Your effectiveness as a leader is only as strong as your ability to influence others.  Unfortunately, too many companies aren’t giving their leaders the ability to positively influence their teams and workplace culture. In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Stephanie Barton, VP of Marketing and Communications at FCCS sits down with leadership consultant and speaker Anton Gunn for a discussion about the impact of an effective leader. Anton is a former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and is a speaker at the upcoming FCCS Leadership Conference. Today he offers his philosophy of leadership, questions need to be able to answer and actionable steps leaders can take today to improve their workplace culture.

 

Episode Insights Include:

 

Serving as Senior Advisor to the President 

• Coming from a four generation military family, Anton understands that service comes before leadership.

• Determination drove his opportunity to serve under Barack Obama.

• Persistence is required for success — Anton called the office 11 times before he got a response.

• Anton’s belief in himself led him to serving and working with the president.

 

Anton’s leadership philosophy

• The proof of a company’s values are found in their leaders.

• Anton lives by 4 leadership values.

• Service is the prerequisite of leadership.

• Empowerment — a leader’s greatest responsibility is to give others the tools they need to be successful.

• Justice — it is a leader’s responsibility to make things right. It may not be your fault but it is your problem as a leader.

• Legacy measures how we live every day of our lives.

• Leaders need to find out what tools their team members need to be productive and effective.

 

Just Lead with diversity, equity and inclusion

• Anton’s new book contains 44 actions to break down barriers and boost retention.

• He highlights the characteristics of leaders that people admire.

• Leaders need to recognize the element of diversity that each team member brings to the table.

• Leaders need to increase their competency around diversity within their organization and develop a skill set that applies it in a way that drives value.

 

Actionable ways to improve the workplace today

• Consider how a leader should answer the following three questions about their employees.

• Do you care about me? Leaders have to know their team before they can care about them.

• Leaders need to be able to pronounce each team member's name correctly, identify where they grew up, and remember their favorite candy bar.

• Will you help me be successful? Ask employees if there are any obstacles that are keeping them from performing at their best.

• Can I trust you? Trust is built over time as you show your team that you are invested in their success.

 

Connecting through hip hop

• Anton’s experience brought a powerful understanding and dimension of connection into his world.

• Diversity of people is what made hip hop what it is today.

• Increased diversity in cultural perspectives and ways of thinking is a critical skill for effective leadership.

• Anton shares his top five favorite rappers of all time.

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

 

Resources

 

Learn more about the upcoming FCCS Learning Conference - https://www.fccsconsulting.com/conferences/learning-conference

 

Connect with Anton Gunn - https://antongunn.com/

 

Get in touch

 

[email protected]

 

 

Traditional business success has been defined by profits, but the businesses that are going to succeed in the future are the ones that are thinking more about their people.  Team members are humans with human needs and are motivated by so much more than just a paycheck. In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Stephanie Barton, VP of Marketing and Communications at FCCS welcomes leadership expert Matt Havens for a conversation about the importance of bringing a more human element into the workplace.  As a speaker at the upcoming FCCS Risk 360 Conference, Matt offers his insights and wisdom into the power of creating authentic relationships, fostering a greater sense of community in the workplace, and keeping the focus on the human aspects of work. 

 

Episode Insights Include:

 

What does it mean to make your business human? 

• Too often people forget that they are working side by side with other human beings. 

• The pandemic offered an unprecedented opportunity to experience the same event together. 

• Making your business human is all about putting the focus back on the people. 

 

Addressing the 4 human truths

• Community- we are all searching for a sense of community and purpose. 

• Imperfection- we all fall short and even fail at times, and we need to own that truth. 

• Relationship with time- we all interact with time in an individual way. 

• Ability to choose- we are not always in charge of our circumstances but we can make a choice within them. 

• Employers have to recognize that employees have options and choices with their work. 

• Employees today are not simply grateful for the opportunity to work regardless of the work environment. 

• Employers need to approach employees with the desire to win their talent. 

 

Fostering a sense of community at work 

• Recognize that there is a cap on the number of people that anyone can have truly meaningful relationships with. 

• Dedicated time is the number one way to build a greater sense of community. 

• Blurring the lines between work and personal lines can help create greater connections. 

• Identify what is important to each person and help them create a sense of balance. 

 

Owning your choices 

• No one has power over all of their circumstances, but we always have a choice in how we respond to our circumstances. 

• Take two minutes at the beginning of each day to determine the choices you are going to make with intention. 

• The choices that matter most are the ones that we need to focus on. 

• Get more comfortable with failure by taking risks and failing more often. 

• Move on from failures by identifying what went wrong and what you can do better next time. 

 

Balancing the present with the future

• Identify current priorities while also recognizing the goals you are working toward in the future. 

• Dedicate time not only to what is right in front of you but to what will benefit you in the future as well. 

• Spend intentional time with people who have been where you are and are where you want to be. 

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

 

Resources

 

Learn more about the upcoming FCCS Risk 360 Conference - https://www.fccsconsulting.com/conferences/risk360-conference

 

Connect with Matt Havens - https://www.matthavens.com/

 

Get in touch

 

[email protected]

 

 

The rapid pace of change and uncertainty in the past few years has brought with it unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety in both professional and personal settings. Leaders know that employees have been operating in crisis mode for years and the impact of that stress can’t be ignored any longer. In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Stephanie Barton, VP of Marketing and Communications at FCCS is joined by Rhonda Scharf, licensed professional speaker and keynote speaker at the upcoming FCCS Learning Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. Together they discuss effective strategies and skills that every manager needs to know for helping their team handle stress.

 

Episode Insights Include:

 

What exactly is stress?

• Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any demand made on it.

• Sometimes stress is a good thing — like in the case of surprise.

• Good stress provides an adrenaline rush that the brain seeks and enjoys.

• At work, stress can lead to overwhelm and impact the quality of work.

 

Who is responsible for managing stress in the workplace?

• Leaders need to start by being aware of team stress.

• Listening to employee concerns is key to helping to manage stress.

• Leaders are accountable for the success of their team, which includes owning the accountability to help their team through stress.

 

How can companies help manage employee stress?

• Flexibility in work arrangements to accommodate commutes and family situations can help manage employee stress.

• One-on-ones are an essential part of leadership involvement in stress management.

• Flex hours, training, counseling services, and stress management training can help alleviate stress throughout the company.

• If one employee would benefit from a stress-relieving offering, chances are everyone at the company would benefit from it.

 

Management tactics for leading a team through stress

• Managers need to offer a listening ear rather than direct stressed employees to HR.

• Managers need to lead by example and give their team a point of reference for an appropriate stress level.

• Offer compassion and empathy to your team when you know stress is present.

• Help teammates set boundaries regarding communications, work hours, and time away from work.

• Identify what you want from your leadership and aim to offer it to your team.

 

Is it possible to make people happier at work?

• Statistically, people leave jobs because of the people there, not the work itself.

• A safe workplace is created by building up relationships.

• A manager’s aim needs to be to help people feel acknowledged, understood, and appreciated.

• Managers can listen to, talk with, and support their stressed-out employees to help them feel more valued.

• Managers can create an environment where employees can make friends with each other.

 

Reducing work-related factors that create undue stress

• High expectations for others can create an unnecessary perfectionist environment.

• The manager’s example of busyness and expectations demonstrate the standards you are holding others to, whether intentionally or not.

• Managers need to consider what a workload looks like from the perspective of those who are expected to complete it.

• Ask your team for their ideas of ways to prioritize a healthy work environment.

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

 

Resources

 

Learn more about the upcoming FCCS Learning Conference - https://www.fccsconsulting.com/conferences/learning-conference

 

Connect with Rhonda Scharf - https://on-the-right-track.com/about-us/about-rhonda/

 

Get in touch

 

[email protected]

 

How, when, and where we buy has changed dramatically in recent years. Winning companies in today’s competitive marketplace are the ones that are fast and easy to do business with. In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Stephanie Barton, VP of Marketing and Communications at FCCS welcomes back author, speaker, and customer experience consultant and expert David Avrin for a conversation about the shift in customer expectations.  David will be presenting at the upcoming FCCS Home Lending Conference in Salt Lake City, and has returned to the podcast to share key ways to create unforgettable customer experiences that can become your competitive advantage. 

 

Episode Insights Include:

 

What the Customer Experience Isn’t

• The customer experience is not customer service. 

• The way a company does business with its customers is the customer experience. 

• Just being friendly is not a sufficient customer experience. 

• The customer experience measures how easy the business process is. 

• Every person in a company is part of the customer experience. 

 

A Snapshot of Today’s Customers

• Expectations for speed, accommodation, and convenience have increased significantly. 

• High quality and competence are the bare minimum expectations. 

• Today’s companies are judged by how easy it is to do business with them. 

• The convenience factor is essential to a successful customer experience. 

• Identify your own preferences to identify what your clients are looking for. 

 

How to Improve the Customer Experience

• Make your process more visible to your customers. 

• Turn setbacks into celebratory milestone announcements. 

• Be proactive about status updates.

• Consider communications and relationship building opportunities. 

• Take advantage of Zoom and other technologies to connect with clients. 

 

Developing Better Customer Relationships

• The balance between technology and humanity is critical. 

• Give your clients choices — don’t force them to do business with you in only one way. 

• Help people learn new processes as needed. 

• Simplify processes and create solutions that make life easier all around. 

• People want to know what to expect with no surprises. 

 

Overcome common customer experience mistakes

• Don’t be overly rigid or scripted — leave room for accommodation and conversation. 

• Don’t push clients to do the business the way you want them to do it — offer choices. 

• Don’t assume your customers know how you navigate your systems — eliminate points of friction by walking through the process through their eyes.

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

 

Resources

 

Learn more about the upcoming FCCS Home Lending Conference - https://www.fccsconsulting.com/conferences/home-lending-conference

 

Connect with David Avrin - https://www.davidavrin.com/

 

Get in touch

 

[email protected]

 

 

Successful leaders continually learn, reinvent themselves, and stay open to new and different ways of doing things. In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Stephanie Barton, VP of Marketing and Communications at FCCS, is joined by Michele Padilla, Director, and Senior Leadership Consultant for FCCS and instructor and facilitator for the FCCS Leading Self and Leading Leaders Journeys. Together they discuss personal learning strategies- what they are, why they’re important, and how forward-thinking leaders can get started on taking control of their learning today.

 

Episode Insights Include:

 

The importance of a personal learning strategy

• A personal learning strategy identifies what a person’s learning needs are.

• It also considers the conditions, resources, and support an individual needs to improve performance.

• Personal learning strategies hone in on the key topics that need to be focused on.

• These strategies can be connected to your company’s vision but should remain applicable to the individual.

 

How to get started on an intentional strategy

• Think of your strategy like a roadmap that highlights your intentional goals and success drivers.

• Deliberate practice is essential to progress.

• Constantly put into practice the things you are learning at every available opportunity.

• Highlight one or two areas to focus on first and be realistic in your aspirations.

 

The benefits of getting your manager involved

• Identify your resources and the support that you will need to meet your goals.

• Communicate your learning strategy with HR and other advisors.

• Clearly define your goals and the resources that will help you reach each one.

 

Achieving professional and personal goals

• The personal learning strategy can help you both at work and in your personal life.

• Attainable goals are key in any area where you are hoping to see growth.

• The same process works in both personal and professional strategies.

• Find an accountability partner that can help you get started.

 

Adjusting your goals as needed

• Expect the unexpected and approach your goals with flexibility.

• Review your strategy often to adjust as needed.

• Accept needed adjustments and then get back on track as quickly as possible.

 

Best practices for your personal learning strategy

• Be committed to your efforts and stay the course in order to achieve your goal.

• Be consistent and practice, practice, practice.

• Share your goals and ask for accountability from others.

• Identify key markers that will highlight your success along the way.

• Outline a realistic timeline for achieving your goals.

 

Avoiding the common pitfalls

• Remember the reason that you developed your personal learning strategy and stick to it.

• Keep your personal wellness at the top of your mind in all that you do.

• Stay focused on your path and engaged in your goal efforts.

• Don’t overcomplicate your efforts- keep it simple and know that there are steps you have to take along the way to reach your goals.

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

Resources

 

Learn more about the Leading Self Leadership Journey program - https://www.fccsconsulting.com/leadership-development/leading-self.

 

Connect with Michele Padilla - https://www.fccsconsulting.com/consulting-network/michele-padilla

 

Get in touch

info@fccsconsulting.com

 

In this special edition episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Jean Cantey Segal, Chief Learning Officer, FCCS welcomes Jay Lux, Vice President of Leadership & Organizational Development for FCCS, Leslie Hilton, Vice President of Governance and Board Development, and Angie Coleman, Organizational Development Consultant with FCCS.  In a roundtable format, they discuss their insights on mergers and strategic alliances. They introduce best practices to help teams, leaders, and board members navigate and thrive in the midst of a merger. 

 

Episode Insights Include:

Successfully combining two company cultures

• Thoughtful strategies are necessary when two organizations are merging. 
• Complex company cultures can be approached with intentional collaboration.
• Non-negotiables need to be outlined early in the merger to avoid employee confusion.
• Start by identifying if both organizations have a firm grasp on their own company culture.

 

Effective communication during a merger

• Leaders need to stay in tune with the employee pulse throughout the merger.
• Surveys can help to avoid addressing issues that may not be a real problem. 
• Leaders need to offer regular and transparent communication with employees to dispel rumors and fear. 
• Mission values and company culture need to be preserved as appropriate throughout the merger process. 

 

Leadership advice for enhanced communication

• Ensure that there is clarity in the message as it is distributed to employees. 
• A one page update can go a long way to prevent miscommunication. 
• Senior leadership needs to be more candid about updates, with up to 10x more communication. 
• Scheduled updates can provide expected and appreciated communication. 
• Consider bringing back retired leadership to consult or temporarily removing employees from their regular position. 

 

The director perspective on mergers

• From a 30,000 ft level, the board’s role in mergers requires harder conversations about the impact on stakeholders. 
• The board needs to keep an eye on the long-term future direction of the organization. 
• The board has to consider the culture and integration of the two merging boards into one. 

 

Insightful questions to ask during a merger

• Who will this merger impact and how will they be impacted?
• What plans is management putting in place to manage impacts and mitigate risk?
• What opportunities and risks will this merger present?
• What does the future look like as a result of this merger?
• What key things will make this merger highly successful?

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

 

Resources Get in touch [email protected]

In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Stephanie Barton is joined by Joe Somers, Director of Consulting in Agribusiness, Chris Varvares, VP and Co-head of US Economics and Paul Bingham, Director, Transportation Consulting all with IHS Markit, now a part of S&P Global. They have come together for a conversation about three critical topics in the US economy - agriculture transportation, climate change, and the ag economy specifically. There are no simple or fast answers to the problems facing the ag economy today, but the forward thinking advice and insights of today’s guests prove that there are solutions that have the potential to improve performance and sustainability in the future. 

 

Episode Insights Include:

 

The current state of the US economy

• Currently tottering on the edge of recession, the US is facing the sharp edge of inflation. 
• Rising interest rates, weakness in the stock market and the rise in the US dollar are all diminishing US demand and slowing supply growth. 
• A possible recession is likely to be relatively short lived and relatively mild.
• Chris shares his insights on how high land interest rates are likely to go. 

 

The impact of climate change on ag transportation

• Climate change affects reliability which in turn affects performance.
• 2022’s severe drought is an example of what can be expected in the future. 
• Increasing disruption is also expected in the future. 
• Geopolitical threats also have the potential to impact production. 

 

The challenges of infrastructure and transportation

• Beyond climate change, there are key inadequate bottleneck areas where the US has suffered from disruption in the past. 
• An imbalance of supply and demand has greatly affected productivity. 
• Today, conditions are improving everywhere from air freight and water freight and rates are going down. 

 

The impact of market shifts and geopolitics on agriculture transportation 

• Climate change is not only affecting extreme weather, it also affects growing areas, water access, and transportation choices. 
• Beyond just US agriculture, there is a major global impact as well. 
• The geopolitical impact on markets will likely not be reversing anytime soon. 
• A strategic outlook needs to extend beyond the next year. 
• Investment decisions need to consider the long term factors that are at work. 
• The pandemic has increased the awareness that is needed to make effective improvements. 

 

Climate change risks to the ag economy 

• Climate change, for the farmer, is a longer term concern that will have a major impact in 20-40 years out. 
• Extreme weather events, including drought, have the potential to severely impact production. 
• Although some northern countries will benefit from higher temps, lower yields can be expected in most production areas around the globe. 
• Potential carbon and water credit benefits will not occur immediately, but will be seen over time. 
• Even though there are challenges to implementing ag management practices, the value is there to do it over time. 

 

Tackling the long game

• There is a variety of research and scientific changes that could help tackle climate change for the better. 
• Gene editing and precision agriculture can help support sustainability. 
• Carbon and water credits can be made available to offset tax. 
• A focus on sustainability and ESG needs to increase in the United States. 
• Patience is going to be an essential component to tackling climate change. 

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

 

Resources Get in touch [email protected]

In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Jean Cantey Segal, Chief Learning Officer, FCCS, is joined by Scott Klososky, Founding Partner, FPOV and Annette Klososky,  Founding Partner, Senior C-Suite and Executive Leadership Consultant, FPOV.  Together Scott and Annette lead a leading technology strategy firm that focuses on helping organizations transform and leverage and transform their technology and talent to create a competitive advantage. As an affiliate partner in the FCCS consulting network, Scott has had a strong presence at many of our conferences and strategic projects for many years. Their conversation today is centered around the impact that technology has on human beings and building a positive digital culture amidst the increased integration of technology in every aspect of our lives. 

 

Episode Insights Include:

 

Defining digital wellness

• Digital wellness is the optimal state of health and wellness for people who use technology. 
• Digital wellness focuses on the balance between productivity and health and wellness. 
• Pandemic-induced “Zoom fatigue”, for many of us, was only the tip of the iceberg of the impact that interacting with machines has on us.
• Increased digital interactions have decreased our ability to set reasonable boundaries on our productivity limits. 

 

The impact of technology on relationships

• While technology allows us to stay connected with people, it also can be distracting and damaging to the people that are most important to us. 
• Consider how you can use technology as a blessing in relationships and how you can limit your use of technology when it is injuring your relationships. 
• Work and personal interruptions from our phones are self-inflicted, and deserve revised consideration. 
• Awareness and balance are key to finding the balance between digital efficiency and building relationships with humans. 

 

How to improve technology use

• Set boundaries to identify the reasonable limits of what you can and should accomplish within a set time period digitally. 
• Identify when and if the apps you use are a better choice than face-to-face interactions. 
• Focus more on productivity and less on hours at the computer. 
• Start your day off with intentional screen usage. 

 

The impact of technology on careers

• While technology creates more opportunities for productivity and connection, it can also be incredibly draining. 
• A machine is not empathetic and doesn’t have the ability to inspire you, only humans can do that. 
• Learning new technology skills is a critical part of careers at every level today, including C-suite leaders. 

 

How can leaders create a more positive digital culture?

• The behavior a leader models says everything about what they consider to be appropriate digital use. 
• Ask your team where they see the culture doesn’t match the values of the company. 
• Perception is reality — ask for feedback and then let people help create the culture they want to see. 
• Leaders need to use the technology they expect their team to use. 
• Digital culture has to change moving forward, and effective leaders have to change with it. 

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

Resources

Digital Wellness Institute

 

Get in touch [email protected]

 In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Stephanie Barton, VP of Marketing and Communications at FCCS welcomes Steve Curtin. Steve has 20 years of experience between hotel operations, sales and marketing, training and development, and customer service roles. He's the author of Delight Your Customers, and his most recent book coming out May 31, The Revelation Conversation. Steve explains what a revelation conversation is, how it can connect the employee’s daily work activities to the overall mission of the company, and why this leads to a greater engagement and overall stronger ability to delight customers.

 

Episode Insights Include:

 

What is a Revelation Conversation?

• It is a conversation designed to reveal the total job role and to connect the employee’s daily work activities to the purpose of the job role.
• The revelation conversation can help inspire greater employee engagement.
• According to recent research, 36% of the workforce is engaged, 49% are not engaged, and the remaining 15% are disengaged and actively working against the company’s efforts.

 

How can one start to have the Revelation Conversation?

• Getting clear on the “job essence” and how it connects with a job’s skills and overall function.
• Realize the strong connection between employee engagement and delighting your customers, and keep that at the forefront of the conversation.
• In the same way that employees must grow and learn, supervisors must learn to have deeper revelation conversations as well.
• Be ready to articulate your single highest priority in alignment without compromising the organization's purpose and core values.

 

How can we better provide service that delights our customers?

• Move away from compartmentalizing the quality of service that is offered.
• Make sure every aspect is functioning as best as it can, from internal to external public-facing sectors.
• Put an emphasis on the totality of the environment so that employees are clear on their purpose and know what’s expected in their job essence.

 

What are some action items we can take to begin the revelation conversation?

• Supervisors can help drive engagement by really looking at how much of their day they are coaching, and trying to make it even more.
• Challenge: for the next 90 days, initiate a revelation conversation or follow up on your initial revelation conversation with a member of your staff.
• Notice the upward spiral of connection to job purpose that these conversations bring.

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

 

Resources

The Revelation Conversation 

Get in touch [email protected]

A connected leader is one who is present, vulnerable, and inspiring, and today’s digitally distracted and emotionally burnt out teams are looking to their leaders for purpose, authenticity, and connection.  In this episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Stephanie Barton, VP Marketing and Communications, FCCS at FCCS welcomes human behavior expert Collete Carlson, for a conversation about leveraging our connections with others for greater success for everyone. On today’s podcast she shares a glimpse of her upcoming presentation on The Connected Leader. Colette addresses ways to engage others in the digitally distracted world that we all have to navigate, how to create a stronger team culture, and what to do with the lessons leaders have learned from the pandemic. 

 

Episode Insights Include:

 

Engaging others in this digitally distracted world

• Engaging others is harder than it has ever been before thanks to constant dings and notifications. 
• Leaderships aim to model and empower others to achieve their personal best. 
• Alignment of your team and your vision is the core work of any leader. 
• Connection begins within- you can only lead effectively when you know your purpose. 
• Communication, vision, and emotional intelligence are all critical leadership skills today. 
• The 80/20 rule needs to apply to leaders in order to increase connection points and effective communication with your team. 
• Leaders need to look for one-on-one opportunities to connect with the team daily.

 

Creating a better team culture

• In successful cultures, everyone knows and lives the mission. 
• Leaders consistently need to walk the talk of that mission and make decisions that align with the mission. 
• Keep the team mission simple so every decision made can be measured against it. 
• The voice of every team member needs to be valued and an expression of the team culture. 

 

Earning trust and respect from your team

• Trust begets trust — start earning trust by not micromanaging your team. 
• Modeling trust and calm in every coaching moment will build trust with your team. 
• Be genuine in your concern about how your team members are doing emotionally. 
• Recognize the burden you might be putting on your team through your actions. 
• A connected leader is one who is authentically aligned through their thoughts, words, and actions. 
• Vulnerability can set the stage for earning trust with your team. 

 

Connection techniques that inspire action

• Leaders need to identify each team member's individual strengths and their purpose. 
• Express appreciation in genuine and specific ways outside of performance based contributions. 
• Build connection rituals by asking the team how they want to connect.
• Communication about what you’re doing with the information you’re collecting from employees is essential. 

 

Leadership lessons learned from the pandemic

• Biases are often inaccurate and need to be revisited regularly. 
• The art of possibility and the rapid rate at which people can pivot and innovate is incredible and powerful. 
• Steps toward employee wellness are no longer optional. 
• It is necessary for leaders to take care of themselves in addition to their employees. 
• Customized leadership happens with leaders ‘invite insight’.

 

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

Get in touch [email protected]