An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. —Benjamin Franklin

On Today’s Episode:

* Ron and Carla discuss knowledge sharing and communication.

* Ron’s rubber bucket simile for communication.

* How you can increase productivity.

* Three ways that Southwest Michigan First drives team sharing:

* Open office concept leads to more face-to-face conversations;

* Various forms of digital in-office communication;

* Team updates at scrum.

* What you can do to encourage your team to shares.

Knowledge sharing to cross-pollinate between teams is not just a “nice-to-have.” At Southwest Michigan First, we’re always looking for ways to improve. We use many different tools to talk to each other because no one communicates the same. From Slack to a puzzle table to our daily morning meeting at scrum, we do our best to keep each other in the know.

If you have any ideas or examples that we didn’t touch on today, don’t hesitate to send me a message or tweet me @RonKitchens on Twitter.

Always Forward.

—Ron

Question: How does your organization talk to each other? How does each team stay in-the-know about what’s going on with other teams?

Ron talks with Chad Allen about writing a book. Listen in to find out the 5 steps to writing a book, the pros and cons of traditional publishing and self-publishing, and why book camp is a great idea. Chad also shares a free tool for aspiring writers.

Learning about the different generations in the workplace is a hot-button issue in today's world. This episode features a keynote that was recently presented by Von Washington, Jr. at Future of Generations, an event hosted by Southwest Michigan First. Von discusses the characteristics, myths abd stereotypes of each generation currently in the workplace, and talks about the up and coming Generation Z.

In today's episode, Ron and Carla tackle the topic of organizational curiosity and how it can inspire growth in your organization. Listen to find out more about the different ways to stay curious, what Ron means with his "old basement couch" simile, and what Carla's thoughts are on constant, curious learning.

The issues that divide us are second in priority to the way we respond to each other. —Lucas Ramirez

On Today’s Episode:

*

Lucas Ramirez, author of Designed for More

* How the term “murmuration” goes beyond birds and is important to leadership

* How unity drives all great teams

* Disagreeing without being disagreeable

* The importance of learning to redefine our flock

* The danger of over-identifying with smaller groups

If you want to connect further with Lucas, you can find him on Twitter and on Instagram.

Always Forward.

Ron

Question: How can you encourage a culture of unity and civility in discussions within your organization? 

You need to be the disruptive force of change, or you run the risk of getting knocked out of the competition. – Josh Linkner

On Today’s Episode:

* How can high-performance teams be measured?

* Striving for continuous improvement

* Applying for awards utilizes both self-reporting and outside interviewing for 360 feedback

* Creating new peers versus traditional industry peers

* Changing your best: knowing which way to change

* Attracting new hires through awards

Always Forward.

Ron

Question: Why is it important to find new and different ways to measure your team’s performance, engagement and commitment to the culture?

The right people are any company’s most important asset. The wrong people are a liability that you cannot afford. – Ron Kitchens

On Today’s Episode:

* Disruption is a form of change

* Disrupt or perish

* Kedging: finding a way to win, regardless of the circumstances

* Having the right people on the bus

* Hiring strategies

* Setting the culture to be expectant of top performance

Always Forward.

Ron

Question: High-performance teams aren’t built overnight. What can you implement to start driving your organization’s culture towards top performance?

By investing in yourself you make everyone else’s life better. No organization ever got weaker when a leader got stronger. – Ron Kitchens

On Today’s Episode:

* Coaching is not remedial, but to aid in better performance

* Impostor Syndrome

* Coaching to make your strengths stronger

* Good leaders always need someone to cheer them on

* Coaching can give insight into blind spots

* Accountability to continuous improvement for yourself

Always Forward.

Ron

Question: How would your leadership benefit from a coach? How can you budget for this important piece of continuous improvement?

Fear is the disease. Hustle is the antidote. – Travis Kalanick

On Today’s Episode:

* Ron’s entrepreneurial beginnings

* How side hustles can diminish fear

* Truman’s Tacos and Beer

* Having a plan B to create peace of mind

* Mitigating risk and refusing to be a victim

* Don’t allow disruption to sow fear, embrace the change

Always Forward.

Ron

Question: What would you do if you were unable to continue in the industry that you’re in? 

Organization is the guiding force of productivity: if you want to make an idea happen, you need to have a process for doing so. – Scott Belsky

On Today’s Episode:

* Having the world’s knowledge at your fingertips is a blessing and a curse

* Ron and Carla’s methods for staying on track

* Why going back to basics with pen and paper may be the most productive route

* Brain dumping/mental floss

* Improving sleep

* Finding a system that works for you

Always Forward.

Ron

Question: Which methods can you implement to improve your productivity?