The LeaderShifter Show

Excellent communication, both internally and externally has never been more important, given the VUCA world we live in. Leaders face challenging circumstances on a nearly daily basis with a variety of stakeholders to keep in the loop. On today’s episode, I welcome long-time friend, client, and communications expert extraordinaire, Dave Poston. Dave is CEO and General Counsel of Poston Communications, a public relations, marketing, and content firm he founded over 18 years ago to serve professional services companies. Law, financial, real estate, healthcare, and associations are among the focus industries diligently served by Dave and his team. On the subject of CEO and executive leadership communications, Dave counsels that they are accountable for making values-based decisions and taking clear stands on issues such as ESG and diversity. He notes that organizations must follow up on the diversity commitments made a year ago or more, share the progress, and transparently acknowledge what still needs to be done. We also discuss strategies for taking action and communicating about the tricky situation with Russia and Ukraine. On a more evergreen note, Dave offers refreshing options on how to differentiate your messaging in an highly flooded environment.

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When today’s guest, Megan Galloway, made the leap from working in a confining corporate job to her own consultancy designing leadership development programs, she became a walking, talking advocate for taking chances with your career and growing your network. In fact, after hearing Megan’s story in detail, I dubbed her the “Queen of LinkedIn.” As she started out on her own, she cold contacted dozens of like-minded professionals, and in no time, she had developed a robust network to support her. She encourages others to take risks in that way too, assuring that people are far more receptive to connecting and collaborating than you’d assume. In discussing Learning & Development, she and I strongly agreed that it’s broken in the legacy format still utilized by the majority of organizations. That’s why she recently aligned herself with a company doing it differently and is now Head of Growth at Campfire, “where managers gather to become leaders.” Their programs are designed as immersive experiences that offer real connection and support via guided learning groups (called “Campfires”) centered around peer discussion. IMHO, that approach is the centerpiece of L&D going forward, so tune it to learn more.

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Today’s guest made one of the bigger shifts I ever had the privilege of discussing on the podcast! Michael King is a former pastor turned executive coach, and from his new “pulpit,” he is passionate about improving teams and eradicating 360 reviews. As a fellow acronym lover, of course I had him expound upon his signature T.E.A.M.S. methodology:

We also spoke extensively about why 360° reviews no longer work. Michael cautions they are dangerous because most evaluators lack enough familiarity with the roles of the people for whom they’re providing feedback for their responses to be meaningful. Also, the typical yearly cadence does not foster healthy relationships. He then blew me away by sharing the origin story – I had no idea that true 360° feedback was first used during WWII by the Germans to assess their soldier’s performance, considering the opinions of supervisors, peers and subordinates. As a Jewish woman, I felt sick and see it as yet another reason to replace 360s° with more effective, real time feedback mechanisms. #kiddingnotkidding. To read more about the origin of 360°s, click here.

Michael says, “If God is in the dream, the devil’s in the details…” so much so that he literally gives out his digits publicly and encourages anyone to call anytime (763-245-4984).

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Joining us from my beloved Boulder, Colorado, the energetic and funny Eric Spencer and I had a radically fun conversation today. In his free time, Eric is an avid musician, and I opened the episode by asking him to play us something – he shared a song he collaborated on with his 17-year old daughter! By day, he is the COO of SkyeTeam, a boutique consultancy that frames leadership through the lens of relationship quality. They espouse that relationships are the heart and soul of business success; each and every one of us owns that. To get a sense of your own relationship ecosystem, take their Ally Mindset Profile and ascertain whether you are an ally, supporter, rival, or adversary. He even created a special url just for LeaderShifters that you can access here.

Eric also shares a quick and easy set of three questions to check in with anyone at work called The Relationship Pulse:

In addition, Eric is the host of The Corporate Bartender podcast, writer of popular LinkedIn post “Please Don’t Thank Me, Said No One Ever,” and author of upcoming book You, Me, and We (to be released on October 28, 2022), about why we all need BFFs at work and how to be one.

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For my last podcast of 2021, tune in for a compelling conversation about Emotional Intelligence with coach, author, and speaker Rich Bracken. Firmly believing that EQ > IQ, Rich explains that 58 percent of performance is based on high EQ. As such, his passion is creatingemotionally intelligent powerhouses who are happier and more successful…I mean, who wouldn’t want to hear more about that, especially as we head into a brand new year! Combined with his flair for servant leadership, competitive drive as a former college football player, and DJ (not just a recreational one; he once opened for Avicii!!), you are hard pressed to find someone who prioritizes his clients’ happiness, growth, and success as much as Rich does. We discuss his Core 4 pillars of EQ and ways to better regulate our triggers when they “trespass” on our proverbial mental real estate. His gifts as a coach and prolific speaker have led Rich to secure his first Ted Talk, coming up in March 2022, and in which you’ll learn the amusing story about “How Bob Barker Saved My Life.” In addition, I am personally excited to check out his latest leadership development program called Tune In, which combines an inspiring keynote with A DANCE PARTY!! I gotta admit, I’m bummed out that I didn’t think of that first!

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If you want to hear an inspiring story of overcoming some bullshit obstacles, you’ll want to listen to my interview with Genevieve LeJeune, founder of Skirt Club. The mission is to build an all-female community of professional women with common interests for empowerment and sexual discovery in a safe space. She was inspired by (let’s just describe it as) ‘selfish bedroom behavior’ with a former boyfriend as well as the desire to show up more powerfully at her job in the male-dominated finance industry. What started as a small group in Genevieve’s hometown of London in 2014 has grown into a global network with chapters in over 50 cities with over 16,000 bisexual and bicurious members. But her success wasn’t without loads of drama. Perception issues and comparably rare acknowledgment of bi women were front and center, or as she calls it, the “silent B” in LGBTQ+. Most damaging was the abrupt freezing of Skirt Club’s bank account and credit card processing by not one, but two, major banks. After eight months of grit and tenacity and being rejected by 50 (yes 50!) banks that cater to “high-risk” industries, she finally found an open-minded bank in Malta to service her business. The “rules” at Skirt Club events are transferable to all aspects of life: exercising choice, being one’s true self, and saying no – all skills that help empower women. Genevieve says it best: “We know that confidence in the bedroom leads to confidence in the boardroom.”

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SH*T HAPPENS. We’ve all heard that. We’ve all lived it. And sometimes the sh*t threatens to take over The Show that is our lives. Join me on today’s episode with one of my favorite people: best-selling author, gifted coach, and sought-after speaker/trainer, Danny Bader. Danny’s latest book, Taking the Sh*t Out of the Show, uses seven modern parables inspired by real people to explore strategies for continuing on life’s path with peace and perhaps even joy no matter what the world throws at us. And you’ll see that Danny knows struggle and tragedy more than most, as he shares the experience of being dead for 8-10 minutes after a fluke electrocution accident at the age of 28 that sadly did take the life of one of his best friends. As you might imagine, this changed the course of his life and ultimately led him to inspire thousands of people through leadership coaching, purposeful productivity, his RENEW resilience methodology, Back to Life online course, and podcast – Back to Life: Finding Fulfillment After 50. A few of my favorite pearls of Danny wisdom from our discussion are:

In addition to the latest book, check out Danny’s others: Back to Life: The Path of Resilience, Abraham’s Diner: Simple Wisdom for Moving from Stress to Relaxed Focus & Inspiration, and I Met Jesus for a Miller Light.

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I describe today’s guest, coach Jeannette Botha, as a global citizen (my favorite kind of people!), as she was born and raised in South Africa, lived in Singapore while covering Asia, and now works in a global role in Germany. She is not only a Senior Director of Sales Training and Development at a multinational company but also a coach focusing on helping professionals improve their presence, visibility, and confidence in the workplace. The latter was driven by a mistake she made in her own career of putting her head down to work hard but neglecting to manage up. In contrast, her peers were benefiting from self-promotion…with actual promotion. This taught her the hard way that there is a sweet spot between performing well and being confidently visible so as not to get passed over. The #1 practice she recommends to clients is the dreaded act of filming yourself speaking to gain awareness of filler words, pace, and other aspects of how you show up while presenting. We are always on stage, she reminds. As a native of South Africa, she also shared her experience growing up as apartheid ended and how it shaped her aversion to groupthink. Additionally, we discussed how she educated herself to work effectively across so many different cultures, a must for all LeaderShifters in this era. To learn more about Jeanette, visit her website, where you’ll be able to sign up for her 4-day Confidence Challenge or stay informed about her upcoming 6-week coaching program,. And if you’re curious about what type of presenter you are, take her very engaging and accurate free quiz (I’m a “Spirited Influence” #nailedit!)

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Our lively chat today is with fellow leadership consultant and coach, Mike Horne, who is also the author of new book Integrity by Design: Working and Living Authentically and host of podcast Authentic Change. Mike brings first-hand experience and fresh approaches based on his career as a global leader designing great workplaces and developing extraordinary leadership talent. In fact, Mike’s resume reads like a who’s who of NASDAQ and includes a variety of human resource leadership roles at Marriott, Brocade, Nortel, Genentech, and Gilead. Mike is resolute that when people and culture leaders fail to inspire others to do their best, progress stalls. Rather, authenticity in the workplace builds trust, strengthens teamwork, improves outcomes, and sustains performance. Our discussion spans a wide range of important topics for LeaderShifters, including the importance of having a “work BFF,” the fantasy of separating work and life, applying the concept of architectural integrity to team structure, immunity to change, and the difference between truth and transparency. Check out the valuable resources on his website for 104 meditations on integrity and authenticity and a sample chapter from his book.

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On today’s episode, we are lucky to have the incredible LaMarcus Miller PhD, a veritable renaissance man and role model of successful career shifting. LaMarcus has vast music industry experience spanning performance, business strategy, and marketing, plus stints in strategic internal corporate communications, sports, social justice, and academia. As an accomplished bass-baritone, he has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center (alongside Wynton Marsalis!), L.A.’s Dolby Theatre, and TEDMED in Washington D.C. His operatic credits include Lance Corporal Philip Houston in Fallujah, a role about which Mark Swed of the LA Times wrote, “His exacting portrayal, of a veteran battling inner demons as alarming as his Iraqi ones, does a brilliant job demonstrating how to make opera matter.” LaMarcus acquired his Masters from Manhattan School of Music and PhD from USC., during which time he directed research on the state of the commercial music industry and the role of streaming. In this episode, he takes us through his unusual shift from ROTC to classical opera singer and the “thread of continuity” that led him to blend his strong business and musical backgrounds to serve the evolving needs of artists today. LaMarcus also shares a vulnerable story about an egregious case of racism and mistaken identity he faced over a 7-year period, from which all allies can learn. And, stay tuned until the very end to hear LaMarcus belt out some opera on the spot!

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