282: Creating the Conditions That Allow Others to Be Creative and Thrive

282: Creating the Conditions That Allow Others to Be Creative and Thrive

282: Creating the Conditions That Allow Others to Be Creative and Thrive

It’s not easy to make the transition from high-performing individual contributor to manager in an advertising agency (or in any industry, for that matter). TJ Bennett knows that first-hand because he was promoted to leadership roles with no advance preparation…and no training once he was in the position. In this episode, TJ shares lessons he learned along the way and the three primary areas he helps his coaching clients with.

TJ is the creative who helps creatives get creative with their career. Often beclad in cat-themed and/or Snoopy gear, TJ is pretty easy to spot in a crowd. Once you find him, you’ll discover that his love for felines and cartoon beagles is matched by a mildly unhealthy obsession with making work not suck. He spends his days listening intently to clients, helping them uncover insights that spark life-altering possibilities.

And he spends his nights dreaming of the same thing, except everyone is dressed like clowns and he forgot to wear pants for some reason. Rest assured he will never show up to a session sans trousers and will always show up with a fresh perspective that makes you think about work a little differently.

TJ is the Founder of The Pudding Factory, where he serves as coach, creative problem solver, and writer. He’s the host of an excellent podcast, Desuckify Work.

You’ll discover:

  • How leaders can create themselves in order to help others be creative
  • What agency is and ways to develop it
  • Actions leaders can take to help their team members become autonomous
  • Ways to create accountability up, across, and down
  • The importance of values and purpose in helping people find meaning in their work

Watch the episode:

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070: How to Master the Art of Public Speaking

070: How to Master the Art of Public Speaking

Do you get nervous when you need to speak in public? Whether you’re new to making presentations or a seasoned professional speaker, you’ll want to catch my interview with Michael Gelb. He’s known for his life-changing presentations on creative leadership, genius thinking and conscious business. Michael shares several strategies from his new book, Mastering the Art of Public Speaking: 8 Secrets to Transform Fear and Supercharge Your Career. He also tells remarkable client stories that will inspire you to tap into your own creativity.

You’ll discover:

  • What’s behind the fear most people have about public speaking
  • How you can transform fear and get the butterflies to fly in formation
  • 2 simple ingredients for excellence
  • Why mindmaps are better than an outline for creating and remembering your presentation
  • The 5 elements for structuring your message so your audience will remember it

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Michael

        

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Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Strong for Performance

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034: Experience the Good, Bad and Ugly in Life and Stay Calm in the Process

034: Experience the Good, Bad and Ugly in Life and Stay Calm in the Process

034: Experience the Good, Bad and Ugly in Life and Stay Calm in the Process

by Rachel Langer

Do you have clients who get stuck and aren’t sure what to do? And do you sometimes have that feeling yourself? My guest Rachel Langer offers practical tips for handling many of life’s universal challenges. You’ll love her down-to-earth style and openness about situations in her own life. Rachel is a professional coach who works with individuals, couples, corporate teams and executives. She’s also the author of a wonderful book, Until Now, which we discuss in her interview.

You’ll discover:

  • How you can use fear to motivate you to take action
  • The difference between pain and suffering
  • Questions you can ask your clients – or yourself – to achieve greater insights
  • Why it’s better to be an owner instead of a victim…and when it’s okay to be a victim anyway
  • How to slow down and allow time and space for creativity

Watch the episode:

008: Unleash Your Creativity by Challenging Beliefs and Thoughts

008: Unleash Your Creativity by Challenging Beliefs and Thoughts

008: Unleash Your Creativity by Challenging Beliefs and Thoughts

by Steve Chandler

In this special one-hour episode, Coach Extraordinaire Steve Chandler shares brilliant tips that can help you on two levels – with your own personal growth and in your work with clients. Steve is the author of more than 30 books, and Meredith has read 12 of them, each one outstanding in its own right. In this interview, Steve takes a deeper dive into the golden nuggets contained in his latest books, CREATOR and Right Now. You’ll want to listen more than once to capture all the valuable insights Steve shares here about future vs present, being playful vs serious, and other contrasting concepts.

You’ll discover:

  • Questions you can ask current and prospective clients to go deeper in your conversations
  • How to help clients remove the labels that limit their identify and actions
  • Why the concept of an “inner critic” is just plain wrong
  • How to help someone pull a future event that feels scary into the present moment so it becomes positive and exciting
  • The best script to bring with you into a sales conversation
  • How to slow down and see opportunities that are right in front of you rather than striving for the next big thing

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Steve