Grow Strong Leaders Archives

275: How Leaders Create Creators at Plastic Bank

What would happen if leaders focused on helping each member of their team create a new way of thinking about themselves and others? David Katz has developed a way of thinking where he sees everything that happens as a gift, including the death of his daughter five years ago. This extraordinary man shares what he’s learned over the past 3 years about himself, life, and his work since his first appearance on this podcast (Episode #98).

You’ll want to take notes as David talks about how leaders can be vulnerable with others, how to create real freedom in your life, and what you can do to help others feel seen. Listen to this conversation more than once if you’d like to extract the full value. It’s packed with treasures!

David is the founder and CEO of Plastic Bank. It’s a remarkable company comprised of a global network of micro-recycling markets. This ecosystem empowers the poor to transcend poverty by collecting and trading plastic waste as a currency. Their global partners include IBM, Shell Energy, SC Johnson, and Aldi.

You’ll discover:

Why David sees plastic trash as gold and diamonds
The power of your thinking in changing your life
How David creates an environment of vulnerability and safety
What you can do to help others feel seen
Powerful questions David asks candidates to determine if they’ll be a good fit at Plastic Bank

Watch the episode:

Connect with David

David’s Resources

Websites

Plastic Bank

TED Talk

The Surprising Solution to Ocean Plastic

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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274: Change Proof: How to Build Long-term Resilience

As humans, we’re hardwired to resist change and seek certainty. But that leaves us ill-equipped to thrive in our rapidly changing world. Adam Markel has studied and researched resilience throughout his career. In this conversation, you’ll learn how to become “change-proof,” the title of his latest book, Change Proof: Leveraging the Power of Uncertainty to Build Long-Term Resilience.

This beautifully written book has compelling stories that will grab your attention from the very first page. Listen to the wisdom Adam shares in this one-hour interview, and then get a copy of his book so you can explore this powerful treatment of resilience further.

Adam is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and workplace expert. He’s also the CEO of More Love Media and host of The Change Proof podcast. He’s a sought-after business culture catalyst who inspires, empowers, and guides organizations and individuals to create sustainable, high-performance strategies.

You’ll discover:

How Adam’s 7 years of experience as a beach lifeguard shaped the principles he teaches today
The three essential steps to take before responding to something unexpected
What Adam’s resilience assessment reveals about your resilience in four areas of life
Why taking time for Recovery is important before it becomes critical
How to dispute irrational beliefs

Watch the episode:

Connect with Adam

Adam’s Resources

Websites

Adam Markel

WorkWell

Resilience Assessment (free)

Books

Change Proof: Leveraging the Power of Uncertainty to Build Long-Term Resilience

Pivot: The Art and Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life

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

273: A Real Commitment to Invest in People Development

What if you could design and implement a comprehensive program for developing leaders? That’s the opportunity Brian Wallace had when he joined Wintrust Financial Corporation as Chief Learning Officer. He describes the company’s commitment to the development of every person and the investment it’s made in a physical structure to support those training programs.

Brian describes his journey as a leader and what he learned from those he reported to. His experience as an internal executive coach for 200 leaders at a regional bank shaped his thinking about the content to include in leadership development programs. He also shares adjustments he made in his first 90 days at Wintrust compared to the actions he took in other companies where he was hired to transform learning and development. You’ll get valuable take-aways from every aspect of this conversation!

As a senior executive in the financial services industry for more than 18 years, Brian’s responsibilities have included executive coaching, leadership development, sales training, and sales enablement. At HSBC Brian was awarded the coveted President Award, given annually to only one individual per business that demonstrated the true character of the company and its core values.

You’ll discover:

The people who’ve influenced Brian in his own leadership journey
Common challenges that leaders face, from Brian’s experience being an internal executive coach
3 key leadership traits that drive engagement and job satisfaction
What it looks like for a company to commit to the development of people
Why the first 90 days are critical to a new employee

Watch the episode:

Connect with Brian

Brian’s Website

Wintrust Financial Corporation

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

272: Taking a Stand for the Possibility in Others

Imagine how you’d feel if someone recognized your true potential—beyond what you thought was possible—and guided you to grow into it. That’s what Caroline Hughes does with each client she coaches. She meets them where they are, gets clarity about where they want to go, and that destination becomes her place to stand for them. You will be inspired as you listen to Caroline describe her process, and you’ll see how you can do this for each person on your team.

Caroline is the Founder and CEO of Conscious Leadership Development, based in Ireland. She became a global director at the age of 39 and held senior executive positions across a range of sectors, delivering large-scale transformation. Caroline now works with highly talented senior executives to create compelling visions for their teams and increase their impact and outcomes.

Caroline takes a powerful stand at the intersection of leadership and personal development. She believes that organizations are rich academies in which we learn all the skills and capabilities we need to be powerful leaders and human beings.

You’ll discover:

The evolution that Caroline has seen in the role of leaders over the past 20 years
Ways that we lose our power and how to reclaim it
What Caroline does to help clients discover for themselves the changes they need to make
Why it’s important to meet others where they are and not where we think they “should” be
How to be a stand for the possibility in others

Watch the episode:

Connect with Caroline

Caroline’s Website

Conscious 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

271: Creating a Positive Culture through Connections

What would it be like to work for a CEO who aspires to be the best example of working together? You’ll hear from someone who IS that CEO in this very special conversation with Darcy Verhun, CEO of Canada Diagnostic Centres (CDC). Darcy sets that intention every day as he works to build a culture of connecting with the team and customers.

Canada Diagnostic Centres (CDC) is an independent healthcare company specializing in radiology and imaging. Before joining CDC, Darcy was the President of FYidoctors, at the time one of North America’s fastest-growing companies. He has also held senior leadership roles at Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton, and Cap Gemini.

Darcy’s leadership is based on being a lifelong learner and passionate coach who lives his life with gratitude. He’s used his leadership strengths to create enterprise value through scale and growth. He’s the author of The Freedom of Constraints: Turn Obstacles into Opportunity, written with Marshall Goldsmith and other members of Marshall’s group of 100 Coaches.

Darcy was a founding Director of The Calgary Homeless Foundation, and today he serves as a Director of HomeSpace Society, a non-profit focused on eliminating homelessness.

You’ll discover:

How Darcy helped reduce the number of projects that had been undertaken at FYidoctors from 120 to 11.
What happened when the CEO at FYidoctors couldn’t make an important meeting…and what everyone learned from that experience
Why Darcy went on a listening tour when he joined CDC and his biggest take-aways
The 10-10 Commitment that increased engagement and results
What insights from Darcy’s book reveal about the value that constraints can serve