The FRONT: A Leadership Podcast

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of the mom's - THANK YOU! You are unbelievable and amazing people!

https://youtu.be/bAxnsUEL7tc

For all of the things you do, the time, the energy you invest in your children, and your families. We love and appreciate you!

Happy Mother's Day!

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One valuable lesson that I learned from coaching youth sports, is some of the best lessons are taught on the spot.

https://youtu.be/IprqVd6nPH8

Often in leadership, we strive for structure. We want to have a training session, or a one-on-one opportunity, or a plan to mentor someone.

Plans are good, we need those – but just as valuable are the life lessons and real-life application that comes from the right now.

For example – let’s equate this to sports. Football, I like football as an analogy for business and especially sales.

When you are learning a new play. You plan the play, you maybe watch the play happen and then you DO the play, you execute it. Or at least attempt to. As running back, for example, your job is to run the ball and score points – that’s the core. Maybe the play coming up is for you to receive the ball and run right. You run left. About the time of that first left mis-step, the coach is yelling, the whistle blows, play stops – that coach, if they are worth their salt will stop the play and make the correction in the moment – before game time. The is the type of correction I am talking about being made in the moment.

The same should happen in leadership. So often though, we are waiting for the perfect opportunity to meet, the perfect plan to unfold. We let our people run the entire play, just to talk about what did, or didn’t work the next day… or worse the next week – “You remember last week when…” – NO!! That time and opportunity for learning has already passed. If there is something going not right, the moment your employee, mentee, your peer, whoever the person is, that takes that first left mis-step –

Make the correction in the moment. Talk about it with them, have a dialogue, quickly figure out their thoughts, their plan – and collectively move forward. In business the scoreboard is usually dollars, it’s based on results. It is your obligation as a good leader to coach your team to win.

One key way to accomplish that – make corrections in the moment when they need to happen! Your people will excel more, you will be happier, you’ll have less stress, your people will make more money, and you can count on more wins!

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I’ve had notes on my list to have a talk about this for a bit, and today is when it matters 😊 Today – I have a little different format than normal. Today on the FRONT is not about a list, or steps, or taking notes – it’s just some candid conversation. (Maybe you want to watch or listen to it twice)

https://youtu.be/i2VOZ9sbtVQ

This is a reminder for the people that are looked up to. If you are a leader, a mentor, a parent, counselor or coach, anyone in a role that listens and offers advice, that is what today's topic is about.

Conversations with other people are key to changing lives. They are a key component in us changing our own lives, and in changing the lives of others. They can shape our model of the world.

Yet, sometimes, even when we know we need to have, “that talk” with someone about whatever “that talk” is we fear and we flee. We avoid having the conversation for fear of the outcome of the talk with the other individual. See, we build up in our mind sometimes what is the worst possible outcome – and then we avoid talking with the person we most need to talk to – and then what happens? The worst possible outcome.

• An employee falling on hard times, personally or professionally. Short on money, wrong focus, or emotionally drained.
• A mentor questioning the alcoholic if they had a drink this weekend. And no, it’s never ok to have just one.
• A parent having the talk about sex with their teen or pre-teen child (no, I didn’t say “the birds and the bees”), don’t sugar coat it.
• A talented salesperson doing just enough to get by, and not flourishing, because they are avoiding making too much money, because of life’s other circumstances.
• A coach having to tell a kid they made second string – or didn’t make the team at all. And then having that talk with the parents as well

These are just some thought starters. Let me tell you – when you avoid having a conversation like this, a conversation that matters; that makes an impact deep into the life of someone else – you condone whatever outcome just happens.

Weren’t afraid of the outcome, weren’t afraid of the answer. Know that you are the one that has to first overcome that fear, because the person on the other side, the recipient – they will NEVER start that conversation.

And if the conversation never starts – the outcome – is inevitable. It will be whatever you didn’t want it to be.

When you are in a leadership role – in most cases, you have a level of emotional intelligence that allows you to pick up the “vibe” from someone that is just not on the mark.

When that is the case – face the fear head-on. Help them to steer the outcome rather than be a victim of the outcome. BE brave enough to start one of these conversations that matter.

Hope you have an amazing Sunday!

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I’ve talked about the idea of being deliberate before – in learning (The FRONT#41 & The FRONT #46), in attitude (The FRONT #63), and in other areas. But what does it actually mean to be deliberate about something?

The definition of deliberate is carefully weighed and considered, intentional.

It is being calculated in what you do.

https://youtu.be/iFW9DdC5LSY

See so often people are just on cruise control – they are getting up and going but without clear definition. They are just … there. Many people haven’t thought beyond their next 5 minutes, let alone 30 days, or more.

Social media is a prime example, people just post stuff, to post stuff. They don’t consider who it affects or how. OR what the longer-term result or outcome may be. There is not a reason behind the mention. Who does it benefit?

Being deliberate takes thought and planning and then doing.

In fact – here are three things that I think MUST happen, when we’re talking about living your life on purpose. And this goes for your personal life, as an individual, family, business, and socially –

1. Vision – you must know where you are going. People with vision can see their outcome before there is an outcome. You have to begin to map at this level before there is anything tangible. If you cannot see an outcome here, it is not likely you can get what you want.
2. Have Plans – This is the thought process, the ideas, the strategy and tactics. It doesn’t even have to be perfect. But it should be written down. Writing things down makes them real. It allows us to be held accountable either to ourselves or to others (when or if we share our plans). And it has to be well enough designed
3. Action – You must start. You will hear any highly engaged successful person saying, “START!” It doesn’t have to be perfect action – it just has to be pointed generally in the right direction. People so often try and wait until the plan is perfect… in the meantime, opportunity keeps moving – it doesn’t stop and wait for you. SO if not now, when?

So in closing, be on purpose. Be deliberate about what it is you are doing. If you want something – see it, plan it, then do it! Have a great day! 

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Thanks!

People in leadership – type A people who work their tails off to get to where they’re going. You know what they have a really hard time doing?

https://youtu.be/2R0EspsU2fU

People that become the strongest leaders they want to leave a legacy and make a name for others. And then other people praise their leader's name and make them legendary.

I said I have heard this (that I need to Let go and Let God for example) several times this week – it has come from friends, coaches, mentors, and then last night as a parent. My 17-year-old son, our oldest child, had prom.

If you haven’t been through this with a child - whew – for me, I realized yesterday, this is the handoff. We are right around the corner from manhood. We did the parent thing, met the young lady's parents, went and got photos… and then we had to let these two young adults – go. On our way home, I realized… he’s never done the valet, or a parking garage. Man, I hope he tips them properly. Then they are going to be out late - too late. Drive safe, be safe – stay the course. And then I couldn’t sleep.

😊 But, my wife assured me, that we have parented up to this point and all would be fine.

What I have seen people that are managers - they want to quarterback everything, they want to call shots and make a name for themselves. They keep things close to the vest, they take credit for everything and train themselves, but don’t always effectively train their people to evolve.

Leadership, sometimes, is letting go, so people can grow, and thrive, and evolve. If you find yourself unable or unwilling to let go of the power, the training, the acknowledgement – it’s likely that you are a manager – not a leader.

If you have done your job as an authentic and genuine leader. Really wanting your people to grow, then let them go and win it. It becomes your job to step in when things don’t go right – that is when you become the shield – and that is the time to accept the blame. Then you train, you grow with your people – and you let them try again, until…   

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We’re going to have a frank discussion and pull in character, and leadership.

https://youtu.be/3Svp-Xk6fU4

Fortitude is defined as courage in pain or adversity.

Coupled with character, which is the mental and moral strength of an individual, if you have those two things, you are on your way to being unstoppable.

Let’s focus on fortitude however, it’s such an important characteristic for a leader to have. WHY? Because things don’t always go smoothly. We can kid ourselves and say that things are always sunshine and rainbows, but that’s not so.

We’ve all worked with great leaders, and not so good ones. Some have it and some don’t – you get the idea.

Here’s an example. If you are the GM of a store, automotive, retail, toy store, it doesn’t matter – anything that is a retail business. And traffic is “slow” or “off” – do you lose your cool with your staff, yell and just tell them – you need to get more people here!

OR – do you buckle down, inspect what is happening or why it’s happening? Train with your people? Invest yourself into getting traffic back to where it should be?

If you freak out or lose your cool at the first sign that something is going sideways – you won’t remain in leadership for very long. Strong leaders need to play it cool – especially when things don’t go right because that is one of the keys to getting back on course.

When you stay calm and show you care and most importantly, pull up those bootstraps and get to work alongside people – it may be one of the most defining moments you can have in business leadership.

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Even when it comes to success which uses mostly simple principles in the climb. Simple doesn’t always translate to easy. In fact, ask any person that you view as successful and they will likely tell you on how to hit success, one of the primary drivers, “Just do the right thing.” You’ve heard people say that... it has probably been said to you throughout your life. As a child, then a teenager, and now in business.

https://youtu.be/cH-OaEQApoA

That statement, “Just do the right thing,” has both guided and haunted people. Even if now things go terribly wrong in business or in life – the answer… Just do the right thing.

See, there is really no downside to doing what is right. Morally, ethically, and just in general in our lives. Even beginning when we were small, not only did we know, we had that feeling for what is right and wrong; we also were taught right and wrong. So why is it that sometimes we stray and don’t do the right thing or the next right thing?

Sometimes the right thing isn’t clear, it seems obscure, mystified or selfish. Even if it seems that way outwardly, you may have to do a gut check – go with your gut – because often, that can help in guiding you to the right decision.

Another reason we avoid the truly “right” is that it is hard. And it is sometimes painful. And it’s easy to fall into just cruising along and just accepting what is going on, rather than being deliberate (which is not always right). As Tony Robbins points out people will do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure. And the right decisions, even though they may be morally right, or right for you at the time can sometimes be the most painful.

Just remember that even if there is pain, or confusion, or frustration – it’s temporary. And most of the time, the only person that will know or care IS YOU. When you do the right thing, it quickly turns things right and heals your psyche.

Because the right thing and the truth ultimately require no explanation or defense.

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Today I’m sharing two skills that I think are highly underutilized once we get into leadership and management. And they are significant keys to success. And yes, I’ve probably mentioned these before… but, it’s one of those things that’s speaking to me right now. Before we get into it – no, these aren’t the only two things that you can do to experience high levels of success.

Number One – Active Listening, and Number Two – Follow Through. These are both huge and can heavily determine individual levels and team successes

https://youtu.be/TxwcAdWBSw4

I talked previously in episode #14 of THE FRONT about some leadership accountability traits, so maybe you check that one out too. For some other excellent leadership traits and notes.

But, today these are the TWO MASSIVELY important things I’m talking about.

1. Active Listening - Active listening means, as its name suggests, actively listening. That is fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively 'hearing' the message of the speaker. Active listening involves listening with all senses. Active listening is a skill that can be acquired and developed with practice

You have to have eye contact, face the person, and really listen to what they have to say and share. Listen and think, listen to understand where the other person is coming from. To actively listen to someone. You must be invested in them, with all of your senses. Tune in to what they are saying, meaning no phones, no social, no distractions. You are not listening simply to respond to what they are saying.

1. Follow Through – When you are in management, or leadership, follow through is often lost. What do I mean by follow through? It’s simple, DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL DO, when you say you will do it, and for whom, then… FOLLOW UP to communicate that it is done.

We lie to ourselves and say that we are “too busy” – busy is a state of mind. You can always find time if you make something important enough. If it carries enough value, and when another person is involved, that person has value. SO for goodness sake. DO what you say you will!

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Welcome! Today, I’m talking about this podcast and some things I have coming up.

I’ll be happy stop a few times, since we’re live, feel free to ask some questions in the sidebar! So, let’s chat.

https://youtu.be/0dZbm61A7h0

This happens to be the 85th Episode of THE FRONT – I started this podcast to really focus on:

• Being out front, by constantly working on growth for yourself and growing others around you.
• Leading from the front, meaning getting up and taking action to impact others
• Continuing to be on the cutting edge, and the front of management, leadership, sales and other facets of business.

One of the tough parts like so many online interactions – is you never really know who will connect with your content, or even who sees it. For me, it is about doing something good. As for subject matter, The FRONT focuses on three primary subjects that are very near and dear to me.

1. Sales Training – The sales training I give I try to have be practical and useful. It comes from my almost 15 years in the auto industry and more than 25 years overall in business.
2. Motivational Content – Motivation is ultimately a need or want. Motivation is temporary, but it’s a start. It’s a pump up and makes people, you specifically feel good!
3. Leadership – As I mentioned above, most of my life I have been in a management or leadership role in business. Leadership I have found is not a title that can be given. It’s an action, that others associate and connect with you as a leader

Where do I get my content? It’s a culmination of past learning, current events, impactful things that people say to me. But, ultimately it’s ideas that I figure these things are affecting, or having an impact on me, I want to share those ideas with others. Because if there is a need in one person's life, it’s likely there is a need for others as well.

A few notes: DO me a favor, if you are sharing episodes of THE FRONT on your social, with your company, friends, business people – and please do share! Use the #TheFRONT and if you are in a leadership role or management, or you want to add #ThePride.

WHY? Well #TheFRONT, is to help get the word out on the show. And #ThePride refers to a pride of lions, leaders, kings of their domain. It’s a group of like-minded individuals that have come together into a sort of strong mastermind group – these are the people I want to be able to search #ThePride hashtag and feel confident to reach out and connect with one another.

One last thing – I am relaunching tomorrow morning a daily, weekdays, Bible verse reading. I’ve titled this Morning Verses With Mike (MVWM) and will be going live from my personal Facebook page, then reposting to a YouTube Playlist, so if that’s something you are interested in, then reach out and let’s connect!

Thank you for reading, or watching, or listening. You are awesome! Download This Episode Now!

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And, one of the most important pieces of information that you will learn as a sales consultant is the professional greeting.

https://youtu.be/5ScyC94Yy44

Whether you are a sales consultant in retail, working with customers in your everyday life. Or if you are B2B sales, hoping to deal with other professionals and sell your product or service. The way you greet people in person, eye to eye heavily will determine your success in sales.The script that you use, over and over again, the body language and mannerisms that you develop when meeting someone for the first time. Will have an impact on your level of success.

Whether they should or not, people still judge by the first appearance, regardless of if they say they do or not, it happens. While I personally am a fan of the first meeting of professional dress i.e. shirt and tie, etc. I think for a first meeting this is always valuable.

Step 0 – Your greeting of any business prospect or customer begins when you first get up in the morning.  It starts by you, as a professional being properly groomed, clothes pressed and what sort of attitude you choose to start your day with. There is a lot to be said for the “setup” beforehand. Still Step 0 - It is always more ideal to have an appointment. Especially in a vendor partner or B2B relationship. “Just popping in,” doesn’t often work because people are busy.

Step 1 – Make eye contact. Eye contact is instinctive with humans. Beginning with infants, they prefer looking at faces that gaze back at them. Brain activity studies in babies shows that they process gazing faces more deeply than faces that are looking away. As adults eye contact triggers an increased state of self-consciousness and consumes extra brain power. Most relationships start with eye contact; including relationships in the business world.

Step 2 - Carry yourself confidently from the chest, or I prefer to say, from the heart. When you practice that body language and posture, it creates a confident stance. You carry yourself from the heart and are direct. Why are the approach and handshake such an important step for those of us in sales? The reason is that it creates personal congruency.  If your approach is lackadaisical, shoulders slouched and then you wave, rather than shaking hands with your prospect, what does that tell them? 

Step 3 – SMILE. It is proven that smiling activates neural messaging that benefits your health and happiness. ... The feel-good neurotransmitters — dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. So, let’s start out the interaction this way, by feeling good and making the other person feel good too.

Step 4 - Shake hands. Believe it or not, I believe this takes practice. We all know how to shake hands with someone right… or do we?  Where do we learn the handshake from? Maybe the Dads or Moms and Grandparents would take you aside and “practice” to have a firm handshake. However, something to consider, for most people in any sales industry today, you’ve been learning to shake hands from strangers.

Step 5 – Begin with whatever your greeting is. And start a conversation! I recommend you should always start confidently with your name, your company’s name, and (when appropriate) their name. Then pause and give them a chance to begin a conversation.

For goodness sake – BE PREPARED!

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