The Inspire Podcast

In this episode of the Inspire Podcast Bart welcomes Humphrey Group Consultant Ash Kay to talk about executive presence. Ash draws on her background as a reporter and broadcast news producer to explain what presence is and how to project it authentically. She explains that the foundation of connection is to be unselfish, how the best connectors are like detectives, and that there’s no substitute for the painful work of seeing yourself in action. Ash’s concrete and practical tips on presence are invaluable whether you are live or virtual.

00:59 Introducing Ash Kay

02:03 What is leadership presence?

02:48 Executive presence vs leadership presence

04:20 Authentic presence and leadership presence

06:40 Presence is a dimmer switch

08:15 How to build authentic presence

08:28 Great communicators are unselfish

09:20 Crime reporting story

11:38 Flip the script

13:45 Presence begins with the audience

14:17 Be a presence detective

15:19 People who seem really present have probably worked on it

19:02 How to make these changes feel authentic

22:27 You have to see yourself in action

25:01 Video in broadcast journalism

25:49 Unfiltered feedback

28:27 Bart summarizes points

30:37 How to start on the journey of presence

32:00 How to find out more...

33:11 Thank yous

33:27 Outro

All our working relationships tend to focus on WHAT we want to do together -- what deals to close, what processes to improve, what products to build -- yet we invest comparatively little time in HOW to do that work together. In his new book the incomparable Michael Bungay Stanier argues we're doing it all wrong, and should instead focus on the foundations of working relationships. In a far ranging discussion with Bart, Michael explains that every relationship may not be perfect, but they are always worth pushing for the best possible version that you can have. Using a "keystone conversation" concept Michael explains how to begin the discussion so you can have safe, vital and repairable relationships.

Pre-order Michael's latest book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone here: https://www.mbs.works/how-to-work-with-almost-anyone/

00:21 Show Introduction

00:58 Introducing Michael

01:12 1.2Million in sales of The Coaching Habit

01:29 What is it like to sell a million+ copies of a book?

02:33 Introducing the new book

02:57 What led you to write this new book?

03:04 Work gets done through people

03:50 Social contracting

04:56 Asking the question: What will help us work well together?

05:18 Why don't people have these conversations?

05:40 The urgency of work

06:22 Not many role models to look to

07:25 Bart talks about why he thinks people don't do these conversations

08:46 Who do you have these conversations with?

09:32 Start with key relationships

12:25 Don't be stupid and open up too much at the wrong times

12:36 Good giving and bad giving

13:05 Calibrate the conversations based on the context

13:55 The bad relationships

15:07 Idealism v pragmatism

15:38 Working through how to do it - example of new job

16:29 The Keystone conversation

16:50 5 Questions that help

17:06 The amplify question

17:25 What are your practices and preferences

19:34 The bad date and good date questions

21:41 How do we repair this when it goes wrong?

22:59 How do you think this podcast is going?

25:12 What needs to be said, that hasn't already been said?

28:13 Parting ways gracefully

29:04 How to adapt these conversations to larger organizations

30:22 Is it worth having this conversation?

30:44 Passive resistance is the hardest thing to manage

32:10 What needs to be true for this to be real?

38:00 How to use these techniques upwards with your manager

40:09 GenZ retention issues

40:53 Thank yous

41:11 How to find out more about this

In this episode, Bart is joined by Dr. Nate Regier to speak about his new book, Compassionate Accountability. Nate explains that kindness and high performance are not mutually exclusive but actually deeply interwoven. He explains how to embrace the yes and mindset of compassionate accountability, and how to practice it day in and day out as an individual leader. He also explains how companies can institutionalize the concept to improve their culture. Whether you’re asking employees to return to the office, giving difficult performance feedback, or even making decisions about who should be in what role, Nate’s framework and new book will prove invaluable for inspirational leadership today.

Get Nate's book today at https://www.next-element.com/resources/books/compassionate-accountability-book/

And learn more about Nate and Next Element here: https://www.next-element.com/

00:28 Show intro

01:02 Welcoming Nate

01:56 Background to writing this book on compassion

02:23 Raised as a Mennonite

03:35 Story about first act of violence

04:48 The Narcissist

05:15 Corporate world journey

07:16 Founding Next Element

08:46 Journey of Compassion

08:57 Define compassion and accountability according to Nate

09:19 Compassion: Struggling with other people

10:18 Compassion is learnable and teachable

10:24 We are valuable - capable - responsible

11:30 Define accountability and responsibility

13:01 Self-compassion

13:18 business compassion

13:38 inclusion compassion

13:57 Pandemic effect on compassion

14:04 The pendulum of compassion

15:27 Pandemic divisions

15:51 Cancel culture

17:05 Compassion without accountability

17:43 Accountability without compassion

17:57 Command and control not working with younger employees

18:15 Examples of each

20:13 Accountability and Compassion are not at odds

21:44 Mindset matters

21:59 What is the compassion mindset?

22:19 What holds people back?

22:32 How people see themselves and others

23:02 Mindset is attitude and is a choice

25:10 Thought experiment about RTO

29:07 Three great places to start

29:38 1 Get over yourself and start being vulnerable

29:51 Burnout

30:28 2 Ask for help

31:11 3 Don't compromise on priorities

33:44 How to implement these on an organizational level

34:22 What's missing from a lot of leadership books

34:56 How to set behavior norms in an org

35:54 Performance management and reviews

37:36 Example of nurse manager

40:37 How to find out more about this

41:33 Thank yous

42:02 Outro

In this episode Bart speaks with James Caan about what he looks for in entrepreneurs he wants to back and invest in. James has had an incredible career, creating and selling multiple companies in the human capital space including Alexander Mann and Humana Capital, as well as serving the British government in multiple capacities including Chairman of the Startup Loans initiative, which invested in entrepreneurs who wanted to start their own businesses. James joins Bart to talk about his new venture, Recruitment Entrepreneur and the qualities he looks for that are predictors of success in leaders, and his advice to those looking to develop their potential to attract, inspire and motivate people in the service of driving business growth.

Visit Recruitment Entrepreneur's website to learn more: https://ca.recruitmententrepreneur.com/ and check them out on Linked In here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/85333304

00:29 Show into

01:14 Introducing James

02:46 Early career

05:55 Worldwide recruitment business

07:50 Passion for helping entrepreneurs

08:15 Approached by Dragon's Den

09:40 Writing the book

11:01 Helping government support entrepreneurs

13:49 Commander of the British Empire

15:31 Recruitment Entrepreneur Business

17:11 What gets in the way of building a successful business

17:27 Undercapitalization

17:44 Good billers - but not good business builders

20:39 Attracting talent and building teams

21:18 3 qualities needed to attract talent

21:56 Building to scale

22:16 Articulate your vision

22:57 People want to develop

23:37 Who exemplifies this charismatic leader?

25:39 How to build high-performing teams

26:06 Lead by example

26:59 Develop both technical and strategic sides

30:07 Moving from individual to leader...

31:21 Why do you want to make the change?

32:37 Are you aware of what's involved?

33:16 How do you know you've gone high enough?

34:28 Bart summarizes some points

35:43 Shared learning is very effective

37:59 Where people can find more?

38:46 Thank yous

39:07 Outro

In this episode, Bart interviews Judith Humphrey, Founder of The Humphrey Group, about her new book, The Job Seeker’s Script. In the interview Judith discusses how candidates can successfully advocate for themselves, whether they want to move up in their present company or move to a new firm. Her book shows job seekers how to tell their story, by first setting their goals, and then using her book’s template to script themselves throughout their journey – from the initial elevator pitch to their final interview. Using this model, job candidates will impress others and win their coveted job.

Learn more about Judith at her website: www.JudithHumphrey.com

Get your copy of her latest book, The Job Seeker, below!

Amazon: https://a.co/d/4f4EdB0

Indigo Canada: https://lnkd.in/dfCeHgtd

01:06 Welcoming Judith

02:14 The new book

02:48 Why write this book?

05:42 Fluid labour market

06:49 Deciding on your storyline

07:20 Am I prepared to invest in myself?

08:07 What are my skills and interests?

09:22 Do I want a new direction?

10:14 What culture do you want to work in?

10:41 Stats on the importance of culture

11:36 Return to office?

12:10 Size of organization

13:45 Will I be able to succeed there?

15:26 Pitching inside your own company

16:23 Companies WANT to retain talent

16:47 Concerns of leaders

18:13 Build your network

18:48 Selling yourself internally

19:00 Networking with your boss

20:37 Talk to potential sponsors

21:26 How to ask someone to go to bat for you

22:13 Be intentional

22:32 Sometimes people are reluctant to network

24:40 How to script yourself

25:34 H.I.R.E

26:32 HOOK

26:54 INSPIRE

27:05 REINFORCE

27:26 ENGAGE

27:57 Scripting

30:13 Avg. # of interviews to land a job

30:29 Research the interviewers

31:04 Common questions to be ready for

34:02 Bart summarizes

35:37 Rehearse!

36:04 Where can you buy the book?

36:49 Thank yous

What exactly is work today, and how should leaders manage and engage their teams in this unsettled new reality? In this episode of the Inspire Podcast Bart speaks with Wayne Berger, CEO of the Americas at IWG, the world's largest provider of flexible workspaces about these questions. Drawing on IWG's research, Wayne explains what the future of work looks like, why it's not the office but rather the commute workers want to avoid at all costs, and why being in the office can be a great thing if done right (hint: it's not about being on zoom). Then he shares guidance for leaders who must reach, engage and motivate teams that are increasingly bound more by mission and culture than proximity. He wraps up with some longer-term thoughts on how these trends can not only lead to better workplaces but healthier cities.

00:25 - Show intro

01:02 - Introducing Wayne and IWG

01:51 - Where they are recording

01:54 - We are neighbors

02:03 - Contrast in approach from Alan Richardson's interview

02:18 - What is IWG?

02:34 - World's largest provider of coworking spaces

03:38 - Record revenues

03:42 - 34 years in operation - 3.4 Billion

03:50 - Stats on remote work

04:12 - One long construction project

04:22 - Huge demand for their workspaces

04:57 - Different kinds of companies that use shared spaces

05:22 - What does the future of work look like - trends in the industry 05:47 - Big trends in the industry

06:38 - 82% of Fortune 500 clients use shared office space

07:03 - Looking to rationalize their real estate portfolio

07:37 - 90% of North American Workers demand flexibility

07:51 - Working from home is isolating

08:19 - Model the purpose of the day with the location

08:54 - What is real flexibility?

10:24 - Vacancy rates have gone up

10:38 - Leases and vacancies

11:30 - Fortune 500 companies using flexible workspaces

12:38 - Push/pull in the news headlines

13:20 - Fundamental shift in the workforce

13:26 - Coming soon - 75% of the workforce will be millennials and Gen Z

14:18 - All of my direct reports reside somewhere else

15:09 - Non-purposeful gatherings will diminish

15:28 - Bill Gates quote

15:58 - Bart summarizes trends

17:31 - Profitability is a huge cost

18:15 - Local hiring pool to global hiring pool

18:26 - Getting rid of the commute

18:44 - Environmental implications

19:16 - C-level position of: worker mobility!

19:44 - 15-min city concept

20:43 - Advice for leaders

21:34 - Invest in training on people managers to handle flexible workers

24:24 - What should people managers be able to do well?

24:41 - Align and communicate vision

25:49 - Support team members when you're not together?

26:25 - Find good gathering technology. For example, Microsoft Teams

29:28 - Replicate in-person with digital tools

35:51 - How to connect/find more

36:42 - Outro

In this episode, Bart speaks with psychologist, podcaster and renowned speaker Dr. Sherry Walling about the emotional challenges facing entrepreneurs and leaders today. In her practice, Sherry helps clients navigate transition, rapid growth, loss and other complex human experiences. She draws on this work to share with Bart why leaders are facing the highest levels of burnout, stress and anxiety in 30 years, and what to do about it. Sherry explores techniques like self-soothing, practicing gratitude and building strong, connected relationships to weather the storm and emerge energized and feeling more capable and confident. An important listen for anyone grappling with the mental health challenges that are increasingly the price to pay for leadership.

Visit Sherry's websites to learn more:

https://zenfounder.com/

https://www.touchingtwoworlds.com/

https://www.sherrywalling.com/

Listen to the ZenFounder Podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zenfounder/id965682541

Get your copy of Sherry's books here:

Touching Two Worlds: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1683649672/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1683649672&linkCode=as2&tag=zenfounder-20&linkId=f0e88c2accd28bb544ca8d7c199fee24

The Entrepreneur's Guide to Keeping Your Sh*t Together: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999651803?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_MW6JWMYREW84D2BSBF5N

00:50 - Introducing and welcoming Sherry

02:22 - Why Bart asked Sherry on to the show

03:22 - Sherry talks about her background

05:11 - Entrepreneurs and PTSD symptoms

06:56 - Making the switch to working with Entrepreneurs from Soldiers

07:09 - Aaron Shwartz

08:48 - Overview of challenges facing leaders today

09:14 - Pace of change

10:27 - Google example of insecurity

10:51 - How does this change affect leaders?

11:14 - Not being able to stop thoughts

11:48 - Incomplete information

12:34 - Burnout and Stress

13:11 - What burnout consists of

14:08 - Data on suicide rates over the last 30 years

16:04 - Strategies to help in times of changes

16:25 - Internal capacity to feel calm is important

16:51 - Learning to settle down

17:29 - How do people calm themselves?

18:08 - Help for the doom scrollers

21:20 - Learning Gratitude

22:14 - Naturally hyper-attuned to the negative

24:43 - Her new book about grief

26:22 - Strong, connected relationships

29:46 - Optimism about entrepreneurs and their relationships

31:11 - Summing it up...

31:52 - Glitch

31:53 - Where can people go for more information?

32:30 - Circus movement!

33:03 - Thank yous

33:40 - Outro

In this episode of the podcast, Bart welcomes William Kilmer, entrepreneur, venture capitalist and author of a new book, Transformative. William’s book looks at how great companies do more than produce great products and instead transform markets they can enter and win in. Yet William explains that in his experience, leaders spend too little time on their culture, to their detriment. He explains how to retool your organization by auditing your culture, setting up a challenge culture, and then implementing a continued decision review process. A great listen for anyone who has been focused on what it takes to win in the market — and who may need a reminder to look inward at the same time.

Visit William's website to learn more: https://www.williamkilmer.com/

00:15 Show Intro

00:53 Introducing William

01:31 Book: Transformative - what it tackles

02:21 3 key challenges facing businesses

04:19 What defines great leadership culture?

05:13 Intentionality

05:57 Steve Jobs

06:14 Satya Nadella

06:42 Advice on creating good culture

07:22 Knowing who your customer is

09:12 iPod example

09:32 Netflix

10:48 Culture and values

12:29 Unique values help companies perform better

13:15 Netflix culture set by Reid Hastings

13:38 Netflix culture deck

14:56 Advantages of a good culture

16:15 Why don't CEOs put more into culture?

16:52 Most leaders have not been well-trained on culture

17:11 Auditing your culture

18:30 Shift in culture goals

20:09 Contest between command and control vs interdependence model

21:40 How do you assess your culture?

24:51 Become a challenge-setting organization

26:24 OODA loop

29:22 How do leaders make the OODA loop happen?

30:09 Overcoming your own tendencies and filtering biases

30:57 Bart sums up

32:51 Where to find out more?

33:17 Thank yous

33:31 Outro

In this conversation, Bart speaks with Alan Richardson, SVP of Talent Strategy & Solutions at RBC, about the bank's approach to bringing workers back to premises. Alan discusses why the bank decided last fall to ask employees to come together in person more, and what they've learned since. He discusses how to think about closing the "communication distance" and not just "physical distance", the essential role of tools and technology, and how managers have the most critical role to play. Alan shares some of the challenges of hybrid work arrangements and how the bank has sought to be empathetic and intentional in this move. Finally, in a new introduction and conclusion, Alan discusses why the bank's CEO Dave McKay recently asked workers to be in person even more... and what the future may hold. This is an invaluable discussion for any leader wrestling with the balance of creating connection in this new era of hybrid work.

Read more about RBC's people and culture here: https://www.rbc.com/newsroom/people-culture/index.html

00:29 Intro

01:03 Welcoming Alan

01:18 Follow-up notes on announcement

02:10 Making exceptions more consistent

02:55 THe real value of coming together

03:59 Humility and care of RBC's approach

05:47 What has worked and what challenges 6 months in?

06:54 Structure helps with flexibility

07:22 RBC's 3 days a week

10:34 Misconceptions and trust issues

12:06 What are we really after here with this return to work?

12:25 Challenge of communication distance vs physical distance

13:01 Example of red line / Cuban crisis

13:44 There are tools that can close communication distance

15:31 Keys to closing communication distance

15:49 What in-person does for teams

16:15 Build a foundation for the architecture of problem-solving

16:58 Ability to use the technology is key

19:02 Employees have a strong voice now

21:10 Ensuring the return to work is better than before

21:26 Equitable, inclusive experience

23:38 How are you advising leaders to deal with the return to work?

24:37 Different approach is needed across RBC

25:54 Hold managers accountable to have those conversations

26:58 Guardrails for the return to work conversation

27:21 Depends on the type of role

27:50 Beliefs around inclusion

29:41 Hybrid is more work

31:11 It's really change management

31:59 What are the conversations that need to happen in the next 6 months?

32:30 Are things clear enough?

33:05 Between senior level and managers

33:59 People and their teams

34:34 Bart sums it up

35:42 The benefits of getting it right are real

36:40 Thank yous

38:52 Outro

In this episode of the podcast, Bart speaks with The Humphrey Group's Director of Learning Experience Design about the often-overlooked importance of making your communication accessible. Justyna explains why it's never been more important – and easier – to think about how to reach all audiences. She explains what accessible communication is, why it's overlooked, tools and technology you can use (and already have at your fingertips) and resources to draw on. By the end of this conversation, you'll see why every leader who wants to inspire should think about making their communication accessible.

Visit the following links for resources and further reading on accessibility:

Haben Girma – Disability justice lawyer, author, speaker, & inclusion activist: https://www.linkedin.com/in/habengirma

Sheri Byrne-Haber – Certified accessibility professional with a background in universal design, law, & business: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheribyrnehaber

Tiffany A. Yu – Disability advocate and CEO & founder of Diversability: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyayu

IAAP – For accessibility-related news and updates as well as job opportunities: https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/

Deque systems – Self-directed learning on digital accessibility: https://www.deque.com/

00:27 Intro

01:05 Introducing Justyna

02:07 Bart introduces "accessibility"

02:56 How Justyna works on accessibility

03:58 Define accessibility

04:23 Examples of poor accessibility

05:55 Justyna's story

06:18 ADHD and learning disabilities diagnosis

08:25 The importance for leaders to understand accessibility

09:18 Industries seeking out neuro-diverse talent

10:04 Accessibility is not just for disabled people. It makes the product better for everyone

10:56 Providing multiple ways to represent content

12:32 Stats on disabilities

13:41 Things communicators need to know

15:46 Cognitive load

16:24 Increase the likelihood your message will get across

17:47 New tech is helping

18:24 Examples of using smartphone differently from spouse

20:13 3 pieces of advice to leaders

20:57 Don't surprise me!

23:11 Structure is key

23:51 Present multiple ways

25:33 Everyone is the expert on their own experience

26:39 Make sure that mistakes are OK

27:40 Bart sums it up

28:37 Advice on getting started

29:41 Resources

30:39 Thank yous

30:59 Outro