The diamonds of the world are people who manifest their own greatness and their own unique capabilities. — Ron Kitchens

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla and I talk about embracing your authenticity

* How I felt cheated by a not-so-genuine tomahawk

* Ensuring your brand is authentically you

* Authenticity does not mean perfection

* Valuing your natural talents

Part of being authentic is the ability to resist trying to be someone else, which can be easier said than done in today’s world of self-help books. Rather than blindly copying behaviors, ask yourself how you can apply the lessons in your own life. Remember: even a really, really great fake will eventually be discovered.

As always, I’d love to hear from you. Tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter or send me a message here.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: In 15 words or less, describe your brand. Don’t include titles and roles, but rather talk about what sets you apart and makes you special.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than one’s fear. — James Neil Hollingworth

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla and I talk about fear and courage

* Fear is part of the process

* How writing Uniquely You required me to overcome fear

* Courage requires you to move through fear and vulnerability

* Reframing what you may see as a shortcoming as a gift instead

The thing about courage is that it’s usually only after everything is said and done that people recognize an act as courageous. Typically, at the time, courage looks a lot like doing what is required. Firefighters who save people from house fires experience tremendous fear but push through because they know giving into fear is not an option. And remember, courage doesn’t always have to be a sweeping act; recognizing your fears and making a plan to overcome them is also incredibly courageous.

As always, I’d love to hear from you. Tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter or send me a message here.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: What is something you currently see as a personal shortcoming? How can you reframe your mindset to see this as a gift instead?

Exceptional leaders create a culture that engages hearts and minds, energizes action and executes with discipline. When that happens, the numbers and wins follow. —Urban Meyer

On Today’s Episode:

* A keynote from Brad Saar, president at Stryker Medical

* Insight into Stryker’s culture

* What Brad sees as the most important items for the future of team and culture

* The advantage of knowing your team’s Gallup strengths

* The importance of caring for and engaging talent

* How regular evaluations fuel engagement

I talk a lot about the future of team and culture for good reason. Data projections show that in the next 10 years the Southwest Michigan region will have a talent shortage of 35,000 people. The most important part of making sure Southwest Michigan becomes the magnetic region it deserves to be is by making sure that our local community has companies with amazing cultures and engagement strategies. Brad has made tremendous strides in creating such a culture at Stryker Medical. I hope you enjoy the wisdom he shares in today’s podcast.

Tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter or send me a message with any ideas, questions or comments.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: Have you had your team’s engagement evaluated? If so, how has it changed your culture strategy? If not, why not?

The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. —Tony Blair

On Today’s Episode:

* Living in a “yes” world

* Creating boundaries in order to continue growth

* Saying “yes” to too many things will cause a loss of productivity

* Harnessing the power of saying no

* Valuing your time

* Being either the curator or the victim of your own calendar

Saying “no” can be hard, especially in today’s “yes” world. Knowing your priorities and boundaries are critical parts of learning (and practicing) saying “no” to things that do not serve your time well. The most important takeaway from today’s discussion is that if you do not take the time to curate your own calendar, someone else will end up doing it for you.

I hope today’s episode was empowering to you and your leadership. If you have any suggestions, comments or ideas, tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter or send me a message.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: What are three things you currently say yes to that you should stop doing? How can you work towards that goal?

In a very real sense we have two minds, one that thinks and one that feels. —Daniel Goleman

On Today’s Episode:

* Sarah Mansberger joins Carla for another episode, this time to talk emotional intelligence (EI).

*

Daniel Goleman‘s five key elements of EI.

* How “amygdala hijacks” can throw a wrench into any good intention.

* The role that empathy plays.

* Bonus: Brené Brown has a great video that illustrates empathy vs. sympathy.

* How EI helps make you a better leader.

Emotional intelligence in leadership is crucial to creating a contagion of positive emotion in the workplace. It’s an incredibly difficult skill to hone because it requires us to look in the mirror and become increasingly aware of who we are, how we react and what triggers us. But increasing your emotional intelligence pays dividends in employee satisfaction and engagement.

I hope you enjoyed today’s episode with Carla and Sarah. If you have any suggestions, comments or ideas, tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter or send me a message.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: Pick one of the five key elements of emotional intelligence that you think is most important. How can you begin to hone this skill?

Leadership must be about something beyond self-interest, greater than self-promotion, and more noble than self-service. —Randy Ross

On Today’s Episode:

* I talk with Dr. Randy Ross, author of the new book Relationomics: Business Powered by Relationships

* Concepts to transcend business that can also be applied at home

* The four principles to cultivate healthier relationships

* How vulnerability is a building block of all four principles

* How relationships power business

* The importance of feedback seeking

* Emotional bank accounts and how to keep those full

Randy’s book comes out on February 5 and is available for pre-order right now; just follow the link in the first bullet point. And if you’d like to follow what he’s up to, you can find him on Twitter here and at https://drrandyross.com/. As always, if you have any comments, questions or ideas, please send me a message or tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: Which principle of relationship building can you apply in your life? How?

Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude. —William James

On Today’s Episode:

* I share my feelings on Mondays and sunrises.

* Carla and I talk through some important steps in navigating conflict:

* De-escalating the situation

* Gathering your thoughts

* Getting clarity

* Accepting the coaching if offered from a constructive source

* Assume positive intent when faced with a situation.

* My analogy of tweezers vs. chainsaws.

* The importance of having a learner’s heart.

Navigating conflict and tension in the workplace seems like a daunting task. I think my best advice would be to assume the best in people; conflicts are often manifestations of misunderstandings rather than blatant disagreements with malicious intent. As long as you keep your lines of communication open, most conflict should be able to be resolved quickly and amicably.

If you have any questions, comments or ideas, send me a message or tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter.

Always Forward.

—Ron

PS: I misspeak at the beginning of the podcast; heart attacks are more likely on Mondays, not Sundays.

Question: How have you solved conflict within your team? What strategy did you use?

Appreciation acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts. —Alan Cohen

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla and I explore appreciation

* Starting your new year on a positive note

* Southwest Michigan First’s culture of thank you notes

* Reflecting through the year and thanking the people that made an impact

* My examples of the thank you notes I’m writing

* Shameless plugs for my new book Uniquely You, coming out May 21!

I hope you had an amazing holiday season and are ready to make 2019 your greatest year yet. Today’s episode focuses on a topic that we talk about a lot. Appreciation in the workplace is tremendously important, and today we talk about writing end-of-year thank you notes.

If you have any questions, comments or ideas, send me a message or tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: What was a pivotal moment for you in 2018? Whose mentorship or leadership did you draw from during that time?

Leadership is an active role; “lead” is a verb. But the leader who tries to do it all is headed for burnout, and in a powerful hurry. —Bill Owens

On Today’s Episode:

* Carla talks with Sarah Mansberger, managing partner at Southwest Michigan First

* What is burnout?

* Difference between burnout and stress

* The signs of burnout

* How to prevent disengagement and overcome burnout

Burnout is a very real concern in today’s fast-paced workplace and I want to make sure you have the tools to spot and overcome it. It’s critical that you take some time over the next couple of weeks to recharge your battery before hitting the ground running again in January. Remember: self-care is not selfish.

I hope you have an awesome Christmas, Kwanzaa or that you had a great Hanukkah. Whatever you celebrate, I hope it brings you joy. If you have any suggestions for the podcast for next year, tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter or send me a message. Happy New Year, we’ll be back in your inbox in 2019!

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: How can you encourage your team to take time to recharge and lower their risk of burnout?

A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure. —Henry Kissinger

On Today’s Episode:

* What an Instant Pot and busy seasons have in common

* Use pressure to grow as a leader

* Jon Acuff’s wall calendar

* Dealing with unexpected pressure

* Ask for help to not get trapped in your own head

It’s the end of the year and, while things tend to calm down between Christmas and New Year, these last weeks can mean intense pressure to finish strong. But don’t let pressure increase because you’re focusing on too many things at once. Refocus on what’s really important. That focus will carry you through the end of 2018 and set you up for success in 2019.

I hope you liked today’s podcast. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, send me a message or tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter; hearing from the listening audience is one of my favorite things.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: How can you reframe your perception of pressure to let it motivate you and your team?