Highlights from today's episode include: Human behavior in times of crisis. How your inner game of leadership and self-managing your inner state are now more important than ever. The importance of being of service and thinking globally. Adapting to working from home. What it feels like to be under social "lock down". How self-care and doing our part to keep the economy going align. The impact on small businesses and what you can do to help us.  COVID19 leadership and business resources, vetted by Daniel: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/risk/our-insights/covid-19-implications-for-business

https://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Teams-Dummies-Tara-Powers/dp/1119453801/ref=sr_1_1_sspa

In an impromptu and open-hearted conversation about the leadership and business impacts of COVID-19, I’m joined by friend and fellow leadership development leader, Shani Magosky, CEO/Founder of the Leadershift Project and host of the Leadershift Podcast. Our leadership, teamwork, and organizational cultures are all being tested right now. Never has it been more important to cultivate our best inner game of leadership. Specifically, we need to communicate clearly, frequently and throughout every part of the org – especially about current priorities, upcoming changes, and revised accountabilities; lean into our own org’s true north when making tough decisions; be compassionate and take a “we” stance; and make it our biggest priority to co-create the best outcomes for everyone by staying focused on productive tasks rather than getting stuck in worry or inaction.

Politics are unavoidable. Every organization has them. How to work office politics with your integrity intact. How to keep moving forward if your environment feels “too political”. How to recognize the ways in which you are being political and/or shooting yourself in the foot. How to introspect on your motives and improve your Inner Game of Leadership to be able to navigate office politics effectively and authentically. How to decide if your current political environment at work is the right fit for you.

Daniel shares his story about how he found his calling in life at age 21, but ignored it. Fortunately he found it again in his forties. He also discussed what it feels like when you find your calling and how easy it is to take it for granted and be blind to our biggest gifts. He also shares how he started singing in his forties, and thereby uncovered another calling of his. Finally, Daniel shares some tangible tips on how anyone can find their calling in life. 

Daniel shares a racing story of a near disastrous start to a race he ended up winning. And how important practicing was to that outcome. Practice does not make you perfect, but it does make you a lot better. Mastery does not mean perfection. It means accepting you will never be perfect, and always striving for more. It also means appreciating the journey and not just the outcomes. The more you practice, the less likely you are to make a mistake and the more quickly you are likely to recover when you do make a mistake. The only person it's helpful to compare yourself against, is yourself. 

Daniel reads a life changing motorcycle racing story from his book, and discusses how leadership is not just about results and winning. Leadership is about how you get even better results by having strong relationships with others, and a healthy perspective on what it means to win.

We discuss how there are no overnight success stories. We also touch on:  how to uncover and cultivate the unique and powerful voice that is inside of everyone. How face to face interactions are even more important than ever in today's world. How to show up as your best self more consistently. How introverts can leverage their strengths and be a strong leader. And how HR/LD executives can improve their influence in the boardroom. 

In this episode we explore Pavan's role at Lynx Technologies and Pavan's leadership journey. Along the way we discuss how to create a culture of trust, transparency, and collaboration. How to expect excellence from ourselves and others without overwhelming anyone by expecting too much. How to proactively create a strong framework for decision-making such that quality decisions are made. How to bring futurists together with pragmatists and have them align and agree as much as possible. 

What it’s like to be a founding member staring a scrappy start-up and then growing it to a sizable company over 15 years. Learning to let go of control and delegate as a leader and company founder. How to focus on the impact you’re having on the world rather than just the financial payoff. How to give feedback in a constructive way that motivates people to improve themselves. Cognitive biases, how to do your best to overcome them. How to select people that will thrive in your organization.

How to proactively prepare yourself and your leadership team for crises that you don’t see coming. How important it is to proactively cultivate strong relationships with your constituents BEFORE crisis strikes. How to cultivate those strong relationships even in a very large organization. How to hear and acknowledge the feelings behind people’s emotional responses to the crisis. How to communicate in a way that instills confidence during a crisis.