Out Of The Comfort Zone

How do you calm your stressed-out body? We will talk about the nature of stress today, why it matters that you calm your body before you begin significant conversations. And then, we will focus on how to structure a challenging conversation and how to work with personalities that are “difficult” for you. Tune in!

Well-being at work at work is a hot topic lately, usually because companies what a more engaged workforce who has less burn-out, fewer illnesses and sticks around longer. To that end, companies have launched a variety of programs from mindfulness to mediation. Do they work? What should each of us be striving for? How do we know if we have good emotional health or not? What does it mean leaders of teams need to do? Tune in for answers and much more.

Have you every felt that you were psychologically held hostage at work? Do you watch others become hostages in one way or another? Or, do you hold people hostage as a leader? Tune in to hear the experiences of true hostage negotiator and the implications he has to offer for employees and leaders in building strong, positive cultures at work.

Many companies are asking how best to manage millennials and which programs will best attract and keep millennials. We have heard from experts and researchers. Now, lets turn the tables and hear from a few millennials. What do they think? What do they want?

Innovation and sustainable growth are on everyones mind whether you run a company, an emerging economy or are just trying to manage your own life. It turns out our current solutions often compound the problem. What questions should we be asking instead? Tune in to find out what those are.

With rapid pace of change, new technologies, new procedures and even new approaches to leading people, keeping up with the latest has never been more criticial. Companies seek employees who are agile who can learn and change. But how? What works, what does not and how can you maximize your ability to learn with the least amount of time.

All organizations, regardless of the size, have conflict – meaning one person or group wants to go in one direction, another person or group wants to go in another direction. Learning to manage conflict in a constructive manner is thus a core skill for leaders. But managing conflict does not mean having the best intellectual argument and “winning” the case. It is much more complex than just being right. Craig Runde, a recognized expert on conflict, will join us to talk about what goes wrong, what to do and how to manage emotions in the midst of conflict.

Mission, purpose and engagement seem to promise great gains for the organizations who get these right. More and more employees are voting with their feet in search of a greater sense of purpose and a mission that is more inspiring than just increasing shareholder returns. However, there’s a lot of buzz and not a lot of guidance. What does the latest research tell us about how to find purpose and feel more fulfilled either as a person or as a leader?

The ability to influence is a survival skill in organizations of all sizes. We know it matters but few seem to be very skilled at it. Richard Shell is a true expert on the art of influence and the research that supports best practices. He will be talking about what creates effective influence as well the barriers that get in our way. In addition, we will be talking about how to successfully pitch an idea and how to insure you have genuine commitment.

Tune in to hear the real experiences of being out of the comfort zone, transitioning from one role to the next and the insights gained along the way.

Getting the best out of people is the art of leadership. We learn what to do, largely based on what works for us and what doesn’t work for us. Not everyone is captivated by the same tactics. The smarter strategy is to look at science – what does the data say is most likely to work? Tune in to hear more about the science and the implications.

There is a professor who has been studying meeting for 20 years. Tune-in to learn about this surprising science and learn evidence-based ways to make your meetings truly work.

How many ineffective, boring talks and presentations have you listened to? How many have you given? You can change the status quo for you and your listeners. This is not just the realm of a few “natural” speakers – anyone can do it. Tune in to hear about a few principles that make all the difference.

Teams in which people are not afraid to speak up, to challenge, to risk saying a wild idea are teams with the best performance. Google has found that psychological safety is a key component of their best teams. Yet, people are afraid of causing trouble, looking foolish, not being promoted and more. How do you create a team, and an organization, that is not afraid?

How many times do you say to your team, challenge me? And how many times do people really challenge and speak their mind? Or, how many times do you try to challenge your team members only to find that it doesn’t work so well? How can you more effectively challenge your team? How much trust do you need first? Is there a better way? Tune in to find out.

If you want to engage your audience or your team, there is nothing as effective as a story. Tune in to hear why and how to make story-telling an effective tool for you in your business team.

If “culture eats strategy for breakfast”, as has been said, then it’s time to tune in to how to create a winning culture. What does it look like? How do you create it? How can you transform your team and company?

The question for leaders isn’t if a crisis will happen to your company but when. How ready are you as a leader and how ready is your organization? Tune in to hear what the latest work is showing about crisis, change, the turbulence they create and how to prepare your organization to navigate through the storm.

Performance appraisals, year end reviews, bonus payments, grading take a lot of time and cost a lot of money. Yet, they produce frustration for almost everyone. Why do we keep doing them? Should we change the system? And, what’s a better solution other than team bonuses?

How many times have you said “work is crazy”? How many people do you know who think that crazy busy is the only option? How many people seem to wear a badge of honor based on how busy they are? It doesn’t have to be that way. Tune in to hear how one company, Basecamp, has changed the game and what you can do to change the game in your company.