The ET project

This is our special Christmas edition with my good friend Mr. Eric Harkins.

President and Founder of GKG Search & Consulting, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm that helps organizations Get talent, Keep talent & Grow talent. He is also a ForbesBooks author of the Amazon #1 Best-Seller: "Great Leaders Make Sure Monday Morning Doesn't Suck; How to Get, Keep & Grow Talent."

Eric's goal is simple: Help every company he works with make sure Monday morning doesn't suck for their employees. Eric is a motivational speaker, consultant, executive-coach, and an expert in helping companies create a culture high performers want to be a part of.

During his 25-year career in corporate America, Eric held leadership roles ranging from Manager to Chief Human Resources and Chief Administrative Officer.

For our conversation this week Eric and I chat about the

• the importance of creating a positive workplace culture.
• Share specific initiatives/activities implemented in 2023 to enhance the work environment.
• Reflect on the impact of these changes on team dynamics and productivity.
• Discuss the key takeaways and lessons learned from the challenges faced in 2023

You can grab the full transcript of this episode from our YouTube channel

Check out Eric's book on Amazon, the GKG company website, Eric's book page, or on LinkedIn - company page and Eric's page.

We hope you enjoy it. You'll find all details on our Coaching 4 Companies website.

Today we are heading to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to chat with this week's guest, who is a prolific creative fiction writer in his spare time, Mr John Leister.

I mention spare time intentionally as John works full time as a security guard, yet incredibly has managed in the space of just 4 years to publish in excess of 100 books. Let me do the math for you. That's 25 books a year, 1 book every 2 weeks – aside from the writing John does the entire process himself from design, artwork, editing, and publishing. So, I think you will agree when I say that by any standards this is phenomenal, and naturally you will hear us unpacking more on this during our conversation.

According to John, his journey prior to 2019 and the current writing blitz, was much less fulfilling.

Suffering for cirrhosis, overweight, addicted to sugar, lethargic and spending way too much time on the couch, led to him hitting an emotional rock bottom.

Despite reading a raft of self-help books, John's real the turning point came after he reached out to God. And as they say the rest is history.

Today John is active, healthy and nearing 40 years working security.

He's very active on Facebook – not sure when he finds the time to read other writers or engage on social media but somehow he does.

TEAM ET, I think you get the idea by now that whatever you set your heart, mind and gut can be manifested in your behavior and this continues to be the case for John.

Visit our website to access the full transcript, guest links and episode notes: Coaching 4 Companies

Today we're heading to one of my favorite locations in the US, Boston, Massachusetts to chat with an endearing and dynamic young woman, Miss Annie Margarita Yang.

Annie has recently released her second bestseller titled The 5-Day Job Search and this is our primary reason for this conversation. However, like many times before, once we start to unpack the life and career of our guests, we discover much more than originally planned.

By day, Annie works as an accounting manager and business operations leader in the real estate industry. By night, Annie gives her all to helping others overcome the biggest obstacles in their lives and she specializes in saving money and helping people free up funds in their budgets. For things that truly matter in their life.

With an astonishing 18,000 strong subscriber base and over 1 million views on YouTube, Annie serves up a no-nonsense series of videos aimed at supporting others who are struggling to take control of their finances. Annie lives by five values, education, financial independence, health, integrity, and service.

And I must say that the more I've engaged in conversation with her and researched in preparation for our episode, the more that these values became very evident. As part of the demographic that she serves, which is millennials, Annie's firsthand experience translates into targeted advice that doesn't just recycle general platitudes. Whether escaping the debt trap or creating a savings strategy that works, she's all about actionable solutions that yield results.

Annie's backstory is as compelling as her advice. She sidestepped the student loan minefield by taking on minimum-wage jobs right after leaving high school. It wasn't easy, but during that time, she developed a love for frugal living, self-education, and planning for the future. Annie eventually earned her BA in communications from Thomas Edison State University, proving that a debt-free education was still possible.

Visit our website to access the full transcript, episode notes and guest links - Coaching 4 Companies

Today we are heading to Indianapolis, Indiana to chat with Mr Jim Bishop, founder of Conjunction Leadership. As Jim himself says, he's a normal guy much like you and me.

For 25 years, he thrived in the corporate world. He built teams, managed budgets, increased revenue, and facilitated over 20,000 hours of leadership programs.

As he traveled the world, working with leaders and assisting customers, he became acutely aware of the misdirected energy within corporate structures.

Instead of channeling energy towards solving problems and boosting productivity, many leaders divert a significant portion of their efforts into navigating bureaucracy and hierarchies.

In 2020, amidst global unrest and uncertainty, Jim discerned a significant shift in the value proposition employees sought from their employers.

With traditional work methods undergoing a seismic shift, he realized many leaders would be caught unprepared, leading to a diminished work experience for both leaders and their teams.

Recognizing the urgency, Jim took a bold step away from the corporate realm to offer his personal insights and coaching expertise to external clients.

Today, as an executive coach certified by the International Coaching Federation, a leadership facilitator with Blanchard, and a practitioner of the Leadership Circle 360-degree profiling, Jim draws on a diverse range of tools and programs. This arsenal enables him to serve his clients with a harmonious blend of science and art. His firsthand experiences and broad client base equip him to connect with any executive, while also challenging them to step out of their comfort zones.

Visit our website to access the full transcript, guest links, and episode notes - Coaching 4 Companies

Today we are heading to Valencia, Spain to chat with our guest Ms Pia Wendelbo.

Pia is a Change Agent and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in strategy, innovation, product development, process optimization, and organizational change as business head of Finland's largest bank Nordea.

She is passionate about helping companies and individuals navigate digital disruption with the aim of growing and transforming successfully. Pia believes that empathy is essential in supporting organizations through digital transformation and utilizes behavioral design and neuroscience to ensure that organisations are prepared to take on the necessary changes.

Pia is the founder of Scandinavian Change Agents, a consulting firm specializing in helping businesses navigate the ever-evolving technology landscape and achieve digital transformation.

The firm emphasizes the importance of adapting to constant change and implementing strategy as an ongoing process.

Pia's approach involves creating a safe space for learning and growth while transforming and believes that successful change happens when each employee transforms successfully.

Pia is also a mentor and coach, specializing in behavioral factors and neuroscience. She helps people who don't know how to best work with themselves and their team and offers career coaching to those looking to build their future.

Pia's focus on curiosity and holistic thinking sets her apart from other consultants, and she is a go-to person for decision-makers and C-level managers looking to navigate change.

Pia's expertise in innovation, transformation, and business management makes her an engaging and informative speaker for conferences and events.

So TEAM ET this week is all about change leadership, something that we as leaders should all be working hard to master. Therefore, if you are ready to join me as our guest

Ms. Pia Wendelbo shares her thoughts on The Characteristics of Successful Change Leaders in Today's Workforce.

Please visit our website page for access to the show notes, guest links and full transcript. - Coaching 4 Companies

Today we are heading to Singapore to meet up with our guest Mr Manog Vasudayven. Manoj is an internationally renowned Next Level Leadership Readiness Expert who helps leaders to break through to the next level of career, business, and life.

He is the CEO of Thought Expressions, Chief Mentor at Next Level Unlimited, and the 2017 World Champion of Public Speaking.

Manoj holds an MBA from Imperial College London with 25 years of leadership experience in strategy, management, and technology with many major MNC clients in Asia, Australia, the USA, and Europe.

As an expert in Next Level Leadership Readiness, he has coached top leaders, senior executives, bureaucrats, celebrities, UN diplomats, and professionals constituting a clientele from over 50 nationalities.

Manoj is the author of international bestsellers including Mastering Leadership The Mousetrap Way and How To Become The World Champion of Public Speaking – The Definitive Step-by-step guide.

Manoj has been featured widely in international media including BBC, CNBC, Business Insider, and the world's top-ranking book fairs.

As you will hear in one part of our conversation, Manoj explains how he was engaged by BBC as a body language expert and asked to interpret what he observed during the presidential meeting between Donald Trump and North Koreas leader Kim Jong Un.

For all the details, guest links, episode notes, and access to the full transcript, please visit our website - Coaching 4 Companies

Today, we're heading to Fort Mill in South Carolina to meet up with the Queen of Relationshipping, Ms. Michelle Hoffmann. And yes, you heard me correctly, Michelle, as you will hear in our conversation, is gifted with the Art of Relationshipping. So, allow me to introduce some more to help with your understanding on this concept.

Because life is better with good love in it, Michelle guides you to attract high quality, relationship-ready people, as well as navigate and enjoy all the right relationships in your life without fear of repeating previous relationship mistakes or not being enough.

She's a keynote speaker, life and relationship coach, program producer of The Art of Relationshipping, and international best-selling author of five books, including "Life Worth Living" and "New Management Blueprint," the latter, which we'll dive deeper into during our conversation.

As Michelle says, you can go from worried you're not enough to confident you're attracting everything you desire in life, personally and professionally.

With Michelle's coaching, you're ready to step into the person you envisage becoming so you attract the right attention, you become a self-advocate, become visible, valued and valuable, competent and successful.

How do you go from lonely to love? It's all about relationshipping. Wherever you are in your life journey, single, partnered, married, divorced, or widowed, Michelle helps you find the confidence to live and enjoy life as you dream it can be. Interestingly, our focus today is on how Michelle has successfully worked with her teams and her colleagues to bring out their best and become their advocate as they develop their careers.

That practice, as we might well imagine based on the law of reciprocity, is returned in abundance through the team's performance and loyalty. Team ET, buckle up as we bounce around and cover plenty of topics and are gifted with an abundance of insights along the way.

Visit our website to access and download the full transcript, together with the show notes and guest links - Coaching 4 Companies

Today we're heading to Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, and catching up with David Doerrier, aka Santa Claus.

You'll hear more on that story as we get into this conversation, but first, allow me to introduce David, whom is warmly referred to by his friends as David D, David is a dynamic professional speaker, trainer and coach, with over 25 years of experience in training and development, leadership and communication, with a passion for helping individuals and organizations achieve their full potential, David brings knowledge and expertise to his presentations.

And as David so rightly says - Talking and Telling ain't Training or Selling™

David's engaging style and unique ability to connect with his audience have made him a sought after speaker in industry conferences, corporate events, and educational institutions nationwide, he is known for simplifying complex concepts and delivering actionable insights that empower individuals to take their communication skills to the next level.

David has a hugely diverse background from radio broadcasting, corporate training, stage acting military service, voice over work, and as I mentioned at the very beginning, he even plays the role of Santa Claus each year.

Through David's book, how adults learn principles of engagement, he provides practical techniques to increase audience engagement, and no doubt a lot of this knowledge that David shares comes from being a highly accomplished Toastmaster, having competed in various impromptu and evaluation contests, earning recognition for his exceptional skills.

Visit our website to access and download the full transcript, together with the show notes and guest links - Coaching 4 Companies

Today we are heading to the Asian powerhouse of Singapore. And we're meeting up with our Guest Ms. Pauline Kirk - CEO and Founder of Femvestorsglobal™.

It's quite the match between individual and location as you will hear from our conversation, Pauline is also a powerhouse in the way she approaches her life and businesses.

She uses her 25+ years of experience and the skills she has gained from working in the Corporate Male-Dominated World where she continues to break down glass ceilings, to challenge norms and push the boundaries of major institutions.

In addition to FEMVESTORSGLOBAL, Pauline is a Consulting Partner at Apex-SCM or Supply Chain Management,

She is a Certified Results Coach and a Senior Leader in the Tony Robbins Community.

And as if that isn't sufficient, she is an advocate for women's rights, volunteering both time and money to women's and children's education programs in Africa and Asia.

In fact, 80% of the profits from FEMVENTORSGLOBAL go to charity.

And together with her husband, they have a plan to use 3D printing to build a school in India.

I guess you starting to understand my earlier "powerhouse" comment.

She is an avid learner and invests in herself and her team daily so Femvestorsglobal can be the Coach that teaches you and the Mentor that shows you.

They support women with how to become financially fabulous and create financial abundance through independent financial education.

Visit our website to access and download the full transcript, guest links, and episode notes. Coaching 4 Companies

Today we're heading to Utah in the United States and a little south of Salt Lake City. In fact, we're heading to the city of Saratoga Springs on the Northwestern shores of Utah Lake, visiting Mr. Tom Applegarth.

Tom has over 30 years of HR experience, including serving in high-profile companies such as Goodyear tires, Payless Shoes, AMACO, Belden, Potter Electric, and Young Living, and you've probably identified that this spans multiple industries, manufacturing, retail, as well as several Fortune 500 companies.

Tom has worked across the United States as well as in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and his considerable experience has brought significant measurable improvements in employee engagement, attrition reduction, recruitment of the best and the brightest employees, and establishment of high-impact HR processes and improvements.

Tom currently works for Preferred CFO, Preferred CFO provides finance, accounting, HR, and payroll support for small companies. This conversation with

Tom was a lot of fun, and I got to play devil's advocate and challenge the HR industry about how well they're handling the workforce shift from traditional offices to working from home, where who knows what employee shenanigans are going on behind the privacy of the household walls during work time, and of course, the question of how prepared are we as leaders for when the first work-from-home accident case finds its way into the courts, a lot of hypotheticals and "what ifs."

Visit our website to access the full transcript, guest links, and episode notes - Coaching 4 Companies