Speed Mentorship

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• 1:23 | Dr. Calvin Sweeney Background
• 3:18 | What are some challenges you've faced and how did you overcome them?
• 6:32 | How do you find & attract the best people out there?
• 9:09 | What kind of tips do you have from a cultural perspective to make sure the people are engaged and culture is the best it can be?
• 11:23 | What are some of your most significant weaknesses & how do you cope with those?
• 15:04 | How do you cope with stress?
• 18:10 | Are there mantras or inner dialogue that are beneficial to you?
• 19:34 | What advice do you have for the next generation?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Recruit the Best

Top talent doesn’t come to programs that are unsuccessful, top talent comes to businesses that are the best. It may not be the best in the industry, but it needs to be the best that it can be. The company needs to be the type of business that you think top talent would want to be at.

Create a Culture of Trust

You must create a culture that constantly brings trust and communication into the program. Trust and communication have to be multi-directional, crossing across multiple levels of departments.

Your Culture has to Win

No one wants to be on a team that doesn’t keep the score. If there’s no indication of doing well or areas of improvement, people won’t stay around. You have to create a feedback culture that celebrates wins and coaches the improvements.

Learn to Compartmentalize

Focus on what is now and then focus on what is next. You can get overwhelmed when thinking about everything that needs to be done or improved. Take small incremental steps towards a goal, then set up some time to reflect on what was accomplished and what is next.

Disscusion Questions:

1. What are 3 changes to your business, system, or culture that you can change to make you the best you can be?
2. How can you improve your feedback culture to celebrate wins or highlight areas of improvement?
3. What decisions do you need to be making today to set yourself up to become your ideal future self?

Learn more about Calvin's church and community outreach:
http://thetabernacletoledo.org/

https://www.arttatumzone.org/

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
1:20  | Introduction to Ryan Wright
1:53  |  What does a typical day look like for you?
3:50 | How do you manage your work-life balance?
6:25 | How do you look at your weaknesses & improve upon them?
10:08 | How do you manage to keep your ego in check?
13:40 | What are some of the challenges you've had to overcome? How did you overcome them?
17:10 | What are some tips and tricks for your culture?
18:33 | What do you do when someone doesn't fit with the company culture?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Priorities Change: I'm designed for the nine to five. I'm a fish to water when it comes to that environment. The home stuff is where things are difficult for me. I can't live two different lives. I have to take care and invest in both my home and professional lives, being more realistic with my time and how I spend it.

My weakness is admitting my weakness: When I'm tired and worn down, I get very introspective...disconnected. I just started to retreat to refuel. I can seem very distant from the people around me. And so I've had to recognize that. I have to communicate that with people around me to know they didn't do anything wrong. 

The stopwatch principle: The number one indicator of an organization's health is the time that goes by between when we've identified a problem and when we've discussed it directly with the person.

Growth from mistakes: I've learned the most and gotten the best perspective from mistakes that I've made in the business. For me to stand here today and take credit for everything would be ego. It's been a 10-year, overnight success.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What should your priorities be? How have they changed since you became a leader?
2. How much time goes by before you've identified a problem and you address it?
3. When you are worn down or tired, how do behave? Do the people closest to you know how you're feeling?

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Chris Anderson Background
• What would you say are your most successful habits?
• What would you say are your biggest weaknesses? How do you navigate those? 
• How do you manage your ego on a daily basis and keep it in check? 
• How much coaching time should you spend with your direct reports? How do you maximize your time?
• What kind of advice do you give the next generation?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• There is such a thing as a good ego - The underlying part of your ego is your sense of self and if you don't have any sense of self, you're a lump of dirt. The key to a good ego is finding your uniqueness and a place where it works. The world is about bringing together groups of egos that all work well with each other.
• At least 50% of your coaching is how you behave - About 50% of your coaching isn't in what you're saying, but what you're doing...how you're acting and behaving says a lot about you.
• Coaching is learning and teaching - Coaching is as much as creating it's as much about it's really about creating a setting where both of you were learning at the same time you're teaching. So it's a magic that it has more to do with intent and your trust in each other, in terms of just you trust each other as people, as well as there's a shared complimentary competence
• When you're at a fork in the road, look at all the options - Spend time drawing out every possible outcome, and then spend time really diving into each and every opportunity. If you give yourself some time to just let those options sit before moving forward on any of them you may discover unique and better solutions than you originally thought.
• The biggest decision of your life is your spouse - Your spouse will become your partner and sidekick and if you choose the right one, your biggest supporter.
• Questions before answers - Take time to understand the problem before jumping to solutions or conclusions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Who are the people that complement your weaknesses? How do they complement you? 
• What part of your ego is good ego? What type of environment would be a good fit for your unique self?
• If you asked your direct reports, what would they say your behavior says about your coaching style?
• How can you get better at asking questions in coaching sessions and meetings?

Visit The C.J. Anderson Co
Executive coaching firm supplying a real-world training ground for high-functioning leaders looking to achieve and sustain breakthrough performance.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
1:15 | Jeff Meredith Background
2:15 | In your role as the CEO, what does a typical day look like for you?
4:30 | What things are you not focused on?
6:30 | What would you say are your most successful habits or routines?
8:02 | Do you have a sleeping or exercise schedule you maintain?
9:18 | What are some of your weaknesses and how do you manage or overcome those?
11:30 | How do you manage stress appropriately? Do you have any techniques that help you cope with that stress?
12:50 | How do you keep your ego in check?
14:40 | Do you have a work-life balance? How do you keep it in a healthy balance?
17:00 | What are some of the most common leadership issues you're seeing with young leaders today? And what kind of advice do you have for them? How are you continuing to coach them or help them through some of these, challenges?
20:00 | What kind of advice do you have for a younger generation?

EPISODE KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Strategy & execution is just one area of focus for a leader

The other areas are organization alignment, leading, coaching, and guiding my team and then interaction with Blackstone and our board. Keeping them engaged and tapping into their expertise.

Allow people to grow and take on additional responsibilities

I cut out about 65 meetings and backed out of some of the strategies. I’m focusing on a few initiatives that need some extra push, but I want my leaders to be able to lead.

Schedule thinking time

By scheduling thinking time to think through the things that we want to accomplish. Often if you spend some time out thinking about your competition, you won’t have to outwork them because you have a better game plan.

Write down your ideal leadership traits

Take time to determine the traits or items that make you a good leader and spend time checking yourself against those traits. Adjust and continue to make yourself a better leader. You may start to notice that some of your actions are not aligning with the type of leader you aspire to be.

Be present in the moment

If you are unable to delineate the work or the life in a way where you’re not present for either part of it, that’s where it breaks down. The thing that matters the most is having the conversations, and taking the time to be a part of it all.

Sometimes people change when they start leading a team

To begin with, people forget what made them worthy of the role, and they start to manage the team because they have a new responsibility that they must prove they are worthy of the role. You still have to be yourself and tap into other strengths. You can’t do it all to prove yourself.

Earn it every day

Don’t assume that you are entitled to anything. Earn your spot on the team every day.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What meetings could you give up? By giving up those meetings, how would you empower your team to grow? How would you spend your new extra time? 
2. What are 3 leadership traits that you would like to grow? How will you keep yourself responsible to your continual growth in these areas? 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• 0:53 | What is your definition of a successful business or organization?
• 2:18 | What challenges have you faced in your organization or career? And how have you overcome those?
• 6:26 | How do you best navigate personal life and work-life balance?
• 9:28 | What is the best way to recruit talent?
• 12:25 | Are there any specific characteristics you should be looking for during the hiring process?
• 14:15 | When is it time to look at removing an employee from a job?
• 16:30 | What does a good culture look like? How do you maintain a culture?
• 21:10 | What does meeting with direct reports look like?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
A successful organization happens outside of the office

A successful organization is made through innovation and collaboration. It’s when everyone is treated fairly, and their needs are being met. When that happens, there’s a lower turnover rate and that’s important in the marketplace today.

Reputation is everything

The worst thing you can do is go out there and oversell and underdeliver. Sometimes it’s hard in startups because there isn’t the money to develop an idea entirely, but you don’t want to start a company with a bad reputation by not following through with what you say you will.

Hire for Fit, Train for Skill

Potential new hires should be speaking 50% of the time, asking you questions about the company. You should be determining if they are a good fit within their organization, but the interviewee should also be determining if the company is a good fit for them.

Great Cultures are Made

Start by hiring great people who are passionate. Leaders are approachable and always willing to listen to feedback.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What type of person are you looking to recruit? How does your current recruiting process mirror what you’re looking for in new hires? How can you update your process to fit your recruiting goals better? 
• Are you living your values? What changes do you need to make in your life or company to showcase that you believe in your value proposition?

Episode Highlights:

• 0:58 | Kim Davis background and experience
• 5:24 | What are your daily habits and routines?
• 7:09 | What are your most successful habits?
• 10:02 | How do you cope or overcome weaknesses?
• 13:01 | What are you challenging yourself with today?
• 14:31 | What is your most challenging part of life right now?
• 17:43 | What is the best way to handle stress that comes with leadership?
• 19:25 | How do you manage your ego on a daily basis?
• 21:30 | What happens if you see that your ego is starting to take over?
• 23:50 | Do you have any mantras or things you tell yourself on a regular basis?
• 26:15 | Advice you would have for the next generation?

Key Takeaways:

Be a subject matter expert.

Trying to be all things to all people makes you less successful, but focusing on what you’re good at or where your passion lies.

Be aware of your weaknesses.

It’s important to identify areas where you need improvement and then make a plan to overcome or get better.

Take a timeout.

Being in a leadership role can be stressful. It’s important to take time to do something that you like to do or that makes you feel better. Then come back with a refreshed mind.

Invest in yourself.

Young leaders need to get the experience, gain the knowledge, and work smart. Don’t think that success will come to you by sitting back and waiting for growth to happen.

Be selfish.

You can’t make others happy if you aren’t happy. Too many people get caught up in trying to take care of others.

Discussion Questions:

• What is your daily plan? Do you stick to it or make on the go changes? What is just one powerful new daily routine you can add that you can consistently stick with?
• What is your biggest weakness? What is one thing you can start doing today to improve on this?
• How do you handle stress? What (3) things could you do to 'take a timeout' and regroup in stressful situations?

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
2:23 | What is your major motivator in life?

3:00 | What is your legacy?
3:48 | What are your most afraid of?
4:26 | What are you most proud of?
4:51 | What excites you or wakes you up in the morning?
5:29 | How do you balance work and personal life?
6:55 | How do you define a successful business?
7:39 | How do you educate yourself on a day-to-day, weekly, and monthly basis?
9:02 | What are the top three things the CEO should be doing?
10:05 | What do you believe has helped you to be successful?
10:43 | Any words of wisdom for the next generation?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
A successful business is more than dollars and cents.

A successful business should be one that is growing. If you’re doing well, people want more of your products/services and a healthy bottom line. A successful business is also one where people are engaged – not just doing what they are asked and doing things are their own initiative.

Continued growth and learning change throughout life.

College courses and degrees as well as continued reading with an open mind help to develop leadership skills. Additionally, exposing yourself to different cultures, people and non-profits is a great way to learn different ways of thinking. Continued learning is hard. Most people will stop, but something being hard is how you continue to grow.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Take a few minutes to reflect on what you’ve heard and create some actionable next steps items. Below are a few questions based on the episode to help get you started on your speed mentorship journey.

• What do you want your legacy to be? Do those closest to you think you're living that legacy?
• Are you still passionate about your career path? What can you do differently to stay or be more passionate?
• How do you continue to learn and grow? What are ways that you could get uncomfortable to continue your growth?

Watch the video of episode one: https://speedmentorship.com/2022/04/01/01-mike-mcalear/