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138: Jill Konrath: I’m over the hill, I lost my mojo
Jill Konrath Show Notes Page Jill Konrath was working with two big companies, consulting on product launches. Within three months, both of the companies eliminated outside consultants, due to pressure from Wall Street. Jill lost [...]
137: Cort Dial: You’re not telling me the whole story
Cort Dial Show Notes Page Cort Dial was working with the leaders on a capital project in Saudi Arabia. 3 years and 8 million man-hours where required to build this project. Cort asked the supervisors [...]
136: Keith Pearce: That’s probably where I grew up the most
Keith Pearce Show Notes Page Keith Pearce was a young manager working for a company that was in decline while living in Europe. He was given the corporate script to read as he told employees [...]
135: Kelli Barabasz: They were scared to death of me
Kelli Barabasz Show Notes Page Kelli Barabasz had the best team with the most sales. Then her manager asked her why her team performs. Kelli was shocked to hear her say that they perform in [...]
134: Jonathan David Lewis: Our growth stopped. We went backwards.
Jonathan David Lewis Show Notes Page Jonathan David Lewis and his company made the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies list. And as soon as they made the list, their growth stopped. They went backwards. Over [...]
133: Sophie Wade: I realized it was a flexibility issue
Sophie Wade Show Notes Page Sophie Wade’s daughter complained that she never saw her. That’s when she decided to do research on how others managed being able to work less. She discovered that she could [...]
132: Dianna Booher: I laid awake for two or three nights
Dianna Booher Show Notes Dianna Booher found herself with only 10 days of cash flow. She made a huge investment in developing people and was now faced with making a decision to lay them off. [...]
131: Diana Oreck: I was so obsessed with work
Diana Oreck Show Notes Diana Oreck is a recovering type-A person that was so obsessed with work, that her body started breaking down. She went for extended periods of only getting 3-4 hours of sleep [...]
130: Michele Borba: Changed my life on the spot
Michele Borba Show Notes Michele Borba was in Rwanda distributing backpacks to deaf kids. Her transformational moment was when a sobbing child keep reading a hand-written note. If there’s any need for empathy, that child [...]
129: Judd Hoekstra: I had all that junk swirling around in my head
Judd Hoekstra Show Notes Judd Hoekstra got into a downward spiral. He got to the point where he was putting emphasis in the wrong area. It created a huge negative cycle for him and he [...]
128: Nat Greene: I found an inability to find reasonable people
Nat Greene Show Notes Nat Greene has become a bit disillusioned by the direction of the country. The reason is because he has not been able to find reasonable people to find a reasonable discussion [...]
127: KH Kim: I focused on my weaknesses a lot
KH Kim Show Notes Dr. KH Kim was assigned to write and report the meeting minutes for her group faculty meetings. Not being experienced in spoken English, she struggled with slang and acronyms. She recorded [...]
126: Dorie Clark: I was forced to master the skill of resiliency
Dorie Clark Show Notes Dorie Clark found her dream job. She thought it was going to last a lifetime. It lasted for only a year. As a journalist, the entire industry contracted and she had [...]
125: Bernie Swain: Ronald Reagan brought us great legitimacy
Bernie Swain Show Notes Bernie Swain was facing gargantuan competition to be the lecture agency that would represent President Ronald Reagan. He was certain that he would lose out to a more experienced and larger [...]
124: Mark Babbitt: I had to expose my feelings
Mark Babbitt Show Notes Mark Babbitt was always the man behind the curtain. He was the engineer in back that figured out how to get stuff done. But then his role changed. He had to [...]
123: Ilene Marcus: I had to cross a picket line
Ilene Marcus Show Notes Ilene Marcus was a manager in a large bureaucracy that had a cost of living dispute with its labor union. The workers went on strike and Ilene needed to go to [...]
122: Claire Brooks: I wasn’t culturally understanding
Claire Brooks Show Notes Claire Brooks moved to Detroit, Michigan and found a senior role with an advertising agency. During her first meeting, she met with the brand manager for an American car brand and [...]
121: Tracy Goodwin: I was getting beaten every night
Tracy Goodwin Show Notes Tracy Goodwin was a Freshman in college and was cast as the lead in a play. The young man playing opposite of her began to beat her as part of a [...]
120: Christine Porath: That really cost me in terms of happiness and stability
Christine Porath Show Notes Christine Porath decided to take the non-traditional path. She wanted to make a difference and it wasn’t what they were looking for. As a result, she had to make a move [...]
119: Simon Blair: I was spit thrown into the deep end
Simon Blair Show Notes Simon Blair was a new call center team leader and instructed to increase sales by 400%. But as the new kid on the block he inherited the old school long-term employees [...]
118: Dov Baron: I needed to fall and get smashed to pieces
Dov Baron Show Notes Dov Baron was at the top of his career. After a long speaking tour he took a few days off and decided to go hiking with a friend. Instead of hiking, [...]
117: Ron Carucci: I don’t know if I’m helpable or beyond help
Ron Carucci Show Notes Ron Carucci was at a place in his career where he was very discouraged and scared. He never thought he would be able to build a brand new set of muscles [...]
116: Joshua Spodek: I had to force my friends to read it
Joshua Spodek Show Notes Joshua Spodek wrote a book and his friends said it sucked and was difficult to read. So he turned it all around and rewrote it. Every time he received feedback no [...]
115: Kathleen Peterson: I actually flew off the handle
Kathleen Peterson Show Notes Kathleen Peterson was in the midst of a large training project when she clashed with the project manager. She was right and she chose to fight. This episode sent Kathleen on [...]
114: Nancy Porte: I felt it in my bones
Nancy Porte Show Notes Nancy Porte was in customer service and knew that many of the problems they were reacting to should have never happened in the first place. So she decided to take on [...]
113: Ashish Bisaria: Are we doomed right out of the gate
Ashish Bisaria Show Notes Ashish Bisaria was leading a transformation team that needed to take thousands of people on a change journey. But one of his peers struggled with being able to take a large [...]
112: Marc Allen: I couldn’t make any money at anything
Marc Allen Show Notes Marc Allen tried several things to make a living, but he was unable to make money at anything. When Marc turned thirty he had no money and was a total poverty [...]
111: Bill Munn: I was tied up in my mind with financial security
Bill Munn Show Notes In 2000 Bill Munn was soaring financially. But he was not focused on what he was best at. So Bill turned his business around and he lost of lot of clients [...]
110: Brian MacNeice: My future life wouldn’t make a difference
Brian MacNeice Show Notes Brian MacNeice was working for a large advisory service firm. Brian began to worry as he reviewed the impact of his work. He realized that many of the clients he worked [...]
109: Dayna Steele: I’ve never looked at it as failing
Dayna Steele Show Notes Dayna Steele had a very successful career as a radio disc jockey. Then she decided to quit her job and move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. After nine [...]
108: Neal Topf: For 365 days I was miserable and I left
Neal Topf Show Notes Neal Topf got his first job in New York City at the age of twenty-five in a large direct marketing agency. The boss that had hired him was wonderful during his [...]
107: Carey Azzara: It threw my family into a collective depression
Carey Azzara Show Notes Carey Azzara was filled with grief as a youth. His sister passed away at a young age and Carey was deeply affected by the loss and from witnessing the grief of [...]
106: Wendy Keller: I was not physically able to sit up
Wendy Keller Show Notes Wendy Keller was not physically able to sit up because of the terrible injuries from the car accident that claimed the lives of her two young children. That’s when she decided [...]
105: Charles Vogl: I would cry at night from exhaustion and stress
Charles Vogl Show Notes Charles Vogl served in the US Peace Corps in Northern Zambia. In a place very foreign to him than what he knew in Southern California. Charles lived in a mud hut [...]
104: Al Hopper: I was beat physically and mentally
Al Hopper Show Notes Al Hopper was getting beat physically and mentally. His entire team was down in the dirt. That’s when Al learned about the power and magic of words. When you need to [...]
103: Nate Regier: I made two huge mistakes
Nate Regier Show Notes Nate Regier made a significant leadership blunder. Until he made a bigger one. Nate published a story about a client and didn’t get permission from the CEO. He also wrote the [...]
102: Michael Beck: I saw the impact of caring about people
Michael Beck Show Notes Michael Beck was the executive director of a 500-person law firm. But his operating philosophy of listening to people’s concerns and eliciting their input was not matched by the attorney’s in [...]
101: Allison Smith: I found them very intrusive to life
Allison Smith Show Notes Allison Smith was busy pursuing theatre acting but was finding the hours and the income intrusive to her family life. That’s when Allison realized that doing voiceover allowed to her to [...]
100: John Lee Dumas: I invested in a mentor that kicked my butt
John Lee Dumas Show Notes John Lee Dumas was all ready to push publish on his podcast and then all of a sudden fear took over. He pushed back his launch one week, then two, [...]
099: Steve Mariotti: They attacked me with knives
Steve Mariotti Show Notes Steve Mariotti went out for a jog and was mugged by a bunch of young men with knives. Experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, Steve was taught to change the sentences in his [...]
098: Michael Teoh: I thought I could motivate my staff
Michael Teoh Show Notes Michael Teoh was working on growing his business and he was getting results. Michael kept pressing forward thinking he could motivate his staff to meet client demands. But his staff pushed [...]
097: Roberta O’Keith: I was in a dark place at my job
Roberta O'Keith Show Notes Roberta O’Keith found a fellow co-worker on the floor, non-responsive and barely breathing. As the person responsible for handling employee complaints about work, she knew stress finally took her down. That [...]
096: Paul Larsen: I became very alone overnight
Paul Larsen Show Notes Paul Larsen was promoted into a manager role. He wasn’t up for it so the authority went to Paul’s head. After a short period of time, Paul found himself all alone. [...]
095: Steve Goldstein: You don’t get 30 mulligans
Steve Goldstein Show Notes Steve Goldstein was thrilled to escape the cold of Chicago in February for a speaking engagement in Miami. As an executive at Sears, Steve loved to visit the stores on trips. [...]
094: Kristy Powers: At 16 I had to live on my own
Kristy Powers Show Notes Kristy Powers was 16 years old and had to move away from home. As an honors student Kristy was determined to finish school. Needing to support herself, Kristy was able to [...]
093: Mark Nathan: I was leaving part of me behind
Mark Nathan Show Notes Mark Nathan built his young career as an actor and being in the film world. As he entered into the entrepreneur world it was difficult for him to let the film [...]
092: TwinEngine: It changed how we thought about marketing
TwinEngine Show Notes Winnie Brignac Hart and Lorrie Brignac Lee lost 75 percent of their business in a weekend. Being based in New Orleans when hurricane Katrina hit, overnight they became a crisis communication firm. [...]
091: Wade Fransson: This is not the tent
Wade Fransson Show Notes Wade Fransson was a junior in High School and spent ten months living in a tent through the Alaskan winter. Having to endure the cold winter by using a portable stove [...]
090: Bob Burg: I resisted change and it set me back
Bob Burg Show Notes Bob Burg is not a technical person by nature. He even built a business that did not depend on technology. Despite several people warning him that he needed to learn technology, [...]
089: Doug Woodard: I could not disclose what had happened
Doug Woodard Show Notes Doug Woodard was new to his company when he had to terminate a long tenured employee. Doug faced a lot of fear in letting her go and facing the team. While [...]
088: Jocelyn Davis: I no longer had a platform
Jocely Davis Show Notes Jocelyn Davis got a splash of cold water in her face. Being an executive at a consulting firm she was easily published by Harvard Business Press. But when she tried to [...]
087: Roy Atkinson: Despite the fact that I grew up privileged
Roy Atkinson Show Notes Roy Atkinson grew up as a privileged kid. Then Roy found himself needing to work his way through high school and college while his mother tended to her ailing mother and [...]
086: Ann Parker: I had kind of lost my power
Ann Parker Show Notes Ann Parker was in her twenties and had become a shrunken version of herself. She lost confidence in herself and lost her identity. Her world and her future came crashing down [...]
085: Bob Tiede: I didn’t think my heart was wrong
Bob Tiede Show Notes Bob Tiede had an Executive Vice President volunteer to fund raise for the organization he worked for. After two years he resigned. Shortly after that Bob learned the reason he resigned. [...]
084: Brian Sullivan: They all had their political agendas
Brian Sullivan Show Notes Brian Sullivan worked for an organization that would bring together an executive committee to make decisions on business they wanted to pursue. Because of all of their political agendas, the system [...]
083: Mike Wittenstein: I am by no means an actor
Mike Wittenstein Show Notes Mike Wittenstein had not acted since his junior high school play. But he decided to take an acting class and it helped him to grow his business. Listen to Mike tell [...]
082: Megan Constantino: From that hump I got a baby bump
Megan Constantino Show Notes Megan Constantino decided to go on national television to share one of the most un-cool, un-sexy things you could think about. Being completely driven by God, she and her husband Frank [...]
081: Bill Dann: My inadequacies led to him being crushed
Bill Dann Show Notes Bill Dann was working for a native Alaskan run organization. The Board of Directors put a lot of pressure on Bill to replace himself with an Alaskan native, since it was [...]
080: Paul Maskill: I wasn’t really helping the business grow
Paul Maskill Show Notes Paul Maskill was doing all of the busy admin work in his business. Paul was working 60-80 hours per week but was not leading his business. He was failing to take [...]
079: Curtis Kopf: It takes time to get over that
Curtis Kopf Show Notes This episode was recorded on location at the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) Member Insight Exchange. Curtis Kopf has a point of view on what he wants to do and he [...]
078: Bob Anderson: It meant bigger changes than I was up for
Bob Anderson Show Notes Bob Anderson started his career in the family business making hog food and dog food. One evening, while cleaning out a rail car full of feed ingredients, Bob said something out [...]
077: Adam Dorrell: It can be the kicker that gets you going
Adam Dorrell Show Notes Adam Dorrell had been made redundant three times in his career. The first time he had small children. The most recent time he had another set of small children. Listen to [...]
076: Chris Edmonds: I’ve got to be walking the talk
Chris Edmonds Show Notes Chris Edmonds had a heart attack in December 1993. Being overweight and behaving badly he knew he needed to be an effective influencer when coaching leaders. So Chris lost 30 pounds [...]
075: Nate Brown: I didn’t have to buy into that narrative
Nate Brown Show Notes Nate Brown and his wife moved to Nashville for a job. Placing a lot of his identity in his job, Nate felt like he lost everything when he was removed from [...]
074: Hyrum Smith: I was a mess and grateful Covey talked first
Hyrum Smith Show Notes Hyrum Smith was asked by Rudy Giuliani to come speak to the families of the victims of the World Trade Center attack. It became one of Hyrum’s toughest and most rewarding [...]
073: Bill Treasurer: I was embarrassed and tried to joke it off
Bill Treasurer Show Notes Bill Treasurer was in his performance review when his boss told him to close the door. Bill knew what was coming next was not going to be good. He told Bill [...]
072: Susan Fowler: This is a chance for me to live my values
Susan Fowler Show Notes Susan Fowler has a career that requires a lot of travel. But travel had become a pain in the neck and getting through security raised Susan’s tension and stress. Then Susan [...]
071: Vicki Herrell: Dealing with all of this changed me beyond measure
Vicki Herrell Show Notes Vicki Herrell gave birth to her middle child and there were some issues that told them something was wrong with the child physically. After years of testing and varying diagnosis the [...]
070: Jermaine Edwards: Taking that particular step was a tough one
Jermaine Edwards Show Notes Jermaine Edwards started his first side business working with a number of health and pharmaceutical companies. Quickly it became evident that the business was not going to be something that was [...]
069: Kirk Weisler: I never wanted to be the poop guy
Kirk Weisler Show Notes Kirk Weisler had a small adversity that really had a great impact on him. One that he didn’t really foresee or intend. As an assistant soccer coach he was warned by [...]
068: Chantal Bechervaise: It was not something I expected
Chantal Bechervaise Show Notes Chantal Bechervaise found herself in a management position where the senior management and above created a very toxic work environment. As a person that is normally positive and perseveres, she eventually [...]
067: Brad Cleveland: It was the deepest anguish I’d ever experienced
Brad Cleveland Show Notes Brad Cleveland was in his 20’s and traveling helping clients build their customer service organizations. He had more work than he could handle and things were very exciting. Then one day [...]
066: Eryc Eyl: I got laid off and I went broke
Eryc Eyl Show Notes Eryc Eyl had worked for an organization for ten years and was laid off. He went broke and had to find a job. It wasn’t the job he wanted so he [...]
065: Blake Morgan: I wasn’t a trust fund baby
Blake Morgan Show Notes Blake Morgan moved to New York City as a young southern Californian girl. While many of her roommates had family nearby, Blake found herself with no support system and found herself [...]
064: Karin Hurt: What do you mean I’m a fraud
Karin Hurt Show Notes Karin Hurt had just been promoted to her first executive job in human resources. Her first responsibility was to construct a new diversity council. Things were going great until one of [...]
063: Adam Toporek: I was not passionate about it
Adam Toporek Show Notes Adam Toporek began sharing his ideas and expertise via blogging but soon found out he had no passion for the topic he was writing about. He knew he had to make [...]
062: Roger Dooley: It was rather a shocking thing for us
Roger Dooley Show Notes Roger Dooley bailed out of a good corporate job to launch a company that serviced Texas Instruments computers. After six months of operation, Texas Instruments declared they were exiting the home [...]
061: Lynn Hunsaker: I will inconvenience myself to do that
Lynn Hunsaker Show Notes Lynn Hunsaker moved to Belgium without being able to speak Dutch. She found herself needing to quickly speak the language in order to build key relationships. Lynn did learn how to [...]
060: John Tarnoff: We didn’t see this coming
John Tarnoff Show Notes John Tarnoff was the co-founder of a tech start-up in the late 1990’s. In the middle of 2001 the tech sector collapsed and John and his partner lost several deals due [...]
059: Trip Durham: You’re not going to have two birds in a bush
Trip Durham Show Notes Trip Durham woke up one morning knowing he was going to receive two job offers. He knew that two recent interviews went very well and that he was going to have [...]
058: Lynn Hawkins: It not only impacted me, it hurt
Lynn Hawkins Show Notes Lynn Hawkins was in commercial real estate and doing very well. After a few months, her boss called her in to his office and told her she was not cut out [...]
057: Jeremy Watkin: I made sure they knew they were wrong
Jeremy Watkin Show Notes Jeremy Watkin threw his phone when a customer yelled at him. He argued with customers and would shoot out angry emails. Jeremy’s antics were entertaining to folks in the contact center. [...]
056: Chip Huth: The common denominator in this stuff was me
Chip Huth Show Notes Charles “Chip” Huth had just been to a tactical communications class and tried to use this new communications strategy, which he just learned, on his son. When the tactics that worked [...]
055: Justin Robbins: I got there and I immediately felt lost
Justin Robbins Show Notes Justin Robbins graduated from High School with honors and was on his way to become a music teacher. But in his first semester in college he immediately felt lost. Justin then [...]
054: Chip Bell: It landed and a miracle happened
Chip Bell Show Notes Chip Bell’s unit was in an ambush site during the Vietnam War. As an officer, Chip usually went with the unit most likely to make contact with the enemy. One night, [...]
053: Eric Mondschein: I hung up the phone and I was livid
Eric Mondschein Show Notes Eric Mondschein wanted to have students from the US and Canada learn international law by arguing a mock case at the United Nations. Needing to have a country sponsor him to [...]
052: Jon Wolske: I could have come up with other solutions
Jon Wolske Show Notes Page Jon Wolske is very much a data-driven guy. But he found himself managing a bunch of feel-like people. Even though his people were bringing good ideas, Jon would find himself [...]
051: Paul Cole: Are you firing us as a customer
Paul Cole Show Notes Page Paul Cole made repeated attempts trying to engage with his client in better ways of working together to satisfy them and to do right by his company and his people. [...]
050: Jeofrey Bean: I couldn’t get them to agree
Jeofrey Bean Show Notes Page Jeofrey Bean was hired as a market planner to help turn his company around. He was responsible for helping the company to develop products that the marketplace was going to [...]
049: Leslie O’Flahavan: I have the joy of looking over my shoulder
Leslie O’Flahavan Show Notes Leslie O’Flahavan was a high school English teacher and had deep joy in being a teacher. After her first child arrived, she wondered how she would juggle the long hours at [...]
048: Tabitha Dunn: I feel like I was punched in the gut
Tabitha Dunn Show Notes Tabitha Dunn was given the responsibility to pull together a team to determine the best way to measure customer service. After collecting information inside and outside of the organization Tabitha’s team [...]
047: Warren Kennaugh: It took far much more time and effort
Warren Kennaugh Show Notes Warren Kennaugh wasn’t totally unhappy working in the corporate world. But Warren wanted to do more of the things he loved. That’s when Warren decided to strike out on his own. [...]
046: Yvonne Nomizu: I kept pushing and getting frustrated
Yvonne Nomizu Show Notes Yvonne Nomizu set a new vision for her organization with new measures and new strategy. But her team did not seem to be accepting her new direction. So Yvonne kept pushing [...]
045: Art Sobczak: I was not a good employee
Art Sobczak Show Notes Art Sobczak started a business with a partner at the early age of 22. After a short time, his partner went on to law school and Art tried to keep the [...]
044: Sarah Simon: The blood drained out of my face
Sarah Simon Show Notes Sarah Simon was in a new role and had little experience when her boss came down with a terrible migraine headache. She told Sarah to take over as the facilitator for [...]
043: Alison Circle: I have to get over myself
Alison Circle Show Notes Alison Circle received the results from an organizational climate survey that revealed some devastating results. Finally learning to get over herself, Alison realized she needed to balance what she needed to [...]
042: Leadership Development Return on Investment: For Organizations, Teams and You
Leadership Development Return on Investment Show Notes Measuring the Return on Investment (ROI) in leadership training and development is considered to be an important element in Human Resources and beyond. The ROI of training and [...]
041: Judith Glaser: Something was wrong about our interactions
Judith Glaser Show Notes Judith Glaser had several humps that occurred around the age of ten. It was when she became old enough to realize there was something that didn’t feel right about the way [...]
040: Jack Mackey: Sometimes fear brings out the best in you
Jack Mackey Show Notes Jack Mackey challenged a group of volunteers for an annual conference to get 300 people to come to their annual conference. That was 3-times more than they had ever had before. [...]
039: Annette Franz: Running into the same wall constantly
Annette Franz Show Notes Annette Franz has experienced a series of humps that when strung together culminate into running into the same wall. Trying to do right by her staff and by her customers, Annette [...]
038: Jana Sedivy: That was really demoralizing
Jana Sedivy Show Notes Jana Sedivy volunteered to run a group that collected old computers to send to developing countries. First, she tried to send the computers to Bolivia. That failed. Then she tried to [...]
037: Desirree Madison-Biggs: The fight wasn’t worth it anymore
Desirree Madison-Biggs Show Notes Desirree Madison-Biggs had to make some serious decisions around how she was going to react after a program she worked on for 10 years was cancelled. While she had no control [...]
036: Mike Moyer: My wife did not sign up for that
Mike Moyer Show Notes Mike Moyer started a company while in college and had a successful exit. He went on to graduate school and got a good job and he felt like everything he touched [...]
035: Sydney Savion: I need to break myself
Sydney Savion Show Notes Considering herself an introvert by nature, Sydney Savion realized she needed to break her natural tendencies so she could build more relationships, faster. As an officer in the US Air Force [...]
034: Louis Efron: I told my team to leave
Louis Efron Show Notes Louis moved to Japan to head up HR and build a consistent global culture for the organizations he was working for. Louis focused on learning the Japanese language to help lead [...]
033: Kate Nasser: After being hit by a meatball
Kate Nasser Show Notes Kate Nasser graduated from college with the goal of being a high school math teacher. After three months of teaching she was hit with a meatball and realized this was not [...]
032: Shep Hyken: What did I sign up for
Shep Hyken Show Notes Shep Hyken took over as President of the National Speakers Association, a volunteer position, and he had no clue what he was in store. After months of consideration, the association leadership [...]
031: Jeff Furst: I had little confidence in myself
Jeff Furst Show Notes Jeff Furst was elected as the Alumni Chair, as a sophomore, of a historical fraternity chapter at Northwestern University called Phi Kappa Psi. Instead of doing the typical homecoming duties and [...]
030: Carrie Weston: I have to be clear on what I want
Carrie Weston Show Notes Carrie Weston was given a job offer to leave her current employer. When she looked around, the company had experienced a downturn in sales and a lot of internal movement and [...]
029: Carol Sharicz: What can you lose if you take that risk?
Carol Sharicz Show Notes When Carol Sharicz was a new professor and tasked with inviting a guest speaker for an annual conference at her college she came up with an idea to invite a high-profile [...]
028: Lance Miller: I’m emotionally and spiritually dead
Lance Miller Show Notes Lance Miller thought he had a life plan set in front of him. As the third generation in a family business Lance was all set. But then he found himself looking [...]
027: Parrish Arturi: It was a humbling experience
Parrish Arturi Show Notes Parrish Arturi was not always calm, cool, and collected. Once while leading a project team for a new product the funding for it was removed. Parrish was very passionate about the [...]
026: Dave Rendall: I was in trouble my whole life
Dave Rendall Show Notes Dave Rendall was in college and was asked by his resident director if he was going to sign up to be a resident assistant. Thinking he was the reason resident assistants [...]
025: Cliff Hurst: I needed to grasp the essence
Cliff Hurst Show Notes When Dr. Cliff Hurst was a Consultant and Executive Coach he often was met with a degree of defensiveness and people would put up a mask and a shield to avoid [...]
024: Tema Frank: That’s the end of my business
Teama Frank Show Notes Tema needed to make some technology changes with her company. The change required that her systems be out of service for a few days. In an effort to notify her customers [...]
023: Joan Pepper: Please bring my daughter home
Joan Pepper Show Notes Joan took the better of a year constructing all of the necessary paperwork for adopting a girl from the country of China. Once completed Joan had to mail all of the [...]
022: Jeanne Bliss: I wasn’t getting any traction
Jeanne Bliss Show Notes Jeanne couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t getting any traction. Once, Jeanne had someone do something very important in the trajectory of her personal and professional life. After that she began [...]
021: Peter Haid: Career can pull you too far
Peter Haid Show Notes Peter was out of balance. He entered a situation that required an entirely different level of teamwork. Luckily he realized that he needed to shift his attention and put some things [...]
020: Karl Sharicz: Perseverance can pay off
Karl Sharicz Show Notes Karl was told no. But he didn’t stop there. He was a new training director for a company but he didn’t have any education in the art and science of adult [...]
019: Jeannie Walters: It felt like I wanted to run away
Jeannie Walters Show Notes When Jeannie Walters learned about the acquisition of one of her favorite clients during the financial crisis of 2008 it wasn’t the loss of a major contract that impacted her most. [...]
018: Ned Hallowell: Thanks to that hug
When Ned Hallowell was trying to learn to read and couldn’t do it, growing up in the 1950’s, he could have been labeled as stupid and told to try harder. But Mrs. Eldridge, Ned’s First [...]
017: Karyn Furstman: Be positively relentless
Karyn Furstman Show Notes When you have had a situation when you needed to get someone to buy-in to change what did you do? Join me as Karyn Furstman shares her story of how she [...]
016: Derrick Hall: I looked at it as an opportunity
Derrick Hall Show Notes This episode was recorded on location at the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) Member Insight Exchange. Derrick’s doctor made a mistake. That mistake ultimately saved Derrick’s life. In September 2011, he [...]
015: Pele Ugboajah: Go ask your boss this
Pele Ugboajah Show Notes Pele had a high-paying job with a fancy title but it wasn't enough. He left that job for another with a bigger title and a bigger salary. After only after a [...]
014: Ramesh Subramanian: Be ready to hit it
Ramesh Subramanian Show Notes Ramesh lived a nomadic type of life in his early years. He found himself with an entirely new set of friends every few years. This had a profound impact on Ramesh [...]
013: Gerry Barber: We were dysfunctional
Podcast Show Notes with Gerry Barber Gerry was fortunate to learn a valuable lesson as a young leader that helped to change his path. Being an eager and confident leader he volunteered to lead a [...]
012: Jesse Jackson: I was deeply hurt
Podcast Show Notes with Jesse Jackson Jesse tells his story of a time when he was terminated and how for the first time in his life he felt so inadequate. After his boss shared the [...]
011: Honoree Corder: You need to speak
Podcast Show Notes with Honoree Corder Honoree shares her story about something so many find terrifying. While taking a public speaking class her instructor told her, “You need to speak.” Honoree found herself finally realizing [...]
010: Art Hall: I’m still struggling with it
Podcast Show Notes with Art Hall Art shares with us a hump he is trying to get over now! Art finds himself in certain situations that impact him personally, when he should not. He is [...]
009: Diane Magers: I had to go back and pick them up
Podcast Show Notes with Diane Magers Diane was hitting the wall and leaving people behind. Her strategic skills were rendered ineffective because people were not connecting with her. While Diane was able to connect the [...]
008: Dan Rockwell: I’m afraid I won’t matter
Podcast Show Notes with Dan Rockwell (Leadership Freak) Dan was identifying himself by others and as a people pleaser he eventually became lost with needing to define himself by others. Then Dan had an epiphany [...]
007: Chuck Udzinski: I’m like a hair in a biscuit
Podcast Show Notes with Chuck Udzinski What Chuck believed when he was given the responsibility to drive customer satisfaction as high as possible was that the rest of the organization would pay attention to the [...]
006: Carol Borghesi: I’m the man my parents wanted me to marry
Podcast Show Notes with Carol Borghesi What Carol perceived coming out of business school was that she needed to take a tuff stance. Join me as Carol shares her story of learning how to become [...]
005: Chris Lah: Focus, delegate, and ignore
Podcast Show Notes with Chris Lah Are you putting a lot of effort paddling and steering in the wrong direction? Join me as Chris Lah shares his story of a failed technology implementation project where [...]
004: Mohamed Latib: I was left all alone
Podcast Show Notes with Mohamed Latib What would you do? Join me as Mohamed Latib shares his story as a teenager in a boarding school in the Himalayan Mountains. At the age is 14, at [...]
003: Dee Kohler: You got to trust in this
Podcast Show Notes with Dee Kohler What do you trust in? Join me as Dee Kohler shares her story (more than one) about trust, finding your place, and how you can model a very important [...]
002 Stan Phelps: You can’t be half pregnant and succeed
Podcast Show Notes with Stan Phelps How do you know when you need to cut the cord? Join me as Stand Phelps shares his story of a life altering decision that caused him to uproot [...]
001: Lesley Lykins: Don’t tell the commanding officer
What did Lesley do when she was steering a massive battleship in Iraq and headed for a big oil tanker; at the age of 23? Join me as Lesley Lykins shares her story as a [...]
000: Fast Leader Podcast: About the Show
Let me start by saying, "I do not know it all." But what I do know is that the studies I read about and what I am experiencing in my life is frustrating. I read [...]
The Hump Day Hoedown is the fun and fast paced part of our 20-minute (ish) show where we ask our guests several questions. Their job is to give robust but rapid responses to the questions. Sometimes I get a good surprise and get off track; but I make every effort to quickly jump back on that camel and race on to the finish.
As always I want your feedback and thoughts on questions we should add to the hoedown. One I will never ask is, “Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike…guess what day it is?” So don’t send it.
Are you ready to share a good story? Are you ready to hoedown? Want to be a Guest? I am always looking to share an inspirational story about leading self and others. All you need is passion, be willing to help others, and like to have fun in the process. If you are ready to move onward and upward, please call me at 336-288-8226 and we can explore what is possible.
Please do not send me an email. If you do not reach me, please leave me a voice mail. This is important because this is a podcast and I need to “speak” with you. -Jim
The Fast Leader Show is a weekly podcast. Each episode will be released on Wednesday morning at 4:00am eastern time. Why on Wednesdays? Because it’s hump day.
But every once in a while we will have a double hump day and release two shows on Wednesday morning. We are not announcing when will are going to have double hump Wednesdays. We are keeping them as a surprise. When you subscribe with iTunes or Stitcher you will never miss an episode.