The Inner Chief

In this episode we hear from Kate Erickson, chief implementer at Entrepreneurs on Fire. I met Kate about a year ago and hear her speak on systems, efficiency and automation and she honestly stopped me in my tracks. The energy and focus was mesmerising.

Kate is an absolute GURU in personal effectiveness. Everything is personally tested on a daily basis and while they focus on entrepreneurs the lessons are just as applicable for the corporate world - which by the way is where she started.

Take 3 deep breaths before you listen to this episode. Centre the soul. The 'busy-ness' syndrome is in plague proportions and is driving so many managers towards burn-out, low quality work, strained relationships and disconnecting from their purpose and meaning. :confounded:Recovery is our great weapon in bringing our true spirit and greatest performances to the table. Without effective recovery we can not perform at our best and we look like we need development rather than a promotion.

Marcus Aurelius said that he was indebted to his grandfather for teaching him that "on an education one should spend liberally".

In this episode we cover the importance of learning from the gurus in your field and I give you two challenges.

To reach the top, we stand on the shoulders of giants—the undisputed masters of their fields. The powerful and influential may appear to be entirely self-made, but ask them about their teachers and influencers. The length of their list might just surprise you.

Marcus Aurelius said that he was indebted to his grandfather for teaching him that “on an education one should spend liberally”.

In this episode we cover the importance of learning from the gurus in your field and I give you two challenges.

To reach the top, we stand on the shoulders of giants—the undisputed masters of their fields. The powerful and influential may appear to be entirely self-made, but ask them about their teachers and influencers. The length of their list might just surprise you

A lot of leaders do not make use of 1:1s and yet they are one of the greatest opportunities to inspire your people and lift their performance. In addition, your people's careers and lives are in your hands and you have a responsibility as a leader to coach, develop and support your people. Many people complain about the performance of some of their team members and yet they either don't do 1:1s or do them very poorly. And this often means that individuals lose interest, they don't feel valued and they certainly don't bring the extra effort that is sitting stored away inside of them. I cover a 4 step process for running inspirational and effective 1:1s - Check-in, Operations, People, Strategy (COPS).

A lot of leaders do not make use of 1:1s and yet they are one of the greatest opportunities to inspire your people and lift their performance. In addition, your people's careers and lives are in your hands and you have a responsibility as a leader to coach, develop and support your people. Many people complain about the performance of some of their team members and yet they either don’t do 1:1s or do them very poorly.

Every now and then you'll get a serial low performer that is a toxic presence in your team. They can be incredibly stubborn and many leaders find dealing with these people the hardest part of their work. In these cases it is unhealthy for both them, yourself and likely several other people in the team if they don't seriously change their ways or move on. I cover a three step process for removing them from your team Coach, Counsel, Shoot. This is sounds tough and brutal but it really just a framework for either improving or removing low performers. Great Chiefs are brilliant at shifting low performers into better performance or moving them on. They understand the importance of getting the right people on the bus and letting the wrong people off at the next stop. Shifting this individual can be a huge relief for everyone involved. Many time I've seen whole teams take a collective sigh of relief. They didn't realise how much of an impact the person was having. They spread their wings and really fly. And when it this process is done with respect for the low performer at every single point it removes much fo angst. Every leader I've ever helped through this process comes out the other side really proud of their courage and effort. They grow as people and as leaders.

Every now and then you’ll get a serial low performer that is a toxic presence in your team. They can be incredibly stubborn and many leaders find dealing with these people the hardest part of their work. In these cases it is unhealthy for both them, yourself and likely several other people in the team if they don’t seriously change their ways or move on. I cover a three step process for removing them from your team Coach, Counsel, Shoot.

In this episode we take an entirely new angle. I've been wanting to bring in some gurus on particular topics and it brings me great pleasure to start with our spiritual guru Damien Price on Spiritualism and how it fits in the corporate world. Damien Price is a Christian Brother and has taught for over thirty years in schools throughout Australia and New Zealand. Over the past twenty years Damien has been involved in working with disadvantaged youth, homeless men and women, refugees and Asylum Seekers. Damien has Masters Degrees in Counselling and Pastoral Guidance. Damien's Doctor of Philosophy degree focused on the sense of self that youth grew into as they engaged with homeless people over an extended period of time. He is now Regional Ministry Coordinator for PNG, Philippines and Timor Leste in a role that has him travelling and organising all over SE Asia. Some of the questions I ask Damien include: • What is God and/or who was God and where do people get it wrong? • What is Religion and where do people get it wrong? • What is the ultimate purpose of life? • Your often describe yourself as a monk. Why is that the most fitting description of you? • What are the vows you take a Christian Brother? Why do you cherish them and what role do they play for you? • You took a break from the Brothers. What drew you away and ultimately what brought you back? • What is the most stinging feedback you've ever received and how did it shape you? • What have you learned about yourself over the past five years? • What mistakes do busy professionals make that is costing them their spirituality? • On a day to day basis what's the most powerful action someone can take to keep and develop a strong spiritual connection? • Does spirituality fit in the boardroom?