Thought Leader Life

In this episode, Mitchell Levy, Chief Instigator of Ahas at the Aha Amplifier (http://AhaAmplifier.com), and his co-host for the month, #ThoughtLeader Jacob Warwick, Copywriter and Brand Storyteller, have a profound discussion about Millennial Authenticity with #ThoughtLeader Tim Sae Koo, CEO of TINT (http://tintup.com). Tim stated that having culture values is a must and should be practiced. For his business, it became a discipline that resulted in a harmonious relationship within the company, which keeps its employees motivated at work. He then shared the six culture values statements that they applied from the very beginning up to this day: “Trust yourself and trust others, strive to be a value, stay humble and be tenacious, better yourself every day, seek to understand than to be understood, and cultivate transparency both internally and externally.” It is important in a company that everyone, regardless of age and position, should have respect and understanding with each other.

It was also discussed that millennials have a tight competition in the industry. However, to be able to reach your goal, you should be with the team or community that will help you achieve it. Work hard for it, help each other, and do not forget to at least give yourself time to unwind and recharge.

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of AhaMessages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life” eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com/.

• Trust yourself, strive to be a value, stay humble & be tenacious, be better every day, seek to understand & cultivate transparency. @TimSaeKoo #TLL

• Starting a company is not a sprint, it’s a marathon of sprints. You will be putting all your time to work for it. @TimSaeKoo #TLL

• Thought leadership is a mix of empathy and authenticity. It’s the key to a great leadership. @JacobWarwick #TLL

• If culture and business is properly aligned in a company, an important thing to you would also be important to anyone else. @HappyAbout #TLL

In this episode, Mitchell Levy, Chief Aha Instigator of the Aha Amplifier(http://AhaAmplifier.com), with his co-host for the month, #ThoughtLeader Jacob Warwick, a content marketing and communications specialist and brand storyteller, sits down with #ThoughtLeader Phoebe Chongchua, a multimedia brand journalist and consultant, to discuss the importance of storytelling and brand authenticity in the millennial generation.

Human beings are storytellers. We tell stories to explain what life means and to teach ourselves important lessons. Brands also have their own stories: ones of success, connection, and satisfaction. Brand storytelling has begun to take shape. It’s true that every company has a story, but only a few know how to tell theirs. The story is what matters.

If brands know how to tell effective, transparent, and powerful stories, they are able to attract the right clients and grow their business. They need to share the “why” behind their brand. They have to create stories that don’t read like advertising or marketing copies. They have to let consumers meet their CEO and the team.

Over the years, the ever-changing roadblocks and challenges in a fast-paced organization make leadership a difficult role to have. One of the simplest changes that help you make more connection with your workforce is being yourself — your authentic you! Don’t act like someone you’re not. You’ll lose the respect of your employees and peers.

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of AhaMessages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life” eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com.

• Sounds very trite, but a brand can only tell an authentic story if they know their audience, their avatar. @PhoebeChongchua #TLL

• Visual content is simply statistically more important than any other type of content that marketers are doing. @jacobwarwick #TLL

• Stories that are not authentic will fall upon deaf ears and defy blind eyes. @PhoebeChongchua #TLL

• To be a #ThoughtLeader in today’s world, you need to be authentic, trustworthy, and transparent. @happyabout #TLL

For this month of Thought Leader Life, Mitchell Levy, Chief Instigator of Ahas at the Aha Amplifier (http://AhaAmplifier.com), is joined by #ThoughtLeader Jacob Warwick, Digital Content Marketing & Social Media Strategist and CEO of ThinkWarwick (http://thinkwarwick.com). The discussion will focus on authenticity in the millennial generation.

Jacob shared how he started focusing on authenticity when he recognized that he was positioning himself and his brand for different job titles and things he thought were important in his industry. However, they did not align with who he was, and only resulted in failure and trouble. Jacob believes that being a team player and learning the industry better are more important than grabbing the best title and trying to reach too far. Jacob emphasized the importance of authenticity, as the competition in almost all industries is very high. Therefore, the brand that is the most authentic, the one that appeals on a one-to-one level, is the one that will differentiate and succeed.

Mitchell and Jacob are looking forward to the guests that Jacob will bring in as the show progresses.

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of AhaMessages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life” eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com/.

• It is important to put yourself in the shoes of your audience to know what is authentic to them and how to market on their channels. @JacobWarwick #TLL

• Millennials want to have a conversation and be engaged. If you’re not into it, then you’re missing an opportunity. @JacobWarwick #TLL

• Thought Leadership is about ATT: Authenticity, Transparency & Trust. @HappyAbout #TLL

• Social is one way to discover how people are talking about your brand and your competitors. @JacobWarwick #TLL

In this episode, Mitchell Levy, Chief Instigator of Ahas at the Aha Amplifier (http://AhaAmplifier.com), and his co-host for the month, #ThoughtLeader Dr. Stacy Feiner, Executive Coach for the Middle Market, have an interesting discussion about sports and business with #ThoughtLeader Robert Elwood, COO of The Sports Mind Institute (http://www.thesportsmindinstitute.com). Robert defines culture as something that evolves. He surmises that a leader should be able to create a healthy culture by putting a great deal of thought into it. Stacy agrees, noting that there are many opportunities to grow leaders through sports analogies. One life lesson business leaders can learn from Tony Dungy is the mantra he ascribes to his team: “Execution, Expectations, No Excuses, No Explanation.” The point is, every leader should come up with a mantra that reflects the core values of that company, and these should be unequivocal. Stacy emphasizes that core values and unequivocal expectations should be the glue that holds the team together.

The discussion also touches on the relevance of watching tapes of past games, which sports coaches always do. Robert explains that it’s important to watch yourself to see how a certain outcome happened. This will help you reflect on your actions. In business, leaders should try filming themselves to see how they interact with people. Another good leadership practice is keeping a “Decision Diary,” which will help you assess not only the outcome but also the reasons why a certain decision was made at that time.

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of AhaMessages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life”eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com/.

• Unequivocal expectations never change. It should be the glue that holds the team together. @StacyFeiner #TLL

• Really hold on to your core values, stick to them,and hold everyone in the team accountable. @Sports_and_Mind #TLL

• Start making a Decision Diary. Log what you’re doing and why you’re making that decision at that time. @Sports_and_Mind #TLL

• When the CEO is not in the room, there has to be a culture that permeates good project management. @happyabout #TLL

In this episode, Mitchell Levy, Chief Aha Instigator of the Aha Amplifier (http://AhaAmplifier.com), with his co-host for the month, #ThoughtLeader Stacy Feiner, Psy. D., Business Psychologist & Executive Coach for the Middle Market, sits down with #ThoughtLeader Keven Prather, Certified Family Business Specialist (CFBS) of Skylight Financial Group, to discuss the culture present in every company and how it affects the transition process.

Given that culture in companies can take years to develop, is it still alive despite today’s fast-paced life and is it still relevant? Though we live in a world that is changing rapidly, culture is still very much alive and is in fact one of the most critical aspects of what we encounter.Often, it defines whether or not companies will be successful or unsuccessful in the long term. Aside from having a culture, companies also have a personality, which is important.

In fact, all companies have their own set of mores, norms, and expectations. Culture is made up of a number of things: values, beliefs, intentions, and many other aspects that are not spoken.

Keven talks about breaking through existing company culture. You have to create an environment that’s level-setting. Begin by revealing a part of yourself or telling funny stories. This levels the playing field and creates an environment.

One of the biggest obstacles is working with other specialists and working as a team to be able to effectively help the client. There’s this idea of “quarterbacking,” where a team of experts helps a business owner think of all the different components to successfully transition a business.

Another key factor to a successful transition is making sure there is no disconnect in terms of understanding the company. You have to establish that the owners and employees’ perception of the situation is the same. According to Keven, “If you don’t have everybody working and headed in the same direction, the transition is going to be likely unsuccessful.”

Companies going through transition do not have an easy task.But business owners don’t need to do this alone. There are resources and experts who can help them achieve a successful transition.

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of AhaMessages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life” eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com/.

• Each company has its own culture, its own mores, its own norms& its own set of expectations. @StacyFeiner

• Our goal is to get at the truth of what the owner really wants to accomplish. @SkylightFG #TLL

• Quarterbacking: Experts helping a business owner think of different components to successfully transition a business. @StacyFeiner #TLL

• If you don’t have everybody working and headed in the same direction, the transition will likely be unsuccessful. @SkylightFG #TLL

In this episode, Mitchell Levy, Chief Instigator of Ahas of the Aha Amplifier (http://AhaAmplifier.com), and his co-host for the month, #ThoughtLeader Dr. Stacy Feiner, Executive Coach for the Middle Market, have a lively exchange of insights with #ThoughtLeader PsyD Lise Stewart. Lise is the founder and CEO of Galliard Group (http://www.galliardgroup.com) and executive director of the Galliard Family Business Advisor Institute (http://galliardinc.com), which has trained over 400 business advisors across the U.S.

Culture, as defined by Lise, is what makes a company special and unique. But many business owners don’t realize that and fail to elevate culture into the conversation. Lise spoke about healthy and unhealthy culture and how companies fail to recognize what type of culture they have. If you are a business owner, ask yourself: Have you ever thought of culture in your company? Can you explain what’s so special about your company? How would your employees describe you as a leader? What sort of values would your employees say that you espouse or act out on a day-to-day basis? If that “special thing” you’re doing engenders loyalty and makes employees committed to their service, connectivity, and eventually, profitability, then you have healthy culture.

According to Lise, studies indicate that almost half of the 20 million family-owned businesses in America will go into a transition within the next 10 years, and 20 percent of that is likely to end in failure. As such, Lise emphasizes the need for trained business advisors or consultants to do something to reverse the trend by making sure they are helping business owners go through the transition successfully. Stacy agrees, noting that most business advisors often talk about winding down when a business is in transition,when they should be thinking about winding up.

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of AhaMessages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life”eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com/.

• Asking great questions and being able to guide business owners through the answers is part of the solution. @GalliardFBAI #TLL

• Every elite athlete works with a coach. Any vicious business leader should, too. @StacyFeiner #TLL

• Recognize that for you as a business owner to wind down, you must wind up first. @happyabout #TLL

• Focus not just on the tactical aspects of the work but also on the values, the culture, the people. @GalliardFBAI #TLL

In this episode, Mitchell Levy, Chief Instigator of Ahas of the Aha Amplifier (http://AhaAmplifier.com),and his co-host for the month, #ThoughtLeader Dr. Stacy Feiner, Executive Coach for the Middle Market, hold an enriching conversation with #ThoughtLeader Rachel Andreasson, Executive Vice President for Wallis Companies (http://www.wallisco.com). This month’s episodes focus on building culture within an organization where talent is optimized and everyone contributes to productivity. As a leader of a family-owned company, Rachel emphasizes the importance of taking on the responsibility to build and sustain a culture that considers the employee truly part of the family. Rachel points out the importance of meaningful conversations with employees, which her company does via periodic performance reviews. The review gives both the employee and the business owner the ability to find ways for improvement and determine how development – both personally and professionally – can occur that will eventually rebound to productivity at work. These conversations, says Rachel, should be a combination of accountability and leadership development for the employee. As her company follows the score-card system, Rachel compares the performance review with sports. Just like baseball, letting your employees know the goal makes them part of the team and motivates them to be productive.

Annual performance reviews can be done in such a way that it will lead to better conversations with employees. For Stacy, having performance reviews is both a science and an art: if you focus too much on the forms, you lose the engagement!

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of AhaMessages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life”eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com/.

• It’s important for any org to have a system that’s sustainable and reaches all people within the org. @randreasson #TLL

• Engage your people in conversations and be curious about them. That’s a culture you want to build in your org. @StacyFeiner #TLL

• Leadership cannot be delegated. So take the opportunity & continue to be the best leader you possibly can! @randreasson @TLL

• Look at performance reviews from a growth perspective. That’s empowering! @happyabout #TLL

In this episode, Mitchell Levy, Chief Instigator of Ahas at the Aha Amplifier (http://AhaAmplifier.com),formally introduces his co-host for the month, #ThoughtLeader Dr. Stacy Feiner, an executive coach for the middle market and author of the book “Talent Mindset: The Business Owner’s Guide to Building Bench Strength” (http://www.talentmindsetbook.com).This month’s #TLL episodes focus on helping mid-sized businesses reach sustainable success. This can be done, according to Stacy, by making sure business owners are able to influence or create culture that subscribes to the values of the company from within. The challenge for many business owners today, as well as in the past, is driving a culture in which the company’s rules to live by are really being followed by employees. Each business owner has their own “unequivocal expectations”from their workers. These are the rules to live by, and as Stacy points out, there is no other person in the company who has the responsibility to instill it within the community than the business owner themselves.

As an expert in helping organizations in the middle market, Stacy discusses what mid-sized companies are and why business owners would need an executive coach like her to steer their company. She emphasizes that business owners will be able to increase revenue, optimize talent, and enhance value if they think correctly about building culture and letting their people live by the set of values you’ve created.

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of AhaMessages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life”eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com/.

• It is the business owner’s responsibility to create a community of people who work with purpose and meaning. @StacyFeiner #TLL

• Unequivocal expectations lead to conviction and execution. @StacyFeiner #TLL

• In our fast-paced world with things happening so quickly, why focus on culture? Find out now! @happyabout #TLL

In this episode, Mitchell Levy, Chief Aha Instigator of the Aha Amplifier (http://AhaAmplifier.com), with his co-host for the month, #ThoughtLeader Kami Huyse, CEO of Zoetica Media (http://www.zoeticamedia.com), wrap up the month with #ThoughtLeader Beth Kanter, talking about how nonprofit organizations can become the best cause marketers by taking care of their people. Beth calls it “self-care for nonprofits” and notes that organizations that do cause marketing need to find ways to prevent burnout among their people. Many nonprofits fail to realize the importance of healthcare and being physically fit in achieving the overall objective of the organization. In fact, to achieve the change they want, people in nonprofits work for 20 hours to the point of burnout. Healthcare is one of the things given the least priority, especially for groups with a tight budget. But as Kami points out, there are ways to pay for healthcare. For example, a company that wants to engage in cause marketing can support the healthcare program of their chosen nonprofit and thus help a nonprofit do better work.

Beth, Kami, and Mitchell also talked about how cause marketing can be done better. Beth notes that back in the 1990s, nonprofits were unable to fully maximize technology and the Internet for cause marketing. Today, all that has changed, and nonprofits can now effectively do their work by taking advantage of networks and data.

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Here are a couple of AhaMessages from the episode. See more in the “Aha Moments from Thought Leader Life” eBooks available in the social media-enabled eBook platform, Aha Amplifier: http://AhaAmplifier.com/.

• When cause marketing is done well, society benefits. @Kanter #TLL

• How can you support nonprofits so they can do better work? @kamichat #TLL

• Influence marketing: finding somebody who can use your product and having them tell friends. @happyabout #TLL

• Move on from chronic stress to chronic self-care! @Kanter #TLL