Fast Leader Show | Stories To Help You Move Onward And Upward...faster

The capability to engage employees is one of the most vital components for business success, especially today when globally distributed workers are embracing multi-functional working structures. Through employee engagement, businesses are able to attract and retain more talent as well as increase corporate commitment to their goals. In this episode, Steve addresses job functions, job essence, and how to make core values a part of these functions so that they are sustained, evolving, and progressing towards achieving these goals.

Racial disparity is more than just a hot topic on social media. Employees constantly face threats of social injustice and racial inequality at work, and leaders need to understand that in order for their organization to thrive, they must bolster their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and provide a safe space for their employees to talk about race at work. In this episode, Kelly McDonald shares leadership insights on how to talk about race at work and what your organization can do to have conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion with your employees.

2021 has been a rough year for most of us. The world is just coming out of a pandemic, and the majority of leaders are facing a new reality. There are new challenges to face and the things done before may no longer apply today. In this episode, shares some of the lessons he’s learned from various leaders in faith, athletics, business, and life. He hopes that these stories will help inspire and challenge you to become the better leaders that God has designed you to be in 2022 and the year beyond.

Media consumption preferences have changed over the past few years. People want to consume information faster on their own terms. Traditional learning programs and long-form content is being replaced with quick, bite-sized information. With the next generation of leaders on the rise, equipping and enabling first-time leaders has become a challenge. The wisdom to lead is buried in the minds of experienced leaders. The knowledge is hidden in books and scientific papers. With first-time leaders not knowing what they need, how do you fill the gap in leadership development? In this episode, Darja Gutnick shares what first-time leaders need to know and the mindset shift to microlearning. 

Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to achieve a common goal. Compassionate leadership is the type of leadership that takes into account the feelings and emotions of others. It is based on the idea that if we can understand and feel what others are feeling, then we can better lead them. Compassion is a feeling of love or sympathy for others. We can show compassion towards others by doing things like being understanding and nonjudgmental, listening attentively, providing emotional support, and offering practical help. Compassion is a vital ingredient for strong leadership, and it should be at the forefront of our minds whenever we make decisions that affect other people. The best leaders make everyone around them better — they help individuals reach their full potential, and they create an environment where innovation and creativity thrive. Compassionate leadership has the potential to create a ripple effect on not only the local community but also on the world at large. When leaders ta

Change is the only thing constant in the world. No matter what you do, change is inevitable. It can happen externally – out of your control – but it can also happen internally – within your control. But no matter what form change may take place, the question is, what are you going to do about it? Will you remain stagnant or will you take the opportunity to allow change to make you better? Remember, progress is optional. With the change brought about by the pandemic, the majority of people have been forced into working at home. While working at home offered a solution to allow employees to work despite the lockdown, it has also brought about problems regarding work-life balance, or what Mark puts it, work-life blending. The problem with working at home is that the line between work and home is often blurred. It has caused problems with remote workers and the majority has not found a solution for it. No boundaries have been set and oftentimes employees end up overworking and hurting their work life and home lif

We live in a world of infinity. We have an infinite amount of things we can do at any one moment. As responsible individuals, we try to take care of all the opportunities and requests that come our way. Try as we might, there is a point where there are no more hours in the day and we just hit this ceiling of complexity. What do you do when you can’t go any further when you can’t go any faster? Do you just spend your life jammed up against this ceiling of complexity? In this episode, Richard Medcalf shares how you can change your mindset and learn how to pause and approach things differently. As he says in the podcast, you can’t change gears when your foot is on the accelerator. Learn how to take a different approach.

We've heard the saying, "let's address the elephant in the room." These large, significant things that we deliberately ignore, but must be addressed. We certainly give importance to them because they are, of course, significant. However, there are certain things in life that are smaller, more insignificant, and more subtle that we sometimes don't notice or just deliberately ignore. We think they won't make a huge difference in our lives, and little do we know that those small things add up and make a huge impact later on. And unless we deal with them now, we won't be able to control the consequences later. As the saying goes, we must "nip it in the bud." So, how do we identify these seemingly small, insignificant things? How do we address the mice in the room? Listen on. In this episode, David Wood helps us address the mice in the room.

Are you struggling to meet your revenue goals? Are you trying so hard to sell your products and services? Chances are, you’re pouring more time, money, and effort into sales and marketing. And although it’s not necessarily wrong, it doesn’t have to be that hard - there is an easier and better way.  Instead of focusing on acquiring new customers focus on retaining your current ones and delivering a remarkable customer experience. And your leadership is important in creating really wonderful customer experiences. As Dan says in the podcast, it's similar to a leaky bucket. If most of your customers leave the moment they buy your product or service, your sales and marketing have to do double the effort to replace the lost one and acquire a new one. In this episode, Dan Gingiss shares more about how you can create a remarkable customer experience for your customers that not only makes them stay, but also share your company with others.

Misalignment is one of a company's biggest sicknesses. It constantly drags down results and reduces profitability. Instead of just accepting the symptoms of misalignment, you could have sustained results. All it takes is to align your company's strategy, culture, and operations. The key to success is to change team mindsets, measure team outcomes, and monitor progress. That's all there is to it. In this episode, Wayne Washington shares his experience on how your company can apply these changes and achieve proper alignment to reach strategic goals.

Every human being has the potential to become their best selves. Unfortunately, we live in a world where the control system limits our potential. It is very important for every individual to develop their own internal motivation in order to realize their full potential. In this episode, Judy Ryan shares her responsibility-based approach in the human system where people are intrinsically motivated to develop their true selves and unleash their full potential.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). These three words pop up almost everywhere. Every modern workforce has a discussion revolving around these three words, but what exactly is the difference between diversity, equity, and inclusion? What does it mean? If you are an executive leader, you have to understand that the workforce today faces a huge problem with regards to psychological safety, and how a business handles diversity, equity, and inclusion may directly affect its bottom line.  Listen to Omar L. Harris as he shares his thoughts on DEI and how you can be more inclusive

What do effective leaders do when they’re at their personal best? Our guest today has done all the research, and he outlines five exemplary leadership practices that leaders display when they’re at their personal best: Model the way Inspire a shared vision Challenge the process Enable others to act Encourage the heart In this episode, Jim Kouzes sheds light on the five exemplary leadership practices and how leaders can use them to overcome the most difficult challenges.

The goal of transformative influence is always to make other people better. However, there is a void in trust in the marketplace today - people no longer trust each other. Employees don’t trust management, employees don't trust the board, and investors don't trust the employees and the board. As a result, transformation is almost impossible. As a leader, if you want to build trust, you need to understand that it’s not about you. It’s about the influence you have on other people. It’s all about trying to make other people better. If you can make them better, you’ll be surprised to see that they will actually perform for you. In this episode, Walt Rakowich shares his experience on transformative influence and the steps you can take to transform your team and make your organization better.

The CEO Test is a list of 7 questions written by Adam Bryant to help you reflect and evaluate yourself in how well you are performing in your current leadership role. Let’s face it, being a top leader is a tough job. There are lots of pressures, challenges, and responsibilities that you carry alone. From time to time, we need to reevaluate ourselves whether we are staying competent and effective in our current roles. Adam Bryant shares the many different challenges that top CEOs face and how you can face these challenges and navigate through them. He's interviewed over 600 CEOs, and you'll be surprised to know that these challenges are hardly unique to top executives. If you're discouraged and disengaged, I want to help you to be hopeful. I'd like to encourage you to learn from the wisdom and experience from these top executives and how you can learn from them and apply them in your current leadership role.

You may be running a company right now and you're calling yourself an entrepreneur. That's great, but do you have an entrepreneurial mindset? What's the difference between the two you may ask? Depending on how you think, you might be running a business that simply earns the least possible margins on a transactional basis, or a business that knows how to leverage the true worth or value that its products and services bring to the market. Read on and I'll explain more. Let's start with defining what an entrepreneur is. An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business. An entrepreneurial mindset is a set of skills that enable people to identify and make the most of opportunities, overcome and learn from setbacks, and succeed in a variety of settings. In short, "entrepreneur" is a title that easily gets thrown around by anyone. Being entrepreneurial is an attitude. It's the behavior that separates out the ones who are truly successful, and it's being entrepreneurial. I don't care what your title is rig

According to a study by KPMG, 53% of executives do not realize sustainable value from business transformation. I assume the reason for this is that they focus so much on changing the business and the operational model that they forget the one thing they can change - self. If you want to see a breakthrough happen in your business, then you must change within and not force it on others. Transformational leadership is all about changing yourself and inspiring others to change. Customers are becoming smarter and wiser, and their behaviors and expectations are the most influential source of insights. As leaders, you must change and become more empathetic and understanding of their needs. According to Nick Jankel, it's not just about your clever product. Change is about empathy, connection, trust, and customer-focus. You must develop a culture that is adaptive and quick to respond to the changing customer and their needs. If you cannot solve a pain that people cannot solve for themselves, you do not have a business

We have all heard the maxim, “The customer is always right.” Top companies like Amazon lays the foundation of their success on customer-centricity and customer-focus. We believe that a happy customer is the heart of any organization. But how do you make them feel valued? Most of the time, it relies on your people leadership – your employee experience. According to a report by Gallup, a global analytics firm, engaged workers have significantly higher productivity, profitability, and customer rating than disengaged workers. There is no doubt that leadership is important in creating wonderful customer experience. In this episode, Jonathan Raymond shares how you can lead your people and develop that people-centric culture in your organization.

With most of our audience working in the customer experience industry, I asked Cheryl China some of her best tips and advice for leaving behind an unforgettable legacy in CX and how to be happier and more successful in the workplace. Some leaders have been working in the customer experience industry for years and have not left a positive legacy to their team members and employees. They leave behind negative thoughts and memories and retire miserable and unhappy. I understand that work can be toxic, and we can get lost in the moment, but it is important that we detach ourselves and reevaluate our career paths sometimes. Where are we headed and what are we working for? These career advice not just apply to the overall leadership, but also to employees as well. Some of these things might sound cliché, but you’ll be surprised to know that not many people actually do them: Be willing to move sideways in your career. Don't hesitate to take risks. Don't let perfection hold you back. Don't be afraid to ask the hard

There is no doubt that a successful organization runs on inspired and positive people. As a leader, it is your job to make sure your team members are inspired and that you are a positive influence to them. Team members that are positive can serve customers better and create a more wonderful customer experience. In this episode of the Fast Leader Show, Glenn Parker shows us how you can have that positive influence on others. Positive influence leaders see the good in someone else. They help them become better and position them for success. According to Glenn, there are four types of positive influence leaders: Supportive positive influence leader Teacher positive influence leader Motivating positive influence leader Role Model positive influence leader You might be a mix of either one of them, but the most transformational one will encapsulate all of them and inspire positive change.