Congratulations, you’ve achieved a goal! But why should we be proud of ourselves? In this episode of ICommunicate, MindsetGo President Mark Altman discusses how to accurately assess your progress, manage our self-esteem in challenging times, and utilize a mix of feedback and past experiences to construct a personal success template.

Segment 1:

All of the failure and success we’ve experienced over the course of our careers means nothing if we don’t seek to improve. How do we measure progress if there is no achievement? How can we alter our mindset to notice areas where we can improve?

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Stay interviews are a prime opportunity to garner a deep understanding of our employees, their goals, and their progress towards the company’s goals. How are we measuring performance reviews from one year to the next, and why is it so important that we keep track of that progress? What is “internal customer service,” and how can it be a major factor in shifting company culture?

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Process is not simply an agenda -- it’s a structure that’s meant to enhance efficiency, communication, and success. What are the components to creating an efficient process for ourselves and our team?

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We all have goals, but what’s the point in setting them? Where does our confidence come from, and how can that knowledge shape our approach to problem solving going forward? What are SMART goals, and how can we use this template to achieve tangible goals and recognize progress?

Why do we so often run into situations where either we feel treated unfairly or someone else feels as though they’ve been treated unfairly? In this episode of ICommunicate, MindsetGo Founder and President Mark Altman discusses how to navigate “fairness” in all aspects – at home, in our personal lives and at work. Why do “unfair” situations arise in the first place? Can we get ahead of them? How can we rewire our mindset to overcome unfair situations?

Segment 1:

At work and in life, how do we cope with the feeling of losing control? How do we react when we feel as though we’re being treated unfairly? How can we manage when someone feels as though they are being treated unfairly? Are there steps we can take to prevent feelings of unfairness from festering and boiling over? Why do we feel as though we have to apologize for our emotions?

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How can we influence outcomes by reframing information and situations? What’s the deal with luck – is it necessary? Can we create our own luck? What leads to disappointment in life and in business? Can we separate our mindset from entitlement?

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Why do we perceive situations as unfair? How can we get past a negative mindset when it comes to fairness? Who do you go to when you want to vent about fairness or a frustrating situation? What role is that person playing? Why does gratitude sometimes feel disingenuous? Is there a productive way to complain?

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What’s the best way to express gratitude? How can we be more mindful with what we’re grateful for? How can we effectively evaluate ourselves? If I pitch my boss an idea and they shut it down – where do I go from there? How can I reframe that situation to produce success?

How can we find out what we don’t know when it’s unclear how to seek the answers? In this episode of ICommunicate, MindsetGo President Mark Altman discusses the stages of unconscious incompetence, how to remain confident and motivated in situations where you aren’t knowledgeable enough in a particular area, and how to seek the answers that you didn’t know you needed.

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Confidence can be the end all be all in a conversation in which somebody is aiming to gain influence, but how can we remain confident if we aren’t knowledgeable enough on the topic that is being discussed? What are the stages of unconscious incompetence, and how can we gain knowledge of things that we don’t know?

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In hindsight, there are many times in our lives where we wished that we had information that would have changed the outcome of an important situation. Are you aware of the skills, knowledge, and mindset that you are missing? How can we recognize what we don’t have so that we can work towards it?

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We wouldn’t expect it, but our peers can reveal our true potential through observation and feedback. How can a personal SWOT analysis reveal the truth about our skill set and knowledge? What are the fears and assumptions that get in the way of us maximizing our talent?

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Our life experiences have shaped our knowledge and confidence – but there is always an avenue for improvement. How can our confidence impact our self awareness? What is a skill or characteristic that you want to develop, and what steps can you take to achieve it?

Are motivational speakers overrated? MindsetGo Founder Mark Altman gets down to the roots of motivation. Is depending on other people the most effective strategy to motivate yourself? It’s one thing to know how to motivate yourself, but when leaders are promoted before they’re ready, do they know how to motivate and inspire others?

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What fuels rivalries? Why does anger escalate to regretful action? Why do athletes get more focused, intense, and ready for some games and not others? How does this relate to business? What goes into our response to failure?

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Who do we idolize as humans and why? Where does competitiveness come from? Is it artificial to manufacture motivation through competition? Is “cheating” to generate motivation effective? What are the best “cheats” to increase productivity and success?

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What goes into finding our “spark?” What are the various factors that innately motivate us? Is there a better way to find motivation? How can we leverage other people to motivate us? How can bosses, coworkers and rivals motivate us at work? How can we fix promotions at work? How should we evaluate people for leadership positions? What does lead by example really mean?

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How do people stay self-motivated? How can we easily motivate others? Is there an easy, straightforward strategy to motivate others? Do you really know how to motivate yourself? What’s stopping you?

In a remote work environment, how can we build foundational trust and maintain productivity? In this episode, MindsetGo Founder and President Mark Altman and Melissa Glenny, CEO of Franklin Professional Staffing dives into the benefits, dangers, and best operational practices of remote and hybrid workplaces.

Segment 1:

Why is there a decrease in productivity when employees work remotely? Why are some leaders resistant to encouraging remote work? What is the relationship between trust and remote work? How can we effectively evaluate remote employees?

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How much of a problem are distractions for remote employees? How can we reach our company goals with remote employees? What does the process of setting realistic expectations look like? Why is reciprocity so important in a workplace? What does reciprocity look like in a successful work environment?

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What are the best practices for hiring and recruiting remote and hybrid employees? As workplaces evolve and transform, how can you stay ahead of the curve when it comes to hiring? Why do hiring professionals think remote workplaces are just as effective as in-person settings? How can setting expectations alleviate most concerns leaders have with a remote workplace?

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Why do salespeople get latitude at work that others don’t get? How can you gauge trust when hiring an employee? How does trust manifest in remote workplaces? Can we apply office norms to remote workplaces?

Why is transparency such a difficult line to toe in the workplace? In this episode of ICommunicate, MindsetGo President Mark Altman discusses solutions to common problems relating to transparency. How do we know if we are oversharing? How do we know when we need to be more proactively communicative? What is the motivation behind transparency? How should we handle it internally compared to with our clients?

Segment 1:

When we decide to be fully transparent, what is our end goal? Why do we choose to be fully transparent sometimes and not other times? When should we employ authentic communication? If the stakes are high, how can we be authentic while still being empathetic?

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How do we navigate transparency with clients? How do we navigate internal transparency? When is being too transparent detrimental to our team? What is our process for making decisions regarding transparency?

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Why are we reacting to problematic situations instead of preventing them? Is your internal communication contributing to confusion? How can we make sure our internal communication delivers clarity? How can we nail down a return on investment for training when it comes to improving internal communication?

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What’s the difference between transparency and oversharing? It feels as though we’re riding a razor-thin line, how can we be successful with our levels of communication and transparency? How can you effectively communicate amongst various generations in your workplace?

Know yourself, know your needs, and know how to get what you need. In this episode of ICommunicate, MindsetGo President Mark Altman discusses overcoming the fear of judgment and learning strategies to advocate for ourselves.

Segment 1:

We all know that advocating for ourselves can be beneficial, but what’s stopping us? What internal and external factors make us feel uncomfortable standing up for ourselves? How can we advocate for ourselves without worrying about judgment from others?

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Often when faced with conflict, we tend to react emotionally -- but what happens when we take a step back and break down the problem? What is the recipe for self advocacy, and how can I implement it into my own life? How can your internal voice make or break the process of self advocacy?

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Now that we’ve worked up the courage to have the conversation, how can we adapt on the fly to get what we need? How can lessening our ask increase our chances for getting leeway? Once you’ve advocated for yourself, what are the next steps to ensure that you get the results that you need?

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What’s the worst thing that could happen when we advocate for ourselves? We’re judged. How do we balance the risk-reward of asking for a second opinion? How do motivation, fears, and benefits factor into our decision to advocate?

How can we take the burden out of the performance review process? In this episode of ICommunicate, MindsetGo President Mark Altman dives into the topic of performance reviews. If we’re assigned to give the reviews, how can we maximize their effectiveness and avoid resentment from the person we’re reviewing?

Segment 1:

What prevents a leader from giving effective performance reviews? Is our feedback and evaluation process feeding into a negative review experience? It starts with word choice. How can word choice and emotional agility transform our performance review strategy and results?

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Why do we have rating systems in performance reviews? What’s the point of a 1-5 scale if we can’t agree on what goes into it? How can we install a rating system that’s fair for both the leader and the employee? What are the best ways to get to the root causes of why an employee is struggling in certain areas?

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How can we proactively set expectations to ensure performance reviews don’t blindside anyone? What’s the key to preventing conflict, as opposed to resolving conflict? Why are misinterpretation, hurt feelings and resentment so common when it comes to performance reviews, especially surrounding compensation?

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Why do you care what your team members think of you? What is a “360” review process and why has it transformed these interactions for the better? How can we be more receptive to feedback? How can being more receptive to feedback transform our attitude and productivity?

What’s your template for success? In this episode of ICommunicate, MindsetGo President Mark Altman and his 16-year-old son Cole Altman discuss why success templates are THE essential tool to help people of all ages build and sustain confidence and motivation.

Segment 1:

When you’re evaluating your performance, whether it be in the workplace or in personal projects, can you accurately identify what you did well? How can creating our own success template reshape the way we prepare for future challenges? How should we respond when we default to a negative response when evaluating ourselves?

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If we can’t establish standards and expectations when evaluating ourselves, how can we expect to properly assess the performance of other people? When we’re not meeting our own expectations, how can we pinpoint the root cause of the issue?

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It’s one thing to take a compliment at face value, but another to dig deep into why the person giving the feedback felt that way about your performance. How can we create a positive feedback process in order to give consistent and meaningful assessments? Why is it important that we understand the root cause of somebody’s feedback?

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Have you ever considered why we only seek feedback after doing something bad? How can asking for feedback in positive and negative situations improve your success template? What is the elephant in the room technique, and how can we use it to generate honest and meaningful feedback from our peers?

Have you ever been disappointed by the outcome of a conversation? In this episode of ICommunicate, MindsetGo President and Founder Mark Altman, discusses the importance of setting expectations prior to conversations, confronting and managing our emotions, and the conundrum many human resources professionals experience when balancing the roles of advocating for employees and protecting their company from risk.

Segment 1:

Knowing what to communicate, when to do it, and how to execute the conversation should be the most honed skill in a leader’s toolbox. What is the most effective way for a leader to keep their teams and clients in the loop? What are the expectations that we subconsciously hold against somebody before we have an important conversation with them?

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Why is it worth speaking up or starting a conversation if I don’t get my way in the end? When you voice a concern with someone, or express a want or need, what are you expecting from that person in return? What is psychological safety and how can we maintain it in the workplace and everyday conversations?

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As leaders, we’re bound to be presented with an idea from our team that we don’t necessarily agree with or plan to act on. How can we express that without hurting your employee in a way that detriments future conversations? How can we make our emotions and expectations clear without making our employees feel as though they are not a priority?

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Leaders are often so busy worrying about their teams that they forget to make time for self-reflection. How can being kind to ourselves facilitate improvements professionally and personally? What does a kind conversation with oneself sound like, and what should we expect the outcome to be?