Many of my regular listeners already know that purpose is a topic I like to talk about — because it’s important, yet sometimes feels elusive to leaders and teams. That’s one of the reasons I invited Zach Mercurio to join me on The Leadership Communication Show. He’s a researcher, author, and consultant specializing in purposeful leadership, meaningful work, mattering, and positive organizational development. Good stuff, right?

On this episode, Zach and I cover a lot of topics from his personal journey to find purpose and meaning in his work to the importance of feeling that you matter to the impact of social media on our sense of belonging.

Zach also generously shares several tips to help you see your purpose, show it, and deliver on it.

Get this episode on our website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor.fm or anywhere you subscribe to podcasts.

Learn more about Zach at his website: https://www.zachmercurio.com

Get your copy of his book, The Invisible Leader, here.

And follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachmercurio

Learn more about your host, Michael Piperno, here: https://www.wearecomvia.com/about/ and here: https://www.michaelpiperno.com/about-michael-piperno/

Welcome to season 2 of The Leadership Communication Show! For our first episode of the season, I invited my colleague and friend David Esposito to the show to talk about leadership lessons he has learned during his career.

David is President and CEO of ONL Therapeutics, a company that is developing therapeutics to preserve sight and halt vision loss associated retinal disease. David’s leadership journey is fascinating and includes leading an infantry platoon through several combat operations, climbing the ranks inside big pharma, and building and scaling multiple early-stage life-sciences companies.

Listen to this episode to hear how David uses learnings from his military service and professional experience to lead and grow. We talk about getting unstuck, winning the war on top talent, being vulnerable as a leader, dealing with failure, and the character traits required of today’s influential and inspiring leaders.

Get this episode on our website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor.fm or anywhere you subscribe to podcasts.

Learn more about David on the ONL Therapeutics website: https://www.onltherapeutics.com

Get his book, Looking Back: What I Learned When I Left a Great Company at Amazon.

Convey is Becoming The Leadership Communication Show 

Hello to my wonderful listeners. Thanks for joining me for season 1 of Convey — Conversation About Communication. I learned a lot from my guests during the season, and I hope you did as well. I also learned a lot about podcasting and about what my audience wants to hear and learn.

So, I’ve decided to rename the show. Later this month Season 2 will debut, and the show will now be called The Leadership Communication Show. The focus of the podcast will be to help people like you be the inspiring and influential leaders their people need.

Why the name change? Well, my personal mission as a leadership communication teacher and coach is to help good leaders be great leaders through the power of communication. The new title feels like a better fit for what the show will focus on in season 2 (and beyond).

I promise that you’ll learn something from each guest this show that will help you along your personal leadership journey.

Stay tuned for episode 1, coming your way soon. And Thanks for listening. I appreciate it.

Episode 10: In the final episode of the first season of Convey, I wanted you all to know that my brother, Steven Piperno, helped me get this thing off the ground. He’s an audio engineer and he mixed the audio for every episode of the show — taking out ugly sounds like fan noises and the occasional leaf blower or lawnmower in the background. His work also made me and my guests sound better than we ever would have without his sonic assistance.

By day, Steven is Head of Global Workforce Analytics at a company called FIS. He’s also a husband, dad, musician, and, as you now know, a talented audio engineer.

On this episode, we talk about our shared passion for music and audio, how to sound your best in virtual meetings, tips for tweaking your podcast audio to make it shine, and other advice for ensuring you don’t neglect the importance of sound when showing up online or in audio and video recordings.

Get this episode on my website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor.fm or anywhere you subscribe to podcasts.

Learn more about Steven and the music for kids he writes and performs with his wife, Katie, here:https://www.steveandkatie.com

Podcast Gear Discussed:

·  Shure MV7 Microphone – https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/mv7

·  Blue Yeti Microphone – https://www.bluemic.com/en-us/products/yeti/

·  Shure Headphones – https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/headphones/srh440

Contact Michael if you want to be connected to Steve for audio engineering work for your podcast, hit song, or corporate content.

Learn more about your host here: https://www.wearecomvia.com/about/ and here: https://www.michaelpiperno.com/about-michael-piperno/

Episode 9: Even though I love meeting new people, I hate networking events. On this episode of Convey I talk to Minesh Pathak, Executive Director of my favorite local chamber of commerce — one that has actually changed my opinion of networking events (and local chambers). I wanted to talk to Minesh because I was curious how, under his leadership, the Lower Bucks Chamber of Commerce has evolved into such a welcoming and supportive group of business professionals. I was also very impressed with how his chamber pivoted and supported its membership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic through listening and thoughtful communication, and wanted him to share his approach with my listeners.

Listen to this episode to hear more about Minesh’s career journey, and the supportive and kind chamber family he leads here in my local area, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Get this episode on our website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor.fm or anywhere you subscribe to podcasts.

Learn more about Minesh and the Lower Bucks Chamber of Commerce here: https://lbccc.org

Learn more about your host here: https://www.wearecomvia.com/about/

Episode 8: I met this episode’s guest, Niki Fielding, more than 15 years ago when she hired me to do a small project for her digital marketing agency Digital Brand Expressions. We stayed in touch over the years, and in the past 5 or so years have become true frolleagues (my word for colleagues who are also good friends).

As I got to know Niki and her company better in recent years, I realized something was very different about the culture she has created, but I could not put my finger on it. In this episode she explains it — it’s affectionately called Omo and it drives the way they communicate. The result is better collaboration and less drama and chaos than you often find in the agency environment.

We also talk about creativity, leadership, listening, empathy, and our shared passion for helping others achieve their full potential.

Get this episode on our website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor.fm or anywhere you subscribe to podcasts.

Learn more about Niki and her company: https://digitalbrandexpressions.com

Check out this episode’s sponsor, Darianna Bridal and Tuxedo: https://www.dariannabridal.com

Learn more about your host Michael Piperno here: https://www.wearecomvia.com/about/ and here: https://www.michaelpiperno.com/

Episode 7: Cara Macksoud is on a mission to educate people — especially today’s youth — about their relationships with money. On this episode of Convey, we talk about conversations (and confessions) about saving, investing, debt, and the lifelong learning that is required to have a healthy relationship with money. We also discuss the taboo and shame that is often associated with money, and why we often fail when it comes to effectively and comfortably communicating about it.

Listen to this episode to hear more about how Cara helps people of all ages, but especially children, teens, and young adults, have better relationships with their finances.

Get this episode on our website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor.fm or anywhere you subscribe to podcasts.

Learn more about Cara here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caramacksoud/

Check out this episode’s sponsor, Darianna Bridal and Tuxedo: https://www.dariannabridal.com

Episode 6: My friend Amanda is one of those people I can call after months have gone by, and it’s like time never passed. We can jump right into the conversation with a 5 second runway and we’re laughing and chatting like we were back in high school.

I asked Amanda to be a guest on Convey because she is a master visual communicator. The work she does as a packaging designer for some of the world’s biggest brands sells products without uttering a word. Now, that’s what I call visual stopping power.

Listen to this episode to hear how Amanda approaches her work — it’s a story about listening well, truly understanding your audiences, pushing boundaries, and standing out through good, thoughtful design.

Learn more about Amanda here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ammiles/

Check out this episode’s sponsor, Darianna Bridal and Tuxedo: https://www.dariannabridal.com

Learn more about your host, Michael Piperno: https://www.michaelpiperno.com

Episode 5: I originally invited my friend Pete Sandford of NXLevel Solutions to join me on Convey to talk about how he masterfully communicates as a sales and business development guy.

But when he and I were talking a few weeks ago, we got on the topic of our respective career paths and on the topic of purpose — which many of you know is one of my favorite topics.

Pete’s story is very different than mine, but we share a very similar perspective on the common theme or thread in our stories. That thread is something most people have — they just haven’t spent much time noticing it.

Listen to this episode to hear Pete’s story — it’s about purpose, pivoting, adapting, and growing as a lifelong learner. And yes, we also touch on his unique and authentic style of selling.

Visit Pete’s Websites: http://www.nxlevelsolutions.com and https://www.intelalearning.com

Check out this episode’s sponsor, Darianna Bridal and Tuxedo: https://www.dariannabridal.com

Learn more about your host, Michael Piperno: https://www.michaelpiperno.com

Episode 4: In this episode, my friend Brett Michener and I talk about the importance of communication when it comes to talking about money — specifically, your money. Brett is a Financial Representative at The DeYoung Financial Group and I always like talking to him because he’s not only a “money guy,” he’s also a coach. Our conversations always make me think about my goals and how I can be better at making sure I’m thinking about saving and spending in a way that fits me and my family.

Brett’s perspective will open your eyes to new and better ways to look at your life- and savings-goals. He also shares his personal career journey — it’s a great story about being open to opportunity and to change. And as we all know, change is inevitable in life.

Visit Brett’s Website: http://deyoungfinancial.com

Check Out This Episode’s Sponsor, Lacona Supply: https://laconasupply.com

Learn More About Me: https://www.michaelpiperno.com