Talk Like a Leader

As we enter a new year, the idea of reflecting on the past year and thinking about changes for the new one are on many people's minds. Two weeks with grandchildren has given me a refreshed perspective on leadership communication that leads to three communication resolutions for the new year. In this episode, I'm inviting you to join me in making and keeping these resolutions.

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As we look forward to next year, many people reflect on the past and set goals for the future. This time of year can lead to focusing on specific time frames like the first quarter or the next year. This finite approach can be useful for improving personal and business results, and it is different from how we should approach leadership communication. The goal of leadership communication is more about winning the relationship to get results than it is about winning the point in the moment.

• The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
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• Download our free report, The First 7 Things to Do When You Get Promoted.

Today, Christmas Eve, marks a day when many people will either be with family or about to be with family that they do not see on a regular basis. In family situations where your guard is down a bit, it is easy to slip into old and possibly negative communication approaches that create or amplify conflict. This becomes a perfect time to practice the ideas presented in Talk Like a Leader. Remember, these communication ideas work with family, too.

• Take our free DISC Assessment.
• Download our free report, The First 7 Things to Do When You Get Promoted.

This week, I have the honor of speaking with retired SEAL Team 6 member, adventure athlete, and NY Times best selling author Don Mann. Don has long experience in both leading and following other leaders in many varied and, in some cases, extreme situations. He has a great perspective on leadership that I'm excited to share with you.

• Learn more about Don Mann.
• Take our free DISC Assessment.
• Download our free report, The First 7 Things to Do When You Get Promoted.

Leaders often know exactly what they want done and how they want it done, and telling people what to do is not likely to invite cooperation and enthusiastic engagement. Questions are better than statements for engaging people and inviting them into the conversation. In this episode, I share something my granddaughter taught me and some practical considerations for asking better questions.

• Take our free DISC Assessment.
• Download our free report, The First 7 Things to Do When You Get Promoted.

Leaders often find themselves in the position of having their motives and intentions misunderstood and misinterpreted. In today's episode, I'll share one specific example of how to overcome potentially negative perceptions people have of you and generalize the idea for application to other negative perception situations.

• Take our free DISC Assessment.
• Download our free report, The First 7 Things to Do When You Get Promoted.

Finding ways to stay positive, encouraging, and supportive rather than negative, critical, and judgmental of others is a powerful strategy in your leadership communication tool box. One way to develop your ability to stay on the positive side of communication regardless of the circumstances is to develop a consistently grateful perspective. This week, I'm looking at ways to cultivate a grateful mindset so that you can better Talk Like a Leader.

• Take our free DISC Assessment.
• Download our free report, The First 7 Things to Do When You Get Promoted.

How you think about your communications with others - your intentions and mindset - will make a big impact on your long-term communication effectiveness. In this episode, Carl Smith and I briefly explore the impact of your communication mindset and how it affects your ability to Talk Like a Leader.

• Learn more about Carl Smith.
• Take our free DISC Assessment.
• Learn why you should use communication models and why I use DISC
• Learn more about the DISC Model of Human Behavior
• Download our free report, The First 7 Things to Do When You Get Promoted.

Unmet expectations - spoken or otherwise - can lead to dissatisfaction and damaged trust. Damaged trust can, in turn, can slow communication and results. Using the DISC model, you can better understand, and manage, expectations in order to build and protect the trust needed to speed both communication and results.

• Learn more about Carl Smith.
• Take our free DISC Assessment.
• Learn why you should use communication models and why I use DISC
• Learn more about the DISC Model of Human Behavior
• Download our free report, The First 7 Things to Do When You Get Promoted.

How we think about others affects how we interact with them, and how we interact with them often reveals how we think about them. This week, I'm covering three actions we can take towards others that will improve both how we think about them and how we interact with them. Let's discuss the concept of accepting, approving, and appreciating others.

• Take our free DISC Assessment.
• Download our free report, The First 7 Things to Do When You Get Promoted.