315: The Lens You Choose Shapes Your Life

315: The Lens You Choose Shapes Your Life

315: The Lens You Choose Shapes Your Life

Have you ever noticed how two people can experience the same event but walk away with entirely different perspectives?

In this episode, I share a striking contrast between two individuals on a birdwatching trip.

Their reactions caused me to reflect on how our attitudes shape our experiences and the energy we bring to those around us.

I’m the co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders. We’ve created online resources that help leaders strengthen their character and communication skills to build strong relationships and inspire others to perform at the highest level.

You’ll discover:

  • How your words and reactions influence those around you
  • The key mindset shift that leads to greater joy and connection
  • How to become more intentional about the perspective you bring to every situation
  • A simple yet powerful way to enhance your leadership and relationships

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Meredith

        

Meredith’s Resources

Website

Grow Strong Leaders

Books

Connect with Your Team: Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
312: Aligning the Dots to Accelerate Business Growth

312: Aligning the Dots to Accelerate Business Growth

312: Aligning the Dots to Accelerate Business Growth

What causes companies to experience rapid top-line revenue growth? Philippe Bouissou, PhD, provides the answer in this impactful conversation. His framework is brilliantly simple. Identify the four possible areas of misalignment between the company and the customer, then make changes to create alignment.

Philippe outlines the four areas and provides concrete examples of each. He also describes one of the world’s most successful companies that excels in aligning all four.

Philippe has been in Silicon Valley for 33 years. He launched and scaled Apple’s eCommerce business from zero to $350 million, working closely with Steve Jobs. Since leaving Apple, he’s had success as a CEO, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist, and he’s served on the board of 23 companies. He is a growth expert, a TEDx speaker with over one million views, and the author of the bestseller book Aligning the Dots.

Today, Philippe is Managing Partner at Blue Dots Partners LLC, a Palo Alto-based advisory firm he founded. The firm is dedicated to solving one problem: helping companies grow faster.

If you’re responsible for any part of top-line revenue growth in your company, this episode is a must-listen. And you’ll want to pick up a copy of Aligning the Dots, too!

You’ll discover

  • Why Philippe said Steve Jobs was the best leader he ever worked with
  • Key lessons Philippe has learned in his leadership journey
  • The one question he asks CEOs about their business (and it’s not, “What do you do?”)
  • The four axes of alignment required to grow a business
  • Why there’s a 5th axis that determines the execution of the other four

Watch the episode:

Connect with Philippe

  

Phillipe’s Resources

Website

Blue Dots Partners

Book

Aligning the Dots: The New Paradigm to Grow Any Business

TED Talk

The Secret to Grow Any Business

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

311: Former Amazon VP on Character and Leadership

Over the course of his career, Ethan Evans reviewed 10,000+ resumes, conducted over 2,500 interviews, and made more than 1,000 hires. He knows a thing or two about finding, onboarding, AND developing the right people.

In this high-energy conversation, Ethan shares the qualities he looked for and the aspects of character he believes are most important for leaders. You’ll find great value in reflecting on the lessons he learned from a big mistake he made at Amazon that got him in trouble with CEO Jeff Bezos.

Ethan is a former Vice President at Amazon. During his 15 years there, he helped invent many of the offerings that we take for granted today, like Prime Video, Amazon Video, and the Amazon App Store. Prior to Amazon, Ethan spent 12 years at 3 startups.

In September of 2020, Ethan retired from Amazon and made the decision to pay it forward. He devotes time teaching leaders to become true executives through courses he offers and free content he provides on LinkedIn and his website.

You’ll discover:

  • How Ethan added to the Amazon Leadership Principle of Ownership
  • What Ethan looks for when interviewing a candidate or considering someone for a promotion
  • The five steps in Ethan’s Magic Loop for managing up
  • What leaders can do to build trust quickly
  • A big mistake Ethan made at Amazon and the lessons he learned from it

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Ethan

  

Ethan’s Website

Ethan Evans

Related Podcast Episodes

302: Becoming a Generous Leader

 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

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309: Coaching at the Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership

309: Coaching at the Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership

309: Coaching at the Intersection of Love, Language, and Leadership

Have you thought about how your words create you and your world? No matter what you answer, Trevor Timbeck will help you gain a better understanding of this power we all have if we choose to use it well.

Trevor co-authored The Power of Systems with Steve Chandler. You’ll recognize the book and Steve’s name from episode 300 of the podcast. In this episode, we discussed the book and how it ties in with who you are BEING and what you’re CREATING in the world.

Trevor is an absolutely remarkable human being, with important insights not just on the power of systems, but on life itself. You’re going to want to give this your full attention because you’ll hear many valuable ideas to reflect on.

Trevor has a deep technical background and started his career as a software engineer. He was promoted to leadership roles and eventually became head of Sales and then Chief Talent Officer with a large IT company. Today Trevor is a very successful leadership coach.

You’ll discover:

  • Significant lessons Trevor learned in his leadership journey
  • How Trevor weaves together love, language, and leadership when coaching his clients
  • What he learned from his first coach that transformed the way he led
  • The difference between language as coordinating behavior and language as communicating information
  • Why Trevor says our words create our world

Watch the episode:

Connect with Trevor

      

Trevor’s Resources

Website

Trevor Timbeck

Book

The Power of Systems: How to Create a Life that Works

Related Podcast Episodes

302: Becoming a Generous Leader

 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
307: Leading People Who Are Not Like You with ALLY Leadership

307: Leading People Who Are Not Like You with ALLY Leadership

307: Leading People Who Are Not Like You with ALLY Leadership

Leading people who aren’t like you can be challenging. In this episode, Stephanie Chung provides important insights and tips to help you be more effective in this critical area. You will love the passion and stories she brings to our conversation.

For the past 30 years, Stephanie has been a force of strategic innovation, a beacon of change, and a titan in the world of business growth and human capital management.  

Stephanie blazed trails as the first African American to serve as President at a private jet company. Under her visionary leadership, JetSuite evolved from a mere service provider to a symbol of luxury and excellence. During her tenure, JetSuite was named one of the Best Places To Work by the Human Rights Campaign and one of the 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies by the Dallas Business Journal. From there, she became Chief Growth Officer and Global Brand Ambassador at Wheels Up.

Stephanie’s impact extends far beyond the boardroom. She serves on the Make-A-Wish Board and the Advisory Council for the National Business Aviation Association. Stephanie is also a #1 international best-selling author with her excellent book, Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You.

You’ll discover:

  • What the acronym ALLY stands for
  • How to meet people where they are
  • What to do if you don’t like someone on your team
  • Why the most effective leaders are “culturally intelligent”
  • The various kinds of privilege that exist and how to leverage yours

Watch the episode:

Connect with Stephanie

      

Stephanie’s Resources

Website

Stephanie Chung

Book

Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You

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149: Becoming a Highly Effective Leader

 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

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Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

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306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

306: How Parents Can Raise Future Leaders Today

Here’s a startling statistic. Harvard published the results of a survey of 17,000 managers, and one of the questions asked was this: When did you experience your first formal leadership training? The average age was 42.

What would happen if we started with children instead of waiting until someone is so far into their career? You don’t have to wonder what would happen because our guest, Dr. Alan Nelson, has focused on teaching leadership to young people for almost 20 years.

Alan is the Founder of KidLead Academy, the world’s first online course to train parents how to develop their child’s leadership potential. Alan has been passionate about leadership throughout his career.

Alan is the author of 40 books and over 200 articles on personal growth and leadership. He has a doctorate in leadership from the University of San Diego and has taught leadership courses at several universities, including USC’s Marshall School of Business and the Naval Postgraduate School.

In this conversation, we focused on his book for parents, My Kid Leads! A How-to Book for Parents Wanting to Raise Future Leaders Today. Highly recommended!

You’ll discover:

  • The answer to the question of whether leaders are made or born
  • Why Alan says the sweet spot for teaching leadership to kids is ages 10-13
  • The 4 primary indicators of giftedness in leadership in both children and adults
  • What parents can do to help their children develop self-control and critical thinking skills
  • How Alan uses peer-led teams in his programs to teach leadership and followership

Watch the episode:

Connect with Alan

    

Alan’s Resources

Websites

KidLead

KidLead Academy

Lead Young Training

Book

My Kid Leads! A How-to book for Parents Wanting to Raise Future Leaders Today 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon