plato’s academy in Athens, Greece.
Besides promoting Greek philosophy and literature, he has a higher goal than this: to promote the values of civil discourse exemplified by Socrates. Where people learn to discuss the most profound questions in life, replacing irrational thinking with civil and rational debate. And to learn more about the Socratic method.
Secondly, about his latest book. The graphic novel Verissimus , the Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. Yes, again about Marcus! It was a project that took a couple of years of his life.
Verissimus is similar to How to Think Like a Roman Emperor but also very different. It’s much more focused on telling the story of Marcus’ life and so there are no references to modern psychology. Instead, it tries to show how Stoic philosophy played a part in his personal journey, as he coped with various challenges along the way.
And he talks about anger. He has an interesting view on it!
Information about Plato’s academy:
www.Platosacademy.org
Information about Donald Robertson:
www.donaldrobertson.name
Information about Fief and her Leadership Programs:
www.fiefmacrander.com
[email protected]
Hope and optimism
We held our conversation weeks ago. But Peter Docker’s story about the flight attendant still has me pondering. No such thing as a difficult passenger??
Peter does many things – pilot, negotiator, teacher, leader, writer. His recent book “Leading from the Jumpseat” piqued my interest in meeting him. I wanted to know more, and firsthand, about his approach to leadership. I’m thrilled that we met. His insights inspired me to reflect more on how I lead myself, my family, and on nurturing a sense of belonging, commonality. I know you’ll find this podcast a rewarding listen.
Peter offers some seemingly counter-intuitive views on leadership. Nurturing the potential of others will make sense to most. As will reflecting on the inevitable. Or the idea that leadership involves the creation of simplicity (not easy). But recognizing the value in fear? Or that optimism about unmet goals eats into your soul? What about everything being driven by either fear or love?
Have a listen! You’ll find that his explanations resonate – for you personally and for your business. Practical, applicable, enlightening. So what’s your stance? Just press play.
More about Peter:
1. Smart link for book purchase options (paperback, hardcover, eBook and audiobook): https://smarturl.it/gypw4g
2. Link to his website: www.leadingfromthejumpseat.com
3. Link to headshot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7yvau6ee7k7mg1u/Peter_Docker5616_v2_sml.jpg?dl=0
More about Fief and her leadership programs:
https://fiefmacrander.com
If you like to talk about this episode or about (stoic)leadership, please contact me! [email protected]
Staying in shape
The Dutch press thinks Stoicism is being misused as modern-day self-help tripe. Massimo Pigliucci takes another view. He also knows how to tell science from bunk. He wrote the book on it. “Prove it!” he challenges. How could I NOT engage him in discussion?
Massimo Pigliucci is a biologist, and a philosopher, a skeptic and a-theist who teaches philosophy at the City College of NY. He publishes extensively in evolutionary biology, ancient philosophy and the philosophy of science. Recent books from his pen include How to be a Stoic and A Field Guide to a Happy Life. Massimo is also an engaging and rewarding conversationalist. I was delighted to have him join me for a podcast in which we touched on the four Stoic virtues, the hedonic treadmill and how to stay in shape (stoically speaking, that is.)
A couple of nuggets from our exchange: “Want to appreciate things? Do without them. "… and "Deprivation is not sustainable.” Go ahead: try to square these with each other. Somehow, Pigliucci makes it effortless.
Please join us. I think he'll leave you wanting more as well. Just press play!
Books of Massimo:
How to live a good life: A guide to choosing your personal philosophy
How to be a Stoic
A Handbook for New Stoics
More about Fief and her Leadership Programs:
www.fiefmacrander.com
[email protected]
This time for once a different episode than you are used to!
It’s more than a year ago since I started the Meet the podcast. Let me start telling you: I never thought I would start a podcast! As some of you know I worked as a psychologist and coach for almost 30 years, I was a business trainer for maybe more than 30 years.
When someone suggested to start a podcast myself I wasn’t enthusiastic at first. I had all sorts of excuses: there were too many podcasts already, Should I start a podcast in English realizing it isn’t my native language. Blah blah. Sure, I was afraid as well. In my work I love to communicate with people it’s my life. But I’m also an introvert. I bet some of you will be surprised…. I like to observe, analyse, read and write.
I knew being afraid was the main reason why I didn’t start a podcast before. Now that I look back at it I’m soo glad I PUSHED through this. With the help of the stoics and their premises in the back of my mind: An obstacle is the way. In my situation the fear of the unknown and having no control over what would happen at the other end of the podcast…… And with the help of friends and clients who convinced me to reach out to more people with my experience and drive to inspire others with the things that inspire me. When for a big part the Stoics off course, but that’s no surprise!!
As a result I started with Meet the Macs and I would like to express my gratitude to all the people I spoke to, helped me with editing the episodes and helped my writing an introductory piece about each episode. in the meantime I spoke to a lot of interesting, challenging and great people. Just to highlight a few Jonas salzgeber who wrote the the little book of stoicism but also has a great blog where he and his brother inspire lots of people with their search for growth and knowledge. The one about meaning of life with Vic Strecher. His story about his daughter still resonates. Or what about Donald Robertson who wrote a lot of books mainly about stoic philosophy. And about my idol Marcus Aurelius, one of best Roman Emperors, writer of the Meditations and a stoic example for lots of people including me. The funny and a bit crazy Ben Aldridge who wrote the book about practical philosophy. The 43 weird and wonderful exercises to become more resilient. Partly because of him I’m running the Berlin Marathon because its all about feeling uncomfortable at times, on purpose. Because we can only experience personal growth when we push ourselves to the limit. Or the sympathetic David Allen about his method to be more organized. Because of him I have a trusted system and I really got a better perspective in life. I also would like to mention Lois Frankel. She is a great inspiration for women who don’t want to have the corner office.
All the people I spoke to as well but whom I didn’t mention now are certainly worthwhile to listen to as well. The goal of this podcast is to be inspired by those wonderful people who are more than willing to share their knowledge and experience with us. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to speak to them.Grateful that I was able to speak to these wonderful people who were willing to give their time to us. Grateful for the inspiration I got from all my wonderful guests. Grateful for all the feedback and conversations I had with leaders, entrepreneurs and others about the episodes. In my introduction a year ago I wrote down I believe in the power of connection and inspiring each other: we’re all in this together! And that’s what we did last year and I’m very much looking forward in having of this.
In the next 2 episodes I will speak to two Bigshots of stoic philosophy Massimo Pigliucci and Donald Robertson. So stay put.......... there is more to come!
Fief x
More about me and my Leadership Programs:
www.fiefmacrander.com
New Friends
Parting words resonate. Sharon Lebell concluded our conversation by saying we should “rescue philosophy from the philosophers, rescue virtue from the sanctimonious and rescue art from the critics.” Provocative stuff. But how we got to that point makes for even more gripping listening. Sharon, a composer, author, and hammer dulcimer player, is also a mother and a thinker. And she is kind. She gave time and thought generously to our conversation. She even fessed up to a love affair with a very old white man. And both she and Thich Nhat Hanh wrote books with the same title!
Our fondness for the Stoics is what first brought us together. But we connected, too, in our love of music and distillation. She distilled many “I/we” virtues (prudence, temperament, judgment, courage, acceptance, altruism) into one: kindness. “Kindness is paramount,” she mused, “the other virtues are secondary expressions of kindness.”
We spoke about raising children, moral education, the danger of idolatry, seeking virtue and how to live a good life. What’s a good life? Daring to place your bet on meaningfulness in an apparently absurd world. What’s the best we can do? No credos: focus on self-reflection; act accordingly. And seeking virtue? Lebell called it “a series of micro-pivots.” Away from the bad, toward the good. “In the aggregate,” she said, “they add up to beauty.” I’m still chewing on this conversation.
Sharon Lebell must have experienced vulnerability, but we didn’t get into that. Her humility showed through in her pursuit of connection. After all, what do we have but each other? Her music and writings and some small, sensible things live on her website. Oh, and this podcast lays out a banquet for thought. Hungry? Just press play.
More about Sharon:
www.sharonlebell.com
More about Fief and her Leadership Programs:
www.fiefmacrander.com
[email protected]
This time we're back with Simon Drew Part II, a polymath and a delight to interview.
Simon wrote an article: The Miles Method- A Theory of Transformative Artistry. He asked the question: How does anyone become so creatively transformative? In order to answer this question we have look at the philosophy behind the creations of Miles Davis.
We could have talked about coaching, he and I, since we’re both coaches. Or about podcasts. After all, he produces and hosts a terrific podcast himself – The Practical Stoic. Or about Stoicism itself, or Seneca’s letters, a passion for both of us. Or about his poetry, photography, or myriad other things. And we did brush on all that, but only briefly.
Nope. Music, jazz, Miles: that’s where we took off. Simon has his own ideas about creativity and music. He’s given it a lot of thought. “Humans are sticky,” he said, “we have trouble getting away from our thoughts.” As a trumpet player, singer and with his jazz band, he’s inspired by Miles Davis’ unfettered curiosity and refusal to classify. Look within and without but shed the judgment. This has become his lodestar.
He even offered a practical idea about freeing yourself from ignorance and staying playful. “Be fearless in your creation; remove ideas of ‘this is wrong’ or ‘this is right’. Get past all that, just play.” As a brilliant poet once wrote: “The soul becomes dyed by the color of its thoughts.”
Instruction enough, I’d say. Just press play.
More about Simon:
www.simonjedrew.com
More about Fief and her Leadership Programs:
www.fiefmacrander.com
[email protected]
Talent
Simon Drew is a polymath and a delight to interview. We could have talked about coaching, he and I, since we’re both coaches. Or about podcasts. After all, he produces and hosts a terrific podcast himself – The Practical Stoic. Or about Stoicism itself, or Seneca’s letters, a passion for both of us. Or about his poetry, photography, or myriad other things. And we did brush on all that, but only briefly.
Nope. Music, jazz, Miles: that’s where we took off. Simon has his own ideas about creativity and music. He’s given it a lot of thought. “Humans are sticky,” he said, “we have trouble getting away from our thoughts.” As a trumpet player, singer and with his jazz band, he’s inspired by Miles Davis’ unfettered curiosity and refusal to classify. Look within and without but shed the judgment. This has become his lodestar.
He even offered a practical idea about freeing yourself from ignorance and staying playful. “Be fearless in your creation; remove ideas of ‘this is wrong’ or ‘this is right’. Get past all that, just play.” As a brilliant poet once wrote: “The soul becomes dyed by the color of its thoughts.”
Instruction enough, I’d say. Just press play.
More about Simon:
www.simonjedrew.com
More about Fief and her Leadership Programs:
www.fiefmacrander.com
[email protected]
Gratitude
Chester Elton made my day. Not just because he’s a big Orange fan and a fascinating thinker. He’s also a genuinely gifted listener and a reassuring soul. You’ll be thankful – no pun intended – for his take on gratitude. I certainly am.
Chester’s most recent book (his 14th) is entitled Anxiety at Work: 8 Strategies to Help Teams Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, and Get Stuff Done. He was good enough to join me for a podcast conversation to talk about leadership and mental health. Along the way, we touched on what it takes to overcome anxiety – both our own anxiety and that of colleagues; on tennis phenomenon Naomi Osaka, fondue and what propels perfectionists.
Ever heard of the “duck syndrome”? They seem to glide across the water so effortlessly but below the surface they’re actually paddling like mad. “Everyone’s anxious,” he says. “And it’s OK.” There are ways to tamp this down. Be where your feet are, get to know each other’s story. If you manage others, lead with gratitude, vision and purpose. Gratitude first. In the words of that football player: “Great leaders don’t think less of themselves. They think of themselves less.”
One particularly valuable take-away from our meandering dialogue was this: Don’t mask your mental health. No one should feel alone. So if you’re in a position to do so, normalize this conversation. Destigmatize! It should be emotionally safe to talk about mental health. Empathize. Adaptability in this context is more important than strength. We’re here to make work and each other’s’ lives more enjoyable.
Intrigued? Just press play.
More information about Chester:
www.chesterelton.com
www.thecultureworks.com
More about Fief and het Leadership Programs:
www.fiefmacrander.com
[email protected]
The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.