The Fast Leader Show | Strategy Execution & Systems Design

While he was in college, Jeff DeGraff had a whole series of events that would change his life forever. Every time his life blew up (whether it was having no place to live or not having any money) Jeff would start looking around to what was available to him and to do everything he can with what he had. He realized that he didn\'t think or act like other people did and had to do things a bit differently and creatively. It was from his mistakes that he learned to accept the various things he was naturally good at and to consider them as gifts and to stop trying to become somebody he was not.

Aaron McHugh was experiencing a lot of difficulties in his life, particularly with his career, his kids, and his daughter\'s health. During that time, one of his buddies came and said to him, \"You might not be able to change your circumstance but you can own your atmosphere.\" It completely changed him and made him take this idea of taking ownership of the atmosphere of his life. Aaron learned that it\'s about starting small and taking 2° changes that will eventually build up and lead to somewhere else.

Gregg Ward was working with a colleague who he became best buddies with. They would hang out, party, and spend time together, but after some performance slip-ups, Gregg (who was the leader of the organization) was put in a position where he needed to deal with the issues that his friend was having at work. Because their relationship was not based on respect, his colleague did not agree with his decision and things went ugly from there. From that mistake Gregg realized how important respect is between any relationship whether personal or professional.

Alan Willett was employed in a corporation and felt miserable about the job. Then, he came to a realization that all the work that he was doing was actually for himself and the greater good. Having shifted his mindset, Alan Willett returned to his work having the ability to say no and not just doing everything they wanted him to do. Alan took ownership of his job and the results went really well. He was now happier in his work.

Louis Carter was working for a group of people who locked him in an office to do all of their work until three in the morning. He tried to escape, but the door was locked and there was an alarm in the way. He didn\'t have a key and didn\'t know the code. He was able to get out with a little help from the police. Through that experience, Louis vouched to never work again for somebody like that. He confronted them and left the group and was able to get over the hump.

Lolly Daskal shares her insights on the many ways a leader can lead from within. Throughout her career, she experienced many humps to overcome, and although leading from within may not be easy, there are certainly many tools and techniques that can help your life more meaningful and memorable.

Luis Pedroza was in a foreign country facing challenges in growing a product from an established brand. The company he was working with was seeing the competitive environment in an outdated way and growth was not that easy anymore. By showing them a new future or having them look at a new lens, Luis was able to reframe the company\'s perspective and eventually lead them to success.

Amy Posey had an opportunity to talk and meet with a tech startup team. In order to spark them up and make them think, Amy experimented working with weird cutouts and novel items that left the people stunned and confused. Coming in with these weird and ridiculous items, the items became memory triggers and anchor points for the listeners. Because of how different and weird it was, it made her more memorable than anyone else and her talk stuck into her listener\'s minds.

David Dye experienced the lowest moments of his leadership when he was first promoted in a middle-level management position. During one team lunch, the things he was communicating to his team was falling on deaf ears as the things he was asking did not feel relevant to them. After realizing his mistake, David learned that he was executing his own vision and did not ask the team what their vision was. It was his wake-up call. He learned that it\'s not just about his own vision, but about their vision together as a team. It helped him get over the hump of needing to engage his people. Today, David is sharing his experiences to help other leaders become better versions of themselves and teaching them that together they are able to build something much stronger and much more cohesive.