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

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305: A Flooded Road Released a Flood of Emotions

Have you ever lost your cool when you encountered something unexpected?

In this solo episode, I describe a situation where I witnessed someone who became emotional and took it out on me.

Thankfully, I recognized that she was simply unable to think rationally in the moment, and I didn’t take it personally.

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:

The event that triggered this person’s reaction
What I realized about the feelings she was experiencing
How I handled the uncertainty of the moment
The lessons I took away from that incident
Two questions you can ask yourself when you feel fear or uncertainty

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

Related Podcast Episodes

038: Why Emotional Intelligence Matters

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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304: A Young Leader’s Journey of Modern Achievement

If you’ve been in leadership development for a long time, you’re in for a treat with this episode. Our guest, Howard Leong, is the youngest person to appear on the podcast! Don’t let his youth fool you. He is wise beyond his years in his understanding of leadership and personal growth. Howard has been mentored by Asheesh Advani, CEO of Junior Achievement or JA Worldwide, and you’ll see that he’s absorbed key lessons from this extraordinary leader.

Howard is featured in a new book that Asheesh co-authored with Marshall Goldsmith, Modern Achievement: A New Approach to Timeless Lessons for Aspiring Leaders. In this conversation, we explore the experiences and lessons learned that Howard shares in the book.

Howard is the Research Strategist at JA Worldwide and is currently building The JA Institute. He’s a college senior specializing in Econometrics and Machine Learning with four years of experience in software product management and international economic development.

Howard was awarded the Global Student Prize in 2021 from JA for building an online marketplace, JA Malaysia Mall, for high school entrepreneurs. In just two months, it fulfilled over 1,000 orders. He also built an investment app that received The Webby Award Honoree 2024. Howard has consulted the City of Calgary on economics, AI, and electricity rates.

You’ll discover:

The messages Howard got from his family growing up in Malaysia and changes he felt compelled to make after leaving home
What the phrase, Modern Achievement, means to Asheesh and what it means to Howard
Ways Howard learned to advocate for himself—and the payoffs he got from doing so
What employers need to know about working with young adults
Tips for young employees who want to have a positive impact

Watch the episode:

Connect with Howard

Howard’s Resources

Website

Howard Leong

Book

Featured in Modern Achievement: A New Approach to Timeless Lessons for Aspiring Leaders

Related Podcast Episodes

109: How Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide Is Developing Future Leaders

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

302: Becoming a Generous Leader

When you think of the key qualities of an effective leader, what words come to mind? Did you include the word GENEROUS? If not, you will add that word to your list after you listen to this conversation with guest Joe Davis.

Joe is the author of a fantastic new book, The Generous Leader: 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone’s Gain. This important book is a must-read for every leader because it touches on so many areas that the best leaders learn and practice. Joe exemplifies the type of leader Meredith is always eager to have as a guest: he’s focused his entire career on growing strong as a leader and helping others realize their potential.

Joe is a Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group or BCG. In The Generous Leader, Joe shares a performance review he received that was a game-changer for him: He was told he was not the best at problem-solving solo; but with others, he could solve any challenge. His manager identified his key strength—a person who could connect with others.

Joe has leveraged that strength in his 35+ years at BCG in roles such as co-founding the Washington, DC, office and leading BCG North America. He is currently Chair of BCG’s Center for Inclusion and Equity and the Board Chair at Whitman College.

You’ll discover:

What leaders can do to help others feel seen
Why Joe recommends leaders adopt the “practice of perspective taking”
How Joe pushes people to be more than they believed possible and addresses times when they diminish themselves
How to be an Action Ally and not a Performative Ally
Ways to show vulnerability so others more easily connect with you

Watch the episode:

Connect with Joe

Joe’s Resources

Website

Joe Davis

Book

The Generous Leader: 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone’s Gain

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

301: Are You Living a Life That Matters?

Twelve years ago, when my father died, the funeral director made a statement to my mother, my sister, and me that I’ve never forgotten.

In this solo episode, I share what he said and how it applied to my father. I also describe seven ways Dad lived that have had a lasting impact on all of us who knew him.

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:

Why my father never made one enemy throughout his entire life
How a strong work ethic drove everything he did
What Dad did to build trust instantly
The 3 words of sage advice Dad passed on to everyone in the family
Questions you can ask yourself as you reflect on your life and how you want to be remembered

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

300: Using Systems to Create a Life That Works

This is a very special episode of the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast for 2 reasons: it’s #300, which is a noteworthy milestone for any podcast. And #2, the guest is Steve Chandler, someone whose books have influenced Meredith’s thinking and her life more than any other author. At this point, she’s read 20 of his 30+ books.

Steve has been coaching leaders and other coaches for decades. His own coach calls him the Godfather of Coaching. Steve is the Founder of the Coaching Prosperity School, now called Advanced Client Systems, for people who already know HOW to coach. This program is highly recommended if you’re a coach because you’ll learn systems for acquiring clients and building a prosperous business.

And speaking of systems, that’s the focus of this conversation. We discussed the new book Steve has written with Trevor Timbeck. It’s called The Power of Systems: How to Create a Life That Works. It’s packed with life-changing insights, so you’ll want to listen to multiple times to capture them all.

You’ll discover:

The issues Steve and Trevor were seeing with their coaching clients that inspired them to write this book
How Steve defines a system in the context of creating a life that works
A simple 2-step process for creating a system
Why Steve says that PRACTICE is one of the most powerful systems
The role of systems in setting and reaching a goal

Watch the episode:

Connect with Steve

Steve’s Resources

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