270: Love As a Business Strategy

270: Love As a Business Strategy

270: Love As a Business Strategy

We don’t often hear the word LOVE used when describing the workplace. That’s about to change in this conversation with Jeff Ma and Chris Pitre, as we discuss their Wall Street Journal best-selling book, Love As a Business Strategy.

Written with two other senior leaders at Softway, the four authors identified six core pillars as a result of their journey to create a positive culture in their own company. Each chapter begins with a compelling story about one of the authors and what that individual learned. It’s truly a guidebook for developing the values and related behaviors that empower people to thrive.

Chris and Jeff are both senior leaders at Softway. Chris is Vice President, supporting sales, delivery, HR, and other back office operations. Jeff is Director of Project Management and Quality.

Together, they are co-founders of Culture+, a company with a mission to bring humanity back to the workplace. They teach companies how to create a positive culture based on the pillars described in their book.

You’ll discover:

  • The unforgettable incident that served as a wake-up call to the leadership team at Softway
  • The 6 pillars that form the foundation of a thriving workplace
  • Why they go beyond Reflection and recommend Introspection
  • How to empower someone from a place of vulnerability
  • Why Forgiveness is essential to resolving hurts, disappointments, and other negative emotions

Watch the episode:

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269: Experience Rules with Your Customers and Your Employees

269: Experience Rules with Your Customers and Your Employees

269: Experience Rules with Your Customers and Your Employees

No matter what leadership role you have, what you and your team do on a daily basis affects your customers, either directly or indirectly. Do you have systems in place for tracking and managing both the customer experience as well as your employees’ experiences?

If you don’t, you’re in for a treat because our guest Michael Hinshaw is an expert in the area of customer experience, also known by the letters CX.

Michael is the Founder and President of customer experience consultancy McorpCX, and he’s recognized on more than a dozen lists of “Top Global CX Influencers.” He has consulted for and advised executives at companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Biogen, Roche, Best Buy, and lululemon.

Michael is the co-author of the best-selling book Smart Customers, Stupid Companies: Why Only Intelligent Companies Will Thrive, and How to Be One of Them. His new book is Experience Rules! The Experience Operating System (XOS) and 8 Keys to Enable It, co-authored with Diane Magers. This conversation covered only a few of the 8 keys, so you’re encouraged to pick up a copy of his latest book to learn about the others.

You’ll discover:

  • Michael’s first experience gathering input from customers—and the impact that had on the company he worked for
  • How customer experience (CX) and employee experience are alike
  • What’s really behind a customer’s decision to continue doing business with a company
  • How internal and external councils can strengthen your business as it relates to CX
  • The first steps you can take to find out if your own customers are happy with your company…or not

Watch the episode:

 

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Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Peer Coaching Made Simple

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

268: The Power of Thought in Creating Our World

268: The Power of Thought in Creating Our World

268: The Power of Thought in Creating Our World

 

Have you considered how powerful your thoughts are in determining the way you see and respond to the world? Be prepared to expand your mind as you listen to the insights and unforgettable stories that Michael Neill shares in this conversation. You will not view stress, pressure, and overwhelm in the same way, and you’ll understand why the most powerful thing you can do is learn to be yourself.

Michael is an internationally renowned transformative teacher, author, broadcaster, and speaker. He’s described as having the unique ability to “blend the sacred with the profane.” The inside-out understanding at the heart of his work challenges the cultural mythology that stress, pressure, and other symptoms of “seriousness” are a necessary part of adaptation and growth in business or indeed any area of life.

Michael has authored six best-selling books including two of Meredith’s favorite books, The Inside Out Revolution and Creating the Impossible. He’s also the host of one of her must-listen podcasts, Caffeine for the Soul (each episode is just 6-9 minutes of wisdom from Michael).

You’ll discover:

  • What Michael means by “inside out” when it comes to our thoughts
  • Why pressure is not the effective driver some think it is
  • The distinction Michael makes between two types of fear
  • The misunderstanding leaders sometimes have around being REAL

Watch the episode:

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Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Peer Coaching Made Simple

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

267: Becoming a Master of Change

267: Becoming a Master of Change

267: Becoming a Master of Change

You can’t predict which career and life experiences will serve you in the future. Yet each one can prepare you for your next adventure if you become skillful in handling change. Terry Yoffe gives a masterclass in describing events from her early years and from her various jobs that helped prepare her to be an extraordinarily effective coach with her clients.

Terry Yoffe is an Executive, Business and Career Coach. She has been coaching for over 20 years, after many years in both corporate and entrepreneurial roles. She brings an impressive breadth and depth of knowledge to her coaching and specializes in global business relations, which is critical to her work with international clients.

Terry helps her clients maximize their talents and achieve their full potential. She employs a two-step process: having the client clarify their goals and then developing a focused strategic plan.

Terry is also the host of the Extraordinary Work Podcast: Conversations about Creating Change.

You’ll discover:

  • The varied experiences that prepared Terry for her coaching career
  • How she learned to deal with fear when stepping into the unknown
  • Tips for speaking up and advocating for yourself
  • What Terry does to guide clients to create changes in their lives

Watch the episode:

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Terry’s Resources

Website

TRY Coaching

Podcast

Extraordinary Work Podcast

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Peer Coaching Made Simple

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

266: Why Failing Is a Part of Winning

266: Why Failing Is a Part of Winning

266: Why Failing Is a Part of Winning

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or leader of a team, you’ll benefit from the life wisdom that Gary Polk shares in this special conversation. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the value of failure or losses. Gary also explains why he’s a big believer in the triple bottom line, which includes “People, Planet, Profit.”

Gary is a Black businessman, CEO, business consultant, university professor and author. For decades, he’s been passionate about entrepreneurs…and why they succeed or fail.

His initial book, Why Entrepreneurs Fail (to Win), is widely used as a textbook in college entrepreneurship programs. He’s also written books with similar titles specifically for Black and Brown Entrepreneurs and for Women Entrepreneurs. Gary is committed to helping these leaders learn what they need to know so they can be as successful as possible.

Gary is focused on the triple bottom line, “People, Planet, Profit,” and believes these 3 elements align to drive success for everyone involved. He’s a proponent of social entrepreneurship and launched the Polk Institute Foundation in January of 2021.

You’ll discover:

  • Why all 3 of Gary’s books include “Fail (to Win)” in the title
  • What failing can teach us
  • Why Gary says EQ is more important than IQ
  • The #1 value Gary emphasizes at Polk Institute
  • How Social Entrepreneurship can fit into any business

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Gary

        

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Peer Coaching Made Simple

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