Explore every episode of the podcast Orchestrating Success

This episode presents a practical leadership toolkit designed to help leaders turn principles like trust, alignment, empowerment, and collaboration into daily practices. Using the metaphor of a conductor guiding an orchestra, the session explores how structured tools create clarity, reduce chaos, and help teams perform at their best. Listeners will learn why leadership tools matter and how structured frameworks bring consistency, strengthen accountability, and build a collaborative culture. The discussion highlights how leaders can move from vision to action by using repeatable processes that foster ownership and engagement. The episode introduces several practical tools, including vision-setting templates, team norms, delegation planning, communication frameworks, and role alignment methods. Each tool is designed to be flexible and adaptable for organizations of any size—from small nonprofits to large enterprises. A key focus of the episode is implementation. Leaders are encouraged to start small, involve their teams in co-creating processes, and regularly review and refine their systems. Integrating these tools into routine meetings and workflows helps ensure sustainability and long-term impact. The episode concludes with a reminder that effective leadership is about creating the conditions for others to succeed. Like a conductor shaping a performance, leaders who provide structure, clarity, and encouragement enable their teams to transform potential into performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, author Hugh Ballou argues that most organizational frictionis avoidable because it typically stems from ambiguous expectations rather than personal animosity. He suggests that leaders should prioritize consensus-building to establish a unified framework of values and goals before problems arise. By utilizing the metaphor of an orchestra, Ballou illustrates how thorough preparation and disciplined listening ensure that team members remain synchronized during high-pressure situations. This proactive approach fosters mutual trust and accountability, which ultimately strengthens long-term performance and efficiency. Ultimately, the text highlights that investing time in defining guiding principles is far more effective than reacting to preventable crises. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of "Leaders Transform," we dive into Chapter Six, focusing on the crucial themes of balance and self-care in leadership. I emphasize that sustainable leadership is not about doing more but about doing what truly matters with presence, purpose, and peace. Throughout my experience coaching a diverse range of leaders, I've observed a concerning trend: many high-performing individuals operate on empty, mistaking exhaustion for excellence and burnout for hard work. I want to challenge the notion that burnout is a badge of honor; instead, it serves as a warning sign that we are out of alignment. We explore the concept of balance, reframing it from a rigid distribution of time to an alignment of energy with our values. It's essential to learn to say no without guilt and to create margin in our calendars for reflection, rest, and recalibration. I share how self-care is not selfish but a strategic leadership tool that enhances our presence and effectiveness. Strong leaders set boundaries that create freedom, allowing them to protect their focus and model a healthy pace for their teams. I encourage listeners to reflect on what drains and restores their energy, and to consider their own warning signs of burnout. To help you better understand your energy patterns, I suggest creating a personal energy map over the next week, tracking your energy levels and the activities that influence them. Just as pauses in music are vital for impact, so too are pauses in leadership for clarity and power. Ultimately, true leadership does not demand burnout; it requires our well-being. Join me in the next chapter as we develop an action plan to become unbound leaders, guided by four essential leadership principles. I look forward to our continued journey together! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. - James Allen Studying Leadership Being or becoming an effective leader means being a serious student of leadership, and not being a leadership expert. A plan for constant reflection, evaluation, study, and planning is common among great leaders. Let's reflect on our own skills today. Look at the list and ask yourself, "Is there a pattern here?" Then ask, "Am I willing to do something about it?" You are doing too much and your team is accomplishing too little You set goals that don't happen and you constantly revise the due dates Your vision is inspiring to you, but no one else gets it You can't get your to-dos finished on most days You are giving up days off and holidays Believe it or not, these are very, very common problems with leaders in many types of organizations. When I ask if they are willing to do something about it, I get a wide variety of answers, including the following: I don't have time to do anything more... My team just isn't up to par... It will cost too much to work on it... I'm doing everything possible and nothing works... And...It doesn't matter, the situation is hopeless and nobody will change... These answers are what I classify as denial. I define it as denial because the leader has a lack of self-awareness and is not thinking about the consequences of his or her actions or lack of actions. The leader typically is not willing to change his or her patterns due to this denial. Here's the first question to ask yourself: "Am I willing to change myself and to begin a journey of personal growth and self-discovery to achieve my vision?" Next ask, "Am I willing to do what it takes to improve myself in order to improve my results?" I'd like to hear your answers. Please comment below, then let's schedule a time to talk about your revelations or lack thereof. I learn something from every person I meet. How about you? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The head and heart cannot function without a unifying principle. That principle is to be found at the crossroads through which each element must pass. That crossroad stands at—and is—the center.—James Conlon in the Foreword to Toward Center, p. xv Centering, which I discuss in this book, is a severe and thrilling discipline, often acutely unpleasant. In my own efforts, I become weak, discouraged, exhausted, angry, frustrated, unhappy, and confused. But someone within me is resolute, and I try again. Within us lives a merciful being who helps us to our feet however many times we fall. — M. C. Richards in Centering Being centered means managing self. The Transformational Leader creates high functioning, high performing cultures by influence. Being centered is essential to the tone and mood of that influence. Transformational Leaders get results by personal influence, not by power of position. In his book, The Musician’s Soul, James Jordan points out that the conductor must be centered on the podium to be effective. Being centered means physical, mental, and spiritual grounding. Being fully present as one’s self is the beginning of influence. The same paradigm is true for leaders in any field. In his eight leadership concepts, Murray Bowen defines one concept as “Differentiation of Self.” Under this concept come many items including managing self, which includes managing one’s own anxiety. Anxiety is a form of influence, and it is not a desired form of influence. Anxiety breeds anxiety: Just like when a cow in a herd of cows gets anxious when hitting the electric fence, and spreads that anxiety to the rest of the herd, anxious leaders create anxiety within any group emotional culture. Anxiety spreads even when the leader attempts to hide it. Anxiety clouds rational thinking: When we move our being into an emotional state, the brain gets flooded with emotion and pushes aside rational thinking. The effective leader manages emotions and retains rational thinking. Anxiety creates doubt: Clouded thinking and anxious thinking are the downfall of effective group process. The anxious leader appears to be unsure and transmits that sense of doubt to the others in the group. When not knowing what to do or what is happening, it’s best to pause and observe, asking good questions and listening to the answers, and observing what is happening with the team. Pausing and observing allows for clarity of intent to manifest in the team. Learning when to manage process and when to allow the team to struggle with finding their answer is a mature leadership skill and only comes with trusted relationships and experience. Centered means confidence knowing that you don't need to have all the answers or solve all problems. Being centered is being fully present. The leader always ensures that the team is implementing the vision of the organization and reserves veto power for any decisions. Success comes with not having to use that veto power due to effective and clear principles and strategies. It’s the integration of strategy and performance that builds the DNA of high functioning in teams. Musicians learn to be centered by managing their nerves. Being nervous paralyzes the inexperienced performer, whether musician, actor, speaker, etc., while the experienced performer learns to utilize the adrenaline that comes with the nervousness, providing a greater presence and enhanced sensitivities. This success comes with much experience and intentional rehearsal - perfect practice makes for perfect performance. Centered is being balanced: Balance is managing multiple priorities Balance is not overfunctioning Balance is managing self Balance is knowing and connecting with inner self Balance has nothing to do with equal Balance is setting and managing reasonable expectations Here’s what Richard Rohr wrote in his daily meditation on December 30, 2015: Say to yourself: "I don't know anything." Imagine you are an erased blackboard, ready to be written on, a tabula rasa. For by and large, what blocks spiritual learning is the assumption that we already know, or that we don't need to know. We have to pray for the immense guidance that is offered us in the beginner's mind. We need to say with the blind man, "Lord, I want to see." This is true of leadership. If we assume we know, then we block our learning. Centering begins with emptying one's self and becoming aware.   Leadership is continuing to learn, continuing to grow, and continuing to expand awareness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everybody talks about poor communication, but few do anything about it. - Hugh Ballou Communication is a Leadership Skill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dreams are not the opposite of reality. Dreams inform reality. – Seth Godin* Leaders struggle with apparent conflicts and opposite strategies. Transformational Leadership is about transforming thoughts as well as cultures. Here are some conflicts that challenge me: * Perfection versus Moving Ahead * Details versus The Big Picture * Systems versus Creativity * Approval versus Vision * Push Leading versus Pull Leading * Providing Answers versus Asking Questions * Micromanaging versus Coaching When I was in elementary school, dreaming was discouraged. When I studied piano as a child, I was taught to read the notes and not make things up. In my first job, I was required to follow the rules and to not challenge the system. Things were different then. Things haven’t changed much in some circles, however. Leaders in charge are limited in their scope by their conditioning, both from their nuclear family and from what they have been taught. Leadership has been and is continuing to be redefined. The transformation continues with those who are capable, willing, and attentive. What we have been taught and what we have inherited are not working in today’s world. The culture we create and lead is a reflection of our skills and vision. Organizational transformation begins with the leader. There are many pathways to transformation. One channel is defined as Transformational Leadership. It’s a style of leadership defined by Burns and Bass in the 1970s and ’80s. I have added to their data with my musical profile in my Conducting Transformation paradigm. To have a look at what’s taught, get my free report, “Building the Business of Your Dreams” at http://theleaderaccelerator.com You will receive the report along with a series of videos and questions to help you think about your own transformation. In the series of messages, you will receive an invitation to a personal session with me without cost. You can define what you want to accomplish in that session. Are you comfortable moving to a place that might not feel comfortable? Sometimes where we need to move is a place we most resist. My job is to help you feel comfortable if needed, or to challenge your comfort level if that’s what you need and request. If you are tired of the mundane? Let’s chat about it. Check out my program http://leaderunbound.com * Seth’s blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/07/opposition.html   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Did you get my email? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Validation Is Asking the Right Questions We conduct surveys with the wrong questions and are not looking for data. We are mostly looking for a validation of our idea, position, or plan. I meet many leaders in the concept stage for a proposed enterprise. Whether it's a business or a tax-exempt organization, there are similar comments: "People really like my plan!" I ask if those who like the plan made a commitment to support it. Silence is the typical response. We ask if they like the idea (certainly, everybody will like the idea) without asking if they would make a purchase and recommend it to others. Or, in the case of a nonprofit, if they will donate or sponsor it. In the case of a mature enterprise, there's a different, however, similar situation. The leader is not vulnerable enough to ask the hard questions and then listen to be able to receive information that will improve the entity, the performance of the culture, or their own performance. We, as leaders, typically are not willing to open up and receive information that will fill in the gaps in our perspective in order to be a better leader. It's time to change that. I'm not always the best at doing this, however, I continue to work on my own personal gaps. Here are my principles for questioning: * Ask contrasting questions: If the questions are all just with prejudice in supporting your bias, then what's the use? Ask one question that is directed to your position, framing the question as such. Next, reverse the paradigm or ask if the person has a different point of view to share. Ask why. * Ask open-ended questions: We often ask yes or no questions or multiple choice questions. Those types of questions are not as helpful as open-ended and neutral questions, such as, "Tell me about..." or "Comment on..." * Listen carefully with intention for words and inflections: The choice of words and the emphasis and inflection can impact the meaning of the response. If there's an inconsistency in words and emotion, then ask for clarification. * Listen and observe: Look for and make eye contact. Focus on the person and don't take notes until they have completed their statement. Observation will reveal as much or more that just the words. * Leave a minimum of 4-seconds of silence after the other person has finished speaking: After observing and listening with intention, take a moment to make notes. This validates that the person has been heard. Silence is clarifying for the listener, as well. * Do not defend your position: Just listen with intention and give yourself time for reflection. Being defensive might shut down a communication channel that's helpful. Listen, give time for reflection, ask for a future time to respond. If you are also asking these questions of others, it might be helpful to get other perspectives to get the full picture. Making good decisions depends on complete data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We should not judge people by their peak of excellence, but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started.” ― Henry Ward Beecher Leaders Are Constantly Working on Skills For Nonprofit Leaders: 1) Nonprofit Performance Magazine (evernotecid://38EBC3B1-1615-450C-96F7-43B1DA086D16/ENResource/p11986) For the first time ever, nonprofit leaders have a leadership magazine dedicated to the needs of the social benefit sector…we are pleased to introduce Nonprofit Performance Magazine, the resource designed specifically for the nonprofit leader. Each quarter, this magazine will feature cutting-edge thinking from leaders in the fields of leadership, organizational culture, and nonprofit management, and special guest features. This magazine extends the work of the SynerVision Leadership Foundation and JMI, Inc., the creator of Professional Performance Magazine since 1989, by focusing on best practices, strategic thinking, and a collaborative mindset in creating a new culture of success for nonprofits. I have been working in the church for over 40 years, and have also been working with nonprofit (social benefit) organizations for over 30 years as an outside resource. There are recurring issues that present challenges to leaders in this arena, so I decided to launch a magazine to bring the best thinking from the most progressive leaders. The stories are timeless, so you'll want to claim every issue and hang on to them for future reference. We are offering a free digital subscription, so register now at http://nonprofitperformance.org (http://nonprofitperformance.org)   Recurring Topics: Leadership: Tools and Skills to Build a Strong Culture of LeadersMember/Stakeholder Engagement: Keeping Them Interested and InvolvedFunding: How to Attract FundsStewardship: Managing Resources of People, Time, Money, etc.Teambuilding for Teams: Staff, Volunteers, Boards, CommitteesThe Academic Desk: Current Research Summaries and ResourcesThe Design Corner: How the Visual Impacts Our WorkMore than a Chair: Tools and Systems to Move Beyond Traditional ThinkingNonprofits that Work: Case Studies of Successful NonprofitsPlanning: Creating a Strategy that Delivers the Vision and Mission 2) Online Leadership Resources:The Community for Community Builders (evernotecid://38EBC3B1-1615-450C-96F7-43B1DA086D16/ENResource/p11988) SynerVision Leadership University is a community for community builders. We invite you to be part of an outlet that creates growth for your organization. There is a free level with lots of content, and a premium level providing more content and interactive sessions for only $8 per month! See more at http://synervisionleadership.org (http://synervisionleadership.org/) Here are benefits of this unique online community: * Peer-to-peer sharing of best practices * Learning from nonprofit thought-leaders * Video content on leadership organizational issues * Blog posts on current topics * Google Hangout Mastermind problem solving * And more...mostly user defined Check it out for free: http://synervisionleadership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Any idea that’s held in the mind and emphasized, that’s either feared or revered will begin at once to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate physical form that’s available. - Andrew Carnegie (to Napoleon Hill) I dream my painting and I paint my dream. - Vincent van Gogh A person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it. - Anonymous (evernotecid://38EBC3B1-1615-450C-96F7-43B1DA086D16/ENResource/p12171)The Problem Entrepreneurs think that having a plan stifles their creativity. Musicians know that having a musical score (a strategy) and having the skills to play (implementation skills) empowers them to perform with full access to their creativity. Having a plan allows the entrepreneur full access to their creative spirit because they can use their energy and brain power to execute the plan and not be held back by trying to figure out what to do next - then doing something out of order - then having to redo it. This is not an example of good leadership. Most entrepreneurs do not have written goals. Many of those who have written goals do not have an implementation process in place. Here is a short overview of setting goals that work. The Concept By writing down your goals and objectives, you will have an action plan for success. You will have a clear picture of what you want to have happen and what its cost and benefits will be. You will know where you are going and how you will get there. Focus on exactly what you want and go for it – with conviction and determination - and you will succeed. Begin by putting your name at the top of the goals worksheet. There is a realization that happens at that moment that is the beginning of success. You are the only one who can do this. You are the only one who can take responsibility. You are the one who will have a great impact on your life and the lives of others. Write down your goals. Goals that are not written down are only dreams. Write them down and move into action immediately. Choose goals wisely. Goal achievement is one thing--what you become and what happens to you and your team in reaching each goal is another thing. Take time to think! Take time to plan! Take time to study! Don’t confuse activity with achievement. Do not just say that you will succeed. Don’t wish that you could succeed. Don’t just expect the counsel of the successful. Act on the plan yourself. The Process * Clearly define your goals. Write them down in specific, measurable terms. Establish a completion date. * Identify obstacles to reaching your goals. * Determine who’s involved in or impacted by your goals. * List all the activities or objectives necessary for reaching your goals. Group them in 90-day benchmarks if the goal is more than 6 months away. * Sequence all activities. Concentrate on a single step at a time. Walk before running. * Estimate the time necessary for each objective and the total time for the goal. * Activate key activity dates on your planning calendar. * Begin action immediately * Be persistent in your plans. Don’t let obstacles or naysayers steal your vision. * Share your goals with anyone else whom you feel will help you along the way (maybe everyone listed on your goal sheet) or the team as a whole. Goals are SMART: Specific Picture what the end result will look like.  Know what it is so you will know when you arrive. Be very specific.  The goal must be written down to count as a goal.  Otherwise, it is only a dream, which can change with a whim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's resource: A facilitation tool for solving problems Problem Solving Is a Process, Not a Snap Decision Few leaders or teams really understand how to create a process to develop lasting resolutions for problems. I have been a serious student of facilitation for many years. It was a logical segue from being a musical conductor. The basic concept is similar in that the facilitator (conductor/leader) guides a process for a group to function at their highest potential and using the best collective thinking skills. This is not "group think" in which each person caves in to the mandate of the leader without thinking for themselves. One facilitation tool I learned and perfected over 30 years of leading groups is problem solving. I'll share the concept in this post. It's difficult, however, to download 30 years of experience into 500 words. This overview will provide a perspective for creating your own process. The Problem: A situation is identified...a problem to solve, an opportunity to pursue, a conflict to resolve, etc....and the group wants to identify a solution right away and proceed with implementation. This is a flawed model because there is not a full understanding of the facts on either side of the problem. Here are the problems a quick solution misses: * Is the Problem Really the Problem? If each person in the group is asked to write a definition of the problem, it's typical that there will be many definitions of what the problem is. The process is flawed from the start because each person is attempting to solve a different problem - the one they see. It's important to develop consensus on this. * Is There an Understanding of Why the Problem Exists? Proceeding with resolution that actually fixes the problem depends on an understanding of the facts. Creating solutions that last is important. This means understanding what problem you are solving. * Is There Knowledge of Alternative Solutions? One solution rarely provides a lasting result. One solution rarely encompasses all the issues. Moving too fast to seek resolution might limit the options and keep the right option hidden. * Is There a Potential Sequence of Steps to the Result? Defining one step to a solution often misses incremental steps in a process for lasting results. So, a quick fix is fast, flawed, and temporary. This does not represent effective leadership. Here is the problem-solving model I have learned and improved over many years: * Clearly State the Problem: Get input from the group in defining the problem. Often the perceived problem is not really the problem. Many times the problem is one step back or one level higher than the stated problem. Sometimes there are multiple problems. Therefore, the team might need two problem-solving exercises to fully accomplish its goals. Have the group come to consensus on the exact language that clearly defines the problem. The exact language is essential. Changing one word typically derives two different outcomes. This takes time, however, it will save lots of time...and money...and stress...and relationships...in the long run. * List ALL the Parts of the Problem: All means all. Create a comprehensive list. Be open to reviewing and revising the problem statement. Getting this perspective reveals things that people may not have previously been aware of and how it will impact their thinking. Group these ideas by concept, issue, topic, or another definition. Give weight to the items. This way the group sees which ones are more important. * List ALL the Potential Solutions: Do not prioritize. Do not judge. Do not limit the options. Once the list is complete, reflect on the list. See if ideas can be combined for strength. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we dive into Chapter 5, "Leading Transformation," focusing on the essential theme of continuous learning habits in leadership. I emphasize that excellence in leadership is not a one-time achievement but a journey of ongoing growth. The best leaders are those who ask insightful questions and remain curious about themselves, their teams, and the world around them. I draw a parallel between leadership and conducting music, highlighting how a skilled conductor, like Robert Shaw, continually seeks deeper understanding and clarity, even after performing pieces numerous times. This mindset of lifelong learning is crucial for leaders, as it fosters humility and a culture of innovation and trust within their teams. We discuss the importance of establishing consistent habits that support leadership growth. Just as a violinist practices daily, leaders must integrate small, repeatable actions into their routines to build resilience and clarity. I encourage listeners to reflect on their current habits and consider what small changes they can make to elevate their leadership. Neglecting personal growth can lead to stagnation, limiting a leader's ability to inspire and innovate. By modeling continuous learning, leaders empower their teams to grow alongside them, creating a culture where excellence is the norm. To help listeners take actionable steps, I propose an exercise to design a leadership growth rhythm, incorporating daily journaling, weekly reviews, and monthly learning activities. I conclude with a powerful reminder that leadership is about staying in motion and evolving, not just staying ahead of others. The next chapter will focus on "Balance and Self-Care," emphasizing the importance of maintaining energy and boundaries for sustainable leadership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all do things that we wish we had not done. Those are usually called “Learning Experiences,” unless the event creates a catastrophic backlash or questions the leader’s integrity. We can use whatever words we want to use, however, in some circumstances those words might create negative results that diminish the credibility of the leader. Choice of words is power, and choice of words is integrity, especially for the entrepreneur and thought leader who must establish a position of influence to support a niche. Here is my list of behaviors that bring down leaders in any type of organization: * Ignoring Signs of Problems: There are many reasons that leaders don’t respond to issues that arise in day-to-day activities. First, the leader is unsure of what to do when surprised by unexpected actions or results. The top reason I observe for leaders at any level not responding to unacceptable behaviors or actions is a fear of not being liked. The script that leaders play to themselves is that they must be liked for people to want to follow them. That’s not true. It’s important for people to respect the leader and trust in the leader’s abilities in order to be an active participant. A musical analogy for this dynamic is this: the conductor stops the rehearsal and points out that the trumpets are too loud and that the flutes are not in tune. The conductor presents these as facts and not as a personal criticism. The conductor then defines the prescription to the problem as follows: trumpets, take the dynamics down one level and flutes, you are slightly flat. The players are not offended and the rest of the orchestra is not horrified. It’s just the reverse. If the conductor did not address the problems and provide the solution, then they would be considered a poor leader. Leaders in business could benefit from this model. Define the problem. Address it as soon as possible. Be factual and specific in the analysis of the problem as well as the solution. It’s possible because the orchestra has established a culture of high-performance standards that everyone understands and supports. Tip: Deal with the problem as soon as it is noticed or the problem only gets worse, costs money, wastes time, and damages relationships. * Cutting off Team Members with Ideas: It’s only the insecure leader who doesn’t want to gain the perspective of others on the team. If the leader can’t respect the opinion of team members, then it might time to get a new team. Tip: Don’t attempt to be right all the time; instead, work to make others always right. This way time and energy are available to focus on the top leadership priorities that only the top leader can do. * Taking Back a Delegated Project: Nothing is more damaging to team spirit and personal initiative than the leader who takes back a project or assignment to do themselves. There are two messages implied in this action: 1) the person to whom it has been assigned is not capable of successfully completing the project; or 2) that there is no chance of anyone other than the leader being successful. This is a no-win action. There is a full set of leadership competencies tied to delegation. Most leaders do not even know that these competencies exist and certainly don’t know that they are needed. Tip: Learn about the reciprocity of leadership over-functioning and team under-functioning. Teams under-function mostly because the leader does it all. What’s the point of even trying? * Valuing Results and Not Individuals: Effective leadership depends on effective relationships. Value results. Emphasize results. Focus on results. And constantly work on relationships. Tip: Learn to develop healthy boundaries so relationships don’t depend on people “liking” the leader, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

* Leaders Lead for a Position of Power Myth It’s the BOSS syndrome. It’s not effective. Your position and title is not enough to motivate others to follow you. It’s like when your mom said “Because I’m the parent”, it didn’t inspire cooperation, it probably inspired defiance. Tip: People follow clarity and energy Learn to communicate your vision so people understand where they are going…they want to follow, help them do it. Leadership isn’t about power of position, it’s about influence. Be the influencer and you’ll attract people who have a passion for your vision. * There Is Only One Leader Myth In autocratic or charismatic leadership models, there is only one leader who makes all the decisions and calls all the shots. The style is that the one leader commands lots of followers. It’s all about ego and not about teamwork.  Tip: Leaders become successful if they empower, coach, and mentor others. Leaders equip and empower others to lead. This is a related topic to #1, which is about power. If there’s only one leader who holds all the power, then the team is not effective or efficient. Transformation leadership is about a culture of high performing leaders. The organizational leader builds leaders on teams. This is creating and ensemble of excellence by building high performing, high functioning, synergistic cultures. * Leaders Always Have All the Right Answers Myth Somewhere we have learned that the leader must have all the right answers…WRONG? I don’t know who made this up, but it’s 180 degrees off. Those whose we lead naturally come to us for answers to questions. We make it worse by attempting to answer all questions because we think it’s our responsibility. Tip: Learn to ask good questions. Leaders ask the right questions and then listen carefully to the answers. Leaders are mentors of other leaders in the organization. We coach and mentor others on fulfilling our vision and mission. Make sure that others are right and take the focus off of being right yourself. * Leaders Control Everything Myth Leadership is about the future, not the past. Joel Barker has the best quote about leadership, "A leader is someone you would follow to a place you would not go to by yourself.” Effective leaders cultivate respect because they build strong relationships. Trying to control everything is a sign of insecurity. Tip: The effective Transformational Leader defines the end result and then coaches, mentors, and empowers others to achieve those results. Failure is a way for team members to learn better leadership skills. We assist in order to minimize the risk of failures…which we reframe as learning opportunities. * Leaders Know More Than Anyone Myth Educational degrees may mean you have a good education, but it doesn't necessarily mean you are a good leader or that you have any practical knowledge. Transformational Leadership is modeled after the military, in that it’s a culture of high performing members, who understand objectives and tactics to achieve those objectives. Their leader is in front, but not in control. Everyone on the team is an expert at some level. Tip: Learn to be a student of leadership and commit to continuing improvement. Transformation of an organization begins with the leader’s own transformation. The culture is a reflection of the leader. Leaders learn from everyone and from every situation. Those who think that they know it all are missing out on their own personal improvement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Law of the Lid Your leadership is like a lid or a ceiling on your organization. Your church or business will not rise beyond the level your leadership allo... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. - John F. Kennedy Removing the Barriers to Success When I work with leaders, I find repetition of some of the same issues. The issues are mostly of our own causing. Leadership actually sets up problems. We then are confused and point fingers at others, when we should be looking in the mirror. Here are some of the most prevalent barriers to success that I encounter: * Not Knowing Self: What's blocking our success is not knowing what really is happening in our subconscious mind and not being aware of how past issues are crippling future success. It's crucial to understand self and have an expert guide the process of self-discovery and awareness. We get trapped in a cycle and don't know what caused us to get trapped in the first place. * Not Having a Coach: Yes, I'm a coach and I'm certainly in favor of everyone having a coach. Actually, I have 2 coaches, so I do practice what I preach. I can't do for myself what I can do for others...none of us can, and if we think we can, then who do we think we are fooling? Look at those who are successful and explore how many coaches they have. Successful people have coaches...the rest think they can do it for themselves. * Not Having a Plan: The quantifiable difference between those who are successful and those who continually find that success is elusive...is a plan. Having a plan is a roadmap to your destination. It's not an option. * Not Having a Team: Building and maintaining a support group is how legendary leaders stay informed and inspired. In his research, Napoleon Hill discovered that the successful people he interviewed (Ford, Edison, Wanamaker, Woolworth, 5 Presidents, and more) all had a group of successful individuals they used for a mastermind support system for inspiration and problem solving. We become like the people we hang around with the most. * Not Having an Accountability Process: Having the motivation and support of those who hold leadership accountable is a trap. Marginal leaders make excuses. Effective leaders have transparent accountability. Check out my posts at SynerVision Leadership Foundation about leader burnout and let me know what you think. Click HERE (http://synervisionleadership.org/burnout/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The myths that we have been told or that we tell ourselves. Basically, this is about what leadership isn't! The leadership myths: * The Myth of Position - It's not about being the boss. We tell our selves that we can't do much since we are not at the top. This is not totally accurate. We have limits to our authority, but not to our influence. We influence others no matter were we are in the organizational chart. I prefer to think that an organizational chart as overlapping circles rather than lines, boxes, and grids. Leadership is not POWER. * The Myth of Destination - It's not about waiting until when we get to the position of authority. Leaders are not born, leaders are developed. This development of skills doesn't happen in a day (I.e., the day of arriving at the place of authority) leadership develops daily. Continuing improvement is the pattern to model. It's typically thought that a person can't lead from any position. We can lead from any position. We influence others no matter where we are on the chart. The perception that achieving a high leadership position means that there is more freedom at the top. That's not true. Actually, responsibilities increase as the job level increases. The old saying that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence is true. It's only greener until you get there. Leadership is not TITLE. * The Myth of Inexperience - Perfection paralysis keeps good people from becoming high achievers. Actually, perfect is the enemy of good. Let go of control and just be. The "I get the job or I'm not playing" isn't the best plan either. Leaders influence others by choice - either good or bad. It's a choice. Leadership is not PERFECTION. * The Skills Myth - Leaders are not born with natural abilities. Leaders are created. Leaders are trained. Leaders are people who learn leadership. Those who claim natural leadership powers are those who are just bossy. Leadership is not a BIRTHRIGHT. * The Myth of Potential - Not performing as good as possible because promotion to a top position doesn't appear to be possible is not a good plan. Always seek to grow personally and employ best skills and practices no matter what others do or what others think encourage. Be the best possible leader no matter what. Leadership is not STATIC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview with Cheryl Snapp Conner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview with Bill Stierle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview with Justin Recla Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hugh: Hey, this is Hugh Ballou. My guest today is Gaydon Leavitt. His friends call him G. G, I hope I can call you that. I am your friend, right? Gaydon: Absolutely. Hugh: I met G recently, and I was just blown away by the level of his expertise in marketing and the level of the programs he has to offer those of us who are social entrepreneurs. We are working in a vacuum sometimes, and we think everybody ought to clamor to our door. But we really have not developed a marketing strategy to attract those people to the value that we have. G, welcome today. Gaydon: Thank you for having me. Hugh: We have a very dedicated group of social entrepreneurs who are changing the world. We don’t have a corporate job by choice because we have a value proposition that is just awesome. But we are stuck. Tell us a little more about your background. Why is it that you are qualified to talk to us about marketing? I know, but give us a little snapshot for people that are listening today. Gaydon: Marketing is the only thing I have ever done. There’s that. I worked at Ford doing the digital agency movement. This was in 2004-2006; this was before social media if you can imagine. At that time, I was really in charge of building an Internet department, getting CRM up and running. That was back before CRM was common. Everyone knows what a CRM is these days usually. Hugh: Tell us what that stands for. Gaydon: Customer Relationship Management software. Hugh: Is that Ford Motor Company? Gaydon: Yeah. This was at a regional group of dealerships. I was working for them and basically getting infrastructure in place. The punchline is that I did that for long enough—CRM, website, search engines, all that stuff. I was at the forefront of that. Once I got it set up for them, I knew that everyone else needed it. I started a digital agency. Back then, it wasn’t called a digital agency, but now it is. These days, digital agencies are really commonplace. A lot of companies do websites, search engine optimization, and social media. I was at the forefront of all that. Most people who know my background know that the real driver for what I’m doing is always being on the bleeding edge of the market, the innovation side of the market. When it comes to marketing, I am always looking for where it’s going and try to steal ahead. Hugh: Let me get this straight. You do things that work in real life. This is not just theory? Gaydon: Not at all. To give you an idea, I started my company January 1, 2007. It was actually January 2 because the city office wasn’t open January 1. The point is, 2007 was not the greatest year to start a business, it turns out. 2008 rolled in, the recession took its toll, but I grew our company 235% four years in a row. We did 700 client engagements, well over a million dollars. We were having a ball. We were having a good time. What happens was through the middle of a recession and growth, I became one of the top people in my field in the West, as it were, certainly in our state, which is the marketing capital of the universe. In 2012, I woke up. After having done strategy and digital services for 700 customers, I had really curated a case study. The 700-business case study. I knew what was going on because I was knee-deep in strategic marketing relationships with these 700 businesses. What I did was I compiled the data as it were. I put together the things that I knew were a problem. I knew people were missing. I did what I called root-cause analysis. This goes back to theory of constraints and other things I studied. I did a root-cause analysis to figure out what are the real problems in the SBM or small entrepreneurship space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hugh: Greetings, this is Hugh Ballou. My special guest today is my dear friend and colleague, Shannon Gronich. We have known each other at least ten years. We met at a CEO Space event and have had casual conversations the last few years. Shannon has invited me to be a presenter at the Business Acceleration Summit in Melbourne, Florida. Whoa, has that been a power-packed event. I have learned more and more about Shannon’s multiple gifts. Today’s topic is how social entrepreneurs get publicity. We do great stuff, but nobody knows about it. Well, let’s tell people. Shannon, welcome. Shannon: Thank you so much. How to get free publicity is what I am really excited about. Hugh: Give us some background. I always want to know why this person is qualified to talk about this. I could read a bio or something, but it’s much more fun to hear it from the person themselves. Talk about yourself. Shannon: I love events. I produce close to 400 events. Within the process of doing events, I learn how to really work with the media, what they are looking for in stories. I came up with a simple system. I have gotten over three million dollars in free publicity and have developed a simple system that anybody could do the same. You don’t have to be a copywriter; you don’t even have to be a good writer. It’s something that when you use this format, it is a great way to attract publicity. Hugh: How many dollars? Three million dollars in free publicity? Shannon: Yes. Hugh: And you have produced 400 events? That’s mind-boggling. That’s impressive. People actually come and attend these events, I assume. Shannon: We have had thousands of people attend some of the events I have done. Hugh: That would tell me that this publicity thing works. Let’s get into your topic. I am a small business owner. I work by myself, I have done lots of good stuff, I have great social media, but I’m not sure I make it work really well. I also have a charity that does lots of good stuff. I’m not sure I get the publicity I deserve there. What are the problems you see with small business owners and social entrepreneurs? Shannon: It’s exactly what you just shared. You have these two amazing projects that you are working on, and it’s actually getting media attention, but also getting what is already existing to amplify and attract more. A lot of times, businesses are spending so much time working on their business that they don’t take time on marketing. I always tell people that if you are not getting the results you want, look at some of these key components, one being your press kit. Spending more time on your market. I know that with one of my first events, before we first cracked this code, we were getting 500 attendees. Once we cracked that code, the next time it went to 2,000 attendees. We had all the media in our area pick it up. The story was awesome. There were different variations. That type of impact took time, dealing with rejection because we had a number of people say no, they didn’t read it or no, I’m not the right department. You have to be okay with following up, but as you can hear, to go from 500 to 2,000, that was absolutely worth putting in that energy to get such a high return. Hugh: Amazing. Usually I am told by marketers that you need to spend $100 per person to get people there. You are telling me this is another model. Shannon: Yeah. There are a couple challenges I hear from people. They hire a publicist. I love them; I think there is a lot they can do. They hire a publicist and don’t get the results they want. I am big on empowering people to learn some of the tools, the language so that when they hire somebody or when they are sending out a piece, they know it will get the results. At the end of the day, it is all about the results you are going to get. The second thing is also as you said, spending the money but spending the time. If you turn some of that into time, taking time to get on the phone or develop a story or have a conversation with the media to sell them, not giving them too much information, but putting this together, I have seen people spend a lot less on their marketing and many times get free press. Hugh: I have a copy of your book on this. What is the title of that book? Shannon: Media Magic: How to Attract Limitless Radio, TV, Print Publicity. Hugh: That’s a pretty good book. It gives me some thoughts on things I had no clue about. How could people get Media Magic? Shannon: They can go to shannongronich.com or on Amazon. If you send me a receipt from Amazon, I give everybody an interview with Jay Abraham’s ghost writer who is also a contributor in the book. If you don’t know who Jay Abraham is, he gets paid six figures a day to go into corporations and deal with their marketing strategies. His ghost writer, who has also been in all areas of publicity, is sharing copyrighting secrets and language for prosperity, and I give that away for free for anybody who reads the book. Hugh: Jay Abraham is legendary. And a ghostwriter is someone who has to think within their brain and write for them. We will link to that underneath this video and in the podcast show notes. I will remind people to go to hughballou.com to find the different links for the different shows, and then the notes are there, too. Part of my problem in publicizing is people want to know who I am and what I do. Part of what I help people think through for themselves that I can’t do for myself is as a leader, we are people of influence. Defining ourselves is an important paradigm, is it? Shannon: That is actually the first step. Hugh, I think you’re really fortunate. The first step when I’m working with someone is to develop what I call an expert power bio. We have our bios and our resumes. But an expert power bio is what makes you stand out and sizzle and have the media pay attention. And Hugh, with you being in Forbes Magazine, your years of success, some of your clients, you have a lot of the key components to stand out as an expert. I know that when you are coming to town, any time I say that he has been featured in Forbes, that adds instant credibility. Some people that might be listening to this say, “I don’t have that success.” What is great about this expert power bio system is that you can actually… I have had 20-year-olds or people coming out of a job and creating a new business… There is a way to add sizzle to your bio or even use association with someone that you learned from or trained with to help you stand out. That is one of the first things people look at. Hugh, you are in a unique position because you are teaching leadership. People, especially with nonprofits or businesses, you are in an industry where I think at least with your press releases, the first thing is developing a tagline that sizzles. What is the benefit of leadership? We have to look at that end in mind. What is the story we are going to tell? There are all kinds of things with media. You can look at negative news and talk about politics. But there are three things I focus on with the media that everyone loves. They love human interest. You have been a musical conductor, Hugh. That story you tell. Maybe somewhere where you have overcome adversity. They also love community giveback. If you are involved in the community, and I know your listeners have nonprofits, that is easy for them. They have human interest and community giveback. And the third thing is education. Those are the three things that I focus on with individuals that I find it’s really easy when you have crafted a story to get the media to print. That is what they look for. Hugh: Wow. Do you have a checklist about that somewhere? Shannon: I do. My book is actually a workbook. You can write or scribble in it. I wanted people to get in the action. Anything I do, I think we should get into action. Kind of like you, Hugh. You do the same thing. Hugh: What I heard you say is we need to focus on results. When I did my first speaker one sheet and I sent it to this advertising company that specializes in one-sheets, I had a call with the chairman. He says, “This is all about you.” I went, Uh oh. I don’t like the tone of this. He said that it needs to be about them. Yes, I work on leadership, but that word gets people stuck in a rut, so I try to communicate what happens. They don’t buy leadership; they buy results. But it is through leadership that we make a difference. So how to present that. You are so right. People want to know what they are going to get out of this. Bob Circosta, a friend who sold six billion dollars on home TV, said, “What’s so good about that? We have to define the benefits of it.” Shannongronich.com or Amazon to get Media Magic. I need to pull that out and reread it. You are reminding me of things that I know but I am not using. Let’s go back to other tips. By the way, if you are in Florida or if you want to go to Florida in the winter, in January, that would be a good excuse to go to the Business Acceleration Summit. Businessaccelerationsummit.com is the website. I will be there with other thought leaders. It is a life-changing couple of days. It doesn’t take you a long time, but there is a lot of power packed into it. It’s where Shannon and I connect with people and share useful information. What are other tips?  How do we do a power bio? Shannon: I would love to offer that for free. If they go to shannongronich.com, I used to only give this to my clients, but it’s one of the most difficult things that people have to do: how to write about themselves. It’s a challenge to write about yourself. It’s a challenge. So I decided to give it away for free. I have a twelve-step program, which should really be a thirteen-step program because there is a thirteenth step. The thirteenth step that is not there, but I do share in a follow-up email, is a list of clients. One time, I had a woman that I was working with, and she was struggling with doubling her prices. She had a lot of clients. She was in this place where she was working herself overtime and needed to get to the next level. So we worked on her power bio, and when I started looking at her work, first off, she was amazing. She came from a job, and in that job, her exclusive account was Delta for three or four years. I asked her, “Can we list Delta as one of your clients?” Sure enough she could. Adding Delta as one of her accounts for her bio made it easier for her to double her prices with new clients. It was really great. Power bio is essential. I think it’s one of those things that people should really spend time on. The free press system I use is just a one-page tagline that sizzles, again talking about the results for the individuals. I will share a secret with you that you can use the next time you go shopping. Oftentimes, when people send me press releases, it’s an announcement. I just haven’t found that to work. The most successful press release that I had about an event, the tagline was, “85 Ways to Improve Your Health in Six Hours or Less.” We had 85 booths, and it was a six-hour event. That is how we came up with that tagline. Numbers are really essential. Those stand out above everyone else. When you go shopping next time, look at Oprah and Cosmo. They have spent billions of dollars in seeing what taglines will get people to buy magazines and read their articles. They are all short and sweet, and many times they have numbers. Take those and fill in what you can put in. It could be “Six Secrets to,” “Seven Steps to.” This doesn’t just apply to your press release. I found that if you are doing a workshop title or an email that you want to get opened, all of these principles can be universal in marketing. I had an event that I purchased a number of years ago. They had been doing meditation, and they had been at the event for a number of years. It was like a yoga meditation. They had a hard time getting people to come to the event. We changed the title to “How to Attain Inner Peace in Ten Minutes or Less,” and the classroom filled up. Hugh: That’s worth this whole call right there. We are guilty of making announcements. I am thinking this principal would be a good power bio for your bio page on your website. Where else would they use the power bio? Shannon: What I was just sharing with the tagline is for the press release. The power bio, I use it with my proposals. I use it anywhere that I want people to pay attention and I don’t want to be talking about myself. Does that make sense? Any time I am sending out a proposal or anything like that has really doubled my conversion. I know you can use it with grants. They want to know who your team is. If I am going to an event, if people have hired me to do event consulting, if it is a first-year event, oftentimes people question if they can pull this off. When you have someone on your team who has produced 400 events, really your whole team in your nonprofit should develop a power bio. Hugh: When you send out a press release, I assume there is something about me in the press release. Shannon: No. Hugh: Oh. Blow up that assumption. Shannon: There are many ways; there is not a right or wrong here. In the Associated Press, a lot of times people do put something about themselves. I have found that if you want free publicity, it cannot look like advertising. I may attach a bio as a separate thing, but when I send a press release, it is strictly about the story. How I position myself or you, Hugh, as an expert in the power bio is there is a certain place. I share this in the book, too. We quote you as an expert. You do the quote, and then you say, “Hugh Ballou, leadership expert.” Then we finish it. It’s a neat formula of how that works. For you, I would not say “founder of SynerVision.” I would do Forbes because Forbes is a big name. For me, I just say, “author, event producer,” really basic titles. The idea with this is you want the press to interview you. You want them to be telling the story about you. If you are marketing you, then they are like, “This person just wants free advertising.” Hugh: Wow. That has blown up an old paradigm I’ve had in my head, but it makes so much sense. So it’s okay to add another sheet as the bio. Shannon: I would keep them separate. I would not attach it to the press release. I would keep it as two separate attachments, or just a small thing in the body of the email. This can also be used to get speaking gigs. When you send in that information, you can send your power bio. You can use this material for lots of things. Hugh: That’s awesome. We are talking about the press release, which is a whole different format. You go over that in your book. You are also doing another biannual event soon. Shannon: It’s the Media Magic Sales and Marketing Intensive. We are actually working on your power bio, which you leave there with, as well as your press release. I have brought in some experts. I have a woman who is a regular contributor for the Huffington Post and Yahoo News. I have someone else who has been on The Today Show. I bring in other experts. This is an intensive where we work on your media kit. We have a website expert who comes in and helps you figure out how to convert through that. Hugh: I know that website expert. He is very good. He does both marketing and websites. The websites aren’t just a pretty picture, but they actually convert. That’s the whole message I am getting here. We tend to send out messages that don’t convert. We want to know how many people are going to come and buy our products or join our charity or come to our events. I’m thinking there are a lot of things I see churches and charities do wrong. They send an announcement. There is no compelling reason to want to go. They don’t get it because they know the reason, but they didn’t share it with anybody. It reminds me of the TED Talk with Simon Sinek, “Begin with why.” You are coming from that perspective of, “Here is what you are going to get.” You hit them in the face and interrupt their thinking because people are expecting the boring announcement. Instead, they get, “Hmm, pay attention.” The power bio could be a separate piece. In your press release, could you link to that? They could choose to find out more that way. That About Me page is usually done poorly as an afterthought when really that is the lead piece. This is establishing your position of influence in my world. There is also a segue with social media. I see lots of bad things in the form of an announcement, and people are selling you before you even know who they are. I’m thinking this whole concept could be a power concept for social media. You want to address that separately? Shannon: I think that with everything we do, we want to be mindful of the language we are using. Another expert we are bringing to the upcoming intensive, he is a sales expert in time shares and hotels, and he has a heart of gold. He has been able to crack the code based upon different personalities. One of the things is: Out of the 17 different personalities, there are the top two dividers of head and heart. In marketing, I love that he uses the Aflac example, how Aflac brings in the heart and saves time and money, which is the head. When we look at marketing, if you can at least hit those two touch points, then you can hit more of the masses. For me, I speak about community and human interest, which are heart stuff. I may lose people because I won’t talk about how to save money and how to increase revenue and more of the head things. You really need to combine the two in any of the marketing we are doing. Hugh: Absolutely. I am thinking of the Aflac duck. You got that thing that comes to your mind, and it’s really top-of-mind marketing. People really think about it. We also don’t spend time explaining who you are and building relationships with people. Then we really hammer them with promoting our event. Why should they do that? We don’t have a relationship with people. There is a different conversation around that. We are coming close to our time here. This is extremely valuable information, and I want to make sure we don’t send people down a foxhole. Let’s give them some clear directions. The Media Magic one-day intensive, where can they find more information about that? Shannon: They can find that at shannongronich.com under Events. I want to make sure I say one more thing before we go. Everything can be found on shannongronich.com or even businessaccelerationsummit.com. The real magic formula that I think of is yes, the language and what we say, but it really is the relationships and talking to people. How I have been able to get millions of dollars in free press is talking to the media. I don’t just send it out and expect them to pick it up. It involves emails and phone calls and expecting them to say no but having the vision of following it up. With my biggest success, I was rejected over ten times. No, we didn’t get it. No, we didn’t read it. No, it’s not a fit. I tweaked it a little bit, and at the very end, I don’t usually give up until the magazine goes to print and I know it’s done. I know that each time I just have to keep working at it and building that relationship with them. The editor ended up calling me and saying that they had a remnant space, and they gave me an entire page in the magazine. It’s really key to pick up the phone and not say too much. Use that tagline that sizzles. Say that you have a story that you think they would be interested in. You have a piece that might be great for their readers. You are coming to them first. Make it about their readers. Have them ask questions. If you fire-hose them, that is too much. That is why the tagline that sizzles, maybe a couple of stats about the challenge or problem you are solving, and get them engaged in asking questions. Hugh: Awesome. You may not remember, but I owned a camera store in St. Petersburg, Florida. I built out a very substantial footprint in providing film and chemistry to photo labs in industry: police departments, newspapers, the whole city of St. Pete, etc. I built that by relationship, exactly what you talked about. I got to know people. I visited them. I had something novel to talk about. They would say, “Oh, by the way, do you sell this? We need some of that.” So it’s really about connecting with people. You have helped us set a new paradigm. I am bad as a businessperson in understanding that. I teach people to think that way, but this is a good reminder for me. In my charity and the charities that I work with, we think that because we have a worthy cause, people should print it. When really, they don’t have a lack of people sending them stuff. We want to stand out from the crowd and create a compelling reason. People can find out about all of this at shannongronich.com. It’s not really a commercial. You are giving away free stuff and information on how to get free publicity. I am doing an event the next time you are doing your media intensive in Florida, and that’s a good reason to go to Florida this time of year. The Business Acceleration Summit, there are many good reasons to check out that information. Like I do, you give away a lot of free stuff. Shannon: I want to help so many people. Hugh: You do. This is a helpful interview. I am grateful to have you as a colleague and friend and that we collaborate on a lot of events together. As we come to a wrap here, I want you to think about a tip that you would like to leave people with. How do you get the world to pay attention to the important things you are doing? What is a parting thought that you have for people? Shannon: It is that every single one of us has a story. I have found that every business and individual has at least 50 stories that someone wants to hear and know about that is either inspiring, educational, or uplifting. There is not a lack of inspiration in each cause or individual. It takes time and energy and effort. It’s not much. You can do this in a short period of time of sharing that with the world and standing up and letting people know. Even adversity can be turned into a way of moving people to take action. Hugh: Great advice. Shannon, thank you for sharing your wisdom with people today, especially with me.   Get the free Power Bio Template at http://shannongronich.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of "Leaders Transform the Art of Influence," we delve into the crucial theme of mindset and confidence as part of our ongoing series on self-transformation. I emphasize that transformation and leadership begin in the mind. Our thoughts shape our beliefs, which in turn influence our behaviors. If we harbor limiting beliefs about our capabilities, we will lead from a place of limitation. However, by cultivating a growth mindset, we can unlock our potential to lead with boldness and resilience. I discuss the concept of invisible barriers—those unspoken doubts and inherited narratives that can hold us back. Drawing from my own journey from conductor to leadership coach, I share how I learned that the principles of leadership remain constant, regardless of the stage. We explore some research on fixed versus growth mindsets, highlighting how a growth mindset allows leaders to view challenges as opportunities for growth. Confidence, I assert, is not something that magically appears; it is earned through purpose, consistency, and preparation. I recount a powerful moment from my conducting days, illustrating that true confidence comes from clarity of intention and presence, rather than from a title. I encourage listeners to reflect on their own limiting beliefs and to engage in a practical exercise to counter those beliefs with empowering statements. In closing, I remind everyone that our mindset sets the ceiling for our leadership potential, but by choosing to grow, we can break through those ceilings. I look forward to our next episode, where we will explore the importance of continuous learning and building routines for growth and excellence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good intentions * Defines scope of responsibilities - most don't really do this they only are a list of tasks and limit responsibilities setting up silos and puts people into a “box" - but gets outdated almost as soon as it’s completed * Protects everyone - yes, is written correctly, if not the JD can create a liability for the employer in a lawsuit * Defines expectations - hardly ever includes * Clarifies a proper fit for the person - only if competencies ar defined in the document A new paradigm The Position Definition Outlining Role & Responsibility * The competencies are clearly stated for the position - education and experience * Clearly define the role for the team member and the responsibility that goes with that role - example: Director of Marketing’s role is to create and implement marketing strategies for increasing the income by 25% over the next 12 months * Develop a set of Performance Expectations - define the outcomes for 30, 60, 90 days and for 1 year * Create weekly flash meetings for teams to share accomplishments from the past week and to define deliverables for the upcoming week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life is divided into three terms – that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future. ... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future. - William Wordsworth Profit is not about the money. This is leadership redefined. Read the transcripts at hughballoupodcast.com (http://hughballoupodcast.com) You manage things; you lead people. —Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper This (webkit-fake-url://3AF6D704-9AFB-4386-9F11-B125393E339B/Leading-vs-Managing-300x225.jpg) is a curious debate. Many in academia use management as the title for business leadership programs. For example, a well-known large university in my town offers a degree in management in the business school and allows for a minor in leadership, which is under the college of life sciences and agriculture. Fortunately, the professor leading that program understands leadership and knows how to apply it in a practical way. I don’t feel that a degree in management qualifies a person to lead an organization, a team, or a project. Its basis is in other areas. As Stephen Covey points out, we manage time and lead people…we manage money and lead people…we manage project implementation and lead people…we manage things and lead people. There is a distinct difference. Managing people fits an autocratic leadership style and not a transformational leadership style. It can be a form of overfunctioning. Top down leadership that is autocratic minimizes the synergy of the team. Here’s a simple chart of my thoughts on the differences: Topic Leader Manager Style Transformational Transactional Direction Engages Demands Conflict Addresses Avoids Risk Takes Minimizes Affirmations Gives Takes Concern Helps others to be right Being right Blame Neutralizes Blames others Energy Passion Control Power Influence Authority Focus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conducting High Performance Meetings Hugh Ballou Conducting High Performance Meetings Is Like Conducting a Symphony Orchestra Conducting a mediocre rehearsal sets the stage for a mediocre performance. A skilled orchestra or choir conductor knows that creating an excellent performance begins with creating an excellent rehearsal – every note has integrity. Corporate leaders conduct boring, unproductive meetings and expect excellent results despite the poor rehearsal. There is not difference in a corporate meeting or a symphony rehearsal. It’s Hugh leadership principle #3: Rehearse for Success. This principle is true for all we do in leadership! When the conductor steps on the podium to conduct a meeting (rehearsal) with an orchestra, he or she is thoroughly prepared for success. Not only are the outcomes in mind, but also the process to get there has been completely planned. With Hugh’s 10 tips for conduction high performance meetings you will equipped to transform your corporate culture to the DNA of excellence that is embedded in every great symphony orchestra around the world. Clearly state the purpose for the meeting. Don’t hold a meeting unless there is a reason. Know why you are holding a meeting and tell others why. Give a definition of the expected output of the meeting. Never, every use an agenda for a meeting! “Agenda” implies activity. “Deliverables” implies and drives for results. Articulate the meeting objectives as clearly stated deliverables or some other term that communicates completion of specific objectives. Review the entire flow for the session at the beginning Explain what will happen and when it will happen in this meeting. Help people understand where the meeting is going and how the group will bet there. This will help each participant be fully present for each part of the meeting and to trust the process. Explain what type of discussion is needed (brainstorming, sorting, prioritizing, etc.) at each point in the meeting and define how those concepts will work. Explain how decisions will be made. Plan the meeting thoroughly Begin with the deliverables, that is, know what you want to walk away with at the end of the meeting. Express the deliverables using specific, measurable outcomes. When planning the meeting, allow twice the meeting time for your planning process. In order to get the best results a commitment to the best planning is necessary. Yes, that’s a 2:1 ratio. Spend twice the time planning the meeting to get the best results from your team. You have good people. Give them the context for getting their best thinking skills and for making the best decisions. Here’s another important planning principle: only plan for 65% of the available time. Some items will take more time than planned. Be efficient with your time and respect the time of others! You will get their best participation. Outline every part of the meeting in your planning guide. Define how much time it will take to introduce the deliverables and give an overview of the meeting. Define how much time it will take to brainstorm, sort and refine. Do not leave out any part of the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Magee's credentials are significant. He is a Certified Speaking Professional, a Certified Management Consultant, and a Certified Professional Direct Marketer. He has been recognized as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Americans" (TOYA) by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, and twice selected to represent the United States at the World Congress as a Leadership Speaker (Cannes, France and Vienna, Austria). A three-term President of the Oklahoma Speakers Association and twice awarded their Professional Speaker Member of the Year, today, the Chapter's outstanding member of the year is awarded the "Jeff Magee Member of the Year Award." Jeff served for four years as an appointed Civil Service Commissioner (Judge) for the City/County of Tulsa Oklahoma. Many of the Fortune 100 firms today use Jeff for Performance Execution® in the areas of managerial-leadership effectiveness, human capital performance, and sales training and coaching. He also been invited to keynote at many major associations in America and speak at West Point Military Academy on leadership.   Jeff is publisher of Professional Performance 360 Magazine and with Hugh Ballou is co-publisher of Nonprofit Professional Performance 360 Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cal Turner received his B.A., cum laude, from Vanderbilt University in 1962. Following his graduation from Vanderbilt, Mr. Turner served for more than three years as an officer in the United States Navy. In December 1965, he began his career at Dollar General, the company founded by his father and grandfather in 1939. He succeeded his father as president in 1977 and as chairman in 1988. At the time of his retirement in 2003, Dollar General had grown into a New York Stock Exchange retailer with more than 6,000 stores in 27 states and annual sales in excess of $6 billion. Mr. Turner has served on the boards of a number of civic and charitable organizations, including the Easter Seal Society of Tennessee, Inc., Leadership Nashville, the PENCIL Foundation and the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. From 2000 – 2001 he was president of the Board of Governors of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. He is a past chairman of the Board of Trustees of Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, a current member of the Board of Trustees of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University in Nashville and present Chairman of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee. In 1988, Mr. Turner accepted the Presidential Award for Private Sector Initiatives from President Ronald Regan at a White House ceremony.  In 1991, the Sales and Marketing Executives of Nashville recognized Mr. Turner with the Summit Award for his excellence in management.  He received the Silver Hope Chest Award in 1992, an honor presented annually by the Middle Tennessee chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  In 1994, he was honored as Nashvillian of the Year by the Easter Seal Society of Tennessee.  In 1997, he received the Alexis de Tocqueville Society Volunteer of the Year Award from the United Way of Middle Tennessee, and, in 1998, he received the Vanderbilt Distinguished Alumnus Award.  In 2002, Meharry Medical College presented Mr. Turner with the school’s prestigious Salt Wagon Award, given for acts of kindness and commitment to Meharry Medical College and its mission. Cal Turner’s commitment to the Methodist Church has been a lifelong personal ministry of faith. The Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church inducted Mr. Turner into the Fellows of the Society of John Wesley in 2001, for distinguished service to local church mission and ministry. In 2002, Mr. Turner was award the Stanley S. Kresge Award by the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation for his commitment to higher education. He and his wife Margaret are the parents of Cal Turner, III, who, with his wife Hope, are the parents of Cal Turner, IV, Alex Turner and Will Turner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story of how Make a Wish Foundation as started by Frank Shankwitz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview with David Stanley Hugh: This is Hugh Ballou. Today, I am interviewing David Stanley. David, you and I have known each other about ten years. David: It has been a while. How are you doing today? Hugh: I’m doing great. I interviewed you years ago, in 2007, for my book Transforming Power about your leadership skills and putting a team together to do a movie. Your themes have been around your brother, Elvis. You are launching an initiative called “My Brother Elvis.” Give us a little background on who you are, your relationship with Elvis, and why this vision is so important to you and to others. David: Let me start off by saying I am excited about the new foundation called My Brother Elvis Foundation, which is a charity designed to educate and support and fight against the drug abuse problems that we have in America today. Some may ask why I would want to do that and what that has to do with Elvis. I spent seventeen years with Elvis Presley beginning in 1960 when my mother divorced my father and remarried Vernon Presley, Elvis’s father. I became Elvis’s stepbrother and moved into Graceland in 1960, and I lived there for seventeen years. This was a great experience. Elvis was a wonderful human being. He took me into his family. He really raised me. He was my father figure, my mentor, the person I looked up to. It was unusual to be driven to school in a pink Cadillac every day; I got a lot of attention for being Elvis’s brother. It was a very cool lifestyle. In 1972, I went to work for Elvis as his personal bodyguard. Working for Elvis meant being part of his entourage, traveling with him everywhere. I went on tours with him, to movie studios. Wherever he went, I went. When I toured with Elvis, I saw a chink in the armor. Elvis had a drug problem. He started off taking a couple pills to help him sleep. That number went from two to four, four to six, six to eight, and by the late ‘70s, Elvis had a very serious drug addiction problem. Unfortunately, we lost Elvis to a drug overdose on August 16, 1977. I was there. I walked into his bedroom to discover his lifeless body. While this is a very brief interview, it’s hard to discuss all of this in detail. That’s why I wrote a book called My Brother Elvis: The Final Years, which is about the final five years of my life with Elvis on the road and the things we are discussing right now. I wrote this book to tell this story about Elvis’s tragedy. Growing up with Elvis, he was such a giver. He was always giving to charities, giving his time and money. He kept writing checks to different charities throughout the world. That was his ultimate gift. I thought about my life. I was brought up this way. I saw the tragedies of what drugs can do firsthand, and now I am telling his story. Elvis’s death does not have to be in vain. Sure, it was a tragedy. Sure, he was a wonderful, loving person, a wonderful father, and a great big brother. He was the king of rock and roll. But the tragedies and realities of the human side of Elvis Presley cost him his life. I said to myself, “I can write this book and share this story. I’m not going to do a tell-all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ed Krow is the Talent Transformation Expert for businesses looking to achieve 8 figure growth. He delivers captivating, high-energy keynote presentations that challenge the traditional model of HR and prepare decision makers for motivating their people with a win-win strategy.In his career, Ed has helped over 250 clients, including Fortune500 companies, achieve talent and culture transformations. As a result, audiences value Ed’s deep understanding of the employee/employer dynamic and his ability create a connection with them right away. On stage, he provides practical approaches, tools, and relevant stories to inspire action.A speaker, trainer and coach certified by The John Maxwell Team; Ed’s topics bring a refreshing perspective on how to leverage what is commonly viewed as “people problems” and turn negative growth into business success.Ed is a member of the National Speakers Association, the Forbes Coaches Council, and a regular contributor to Forbes.com. He is the author of "Strategic HR: Driving Bottom Line Results Through Your People."When he’s not on stage or helping clients, Ed teaches at Millersville University. His first love is family, with golf vying for atight second. If you do catch him at home, he’s likely cheering forthe Notre Dame or Baltimore Ravens football teamsThoughts from Ed KrowBe Like SALT: A Well-Seasoned Approach to LeadershipI'd like you to think about what salt does for us. Our bodies need sodium as a vital nutrient. Salt is a preserver of foods and meats. Salt enhances flavor for us in our food. In olden times, salt was extremely valuable and was used as a trading mechanism. In fact, the word “salary” comes from the Latin word for salt. Now, we're not sure why, although there are some stories that say that Roman soldiers, during the height of the Roman Empire, were actually paid in salt due to its value. In fact, the availability of salt has been pivotal to civilization.Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “She’s salt of the earth”? When we say that, we mean that person is a good and honest person.At any rate, why do I say that we need to be like salt? As leaders, it's our job to enhance our people to make them better than they were when they came to us. That's the same thing that salt does for our food: It makes it taste even better.As leaders, isn't it our job to engage our people and preserve them for the company, just like salt does for foods? And isn't it our job to ensure that our workplace is healthy, thriving and has all the nutrients it needs to be successful? Just like salt for the human body.When we think about salt, we probably take it for granted. It's on every restaurant table; it's in every kitchen; it's probably on your dining room table. It's there when we need it to add a touch of spice to things. As leaders, we need to be there, be readily available for our people. It's OK if we're in the background, but we're there when they need us to add that little pizzazz that they need to get through their workday or to get through that big project.However, we also know that too much salt is not good for us. It can cause high blood pressure, among other things. Being an overbearing leader can have the same result. Not allowing our people to make decisions for themselves, not allowing our folks the opportunity to thrive on their own without our influence, is extremely detrimental. An overbearing leader stifles the creative flavor of their people, much like using too much salt on food takes away from the enjoyment of that food. If we routinely over-lead our people, it's not healthy for their development or for their long-term engagement with the organization.I believe we need to be like salt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Berny Dohrman, Founder and Chairman of CEO Space remembers the work of his father, Alan Dohrman and talks about his own legacy of Cooperative Capitalism with CEO Space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of "Leaders Transform," we delve into the critical relationship between vision and self-awareness in leadership. I emphasize that a leader without a vision is akin to a conductor without a score—both lack direction and clarity. A compelling vision is not just a statement for others to follow; it serves as a personal compass that guides how we live and lead every day. I share insights from my journey, highlighting that true leadership identity stems from a personal vision that resides in our hearts and spirits, rather than just on a wall. This vision shapes our internal identity and informs our presence, tone, and priorities, ultimately giving our leadership depth and resilience. We explore essential questions for creating a personal vision, such as the kind of leader one aspires to be, the values that guide decisions, and how one wants others to experience their presence. I stress that self-awareness is the mirror of leadership; without it, our vision can become obscured, making it difficult to lead effectively. Throughout the episode, I draw parallels between my experiences as a musical conductor and leadership, illustrating how our energy and presence can significantly impact those we lead. When our vision aligns with self-awareness, we achieve congruence in our leadership, fostering trust and transforming not only ourselves but also those around us. I encourage listeners to reflect on their personal leadership vision and consider the gaps between self-perception and how others experience them. As a practical exercise, I suggest writing a one-page personal leadership vision that articulates who you want to be, your core values, guiding principles, and the legacy you wish to leave. In the next episode, we will explore the themes of mindset and confidence, discussing how a growth mindset and internal confidence can enhance our influence as leaders. I look forward to continuing this journey of transformation with you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hugh Ballou interviews author, coach, and seminar leader, Dr, Roberta Gilbert, MD on her work with Murry Bowen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unblocking ourselves starts with knowing ourselves. This 2-part session is about knowing self through the work of Murry Bowen, who created a very useful and relevant leadership system. Here's part 2. Here's the transcript: About Murry Bowen A psychiatrist, Bowen had dedicated his life to the “human cause,” producing a remarkable new theory of human behavior, family systems theory, also known as Bowen theory. The new theory has the potential to replace most of Freudian theory and to radically change treatment approaches, not only in psychiatry, but in all of medicine. Potential applications of Bowen theory extend beyond the human family to nonfamily groups, including large organizations and society as a whole.* *Gilbert, Roberta M. (2011-03-14). Extraordinary Relationships . Leading Systems Press LLC. Kindle Edition. Other Bowen Terms Relating to the 8 Concepts in Part 1 Guiding Principles Statements that guide our decisions personally as well as in organizations. Written principles provide a foundation for differentiating self and for alignment in groups. Anxiety When the leader is anxious, that emotion spreads to everyone in the group. This leads to everyone in the group emotional system potentially escalating the emotional state and making decisions based on emotions rather than using sound thinking. Focus Child When the leader focuses the negating energy on one person is like the parent blaming one child continually for bad behavior. This is a downward spiral where the focus child (or blamed person in the group) actually takes on the behavior that they are accused of. Basic Self/Pseudo Self Basic Self is making decisions using our guiding principles. Pseudo Self is making decisions to gain the favor if others regardless of our own principles. Fusion Reflexive, or automatic, behavior in families moves toward undifferentiation of fusion with others.  The condition of fusion is the "eclipse" of one self by another self or by a relationship system. When fusion occurs, an individual loses personal distinctive attributes and becomes lost or submerged in the characteristics of the other or the relationship system. Nodal Event A nodal event is a significant change, such as a migration, that brings with it many related changes.  In retrospect, a nodal event appears as a turning point in the intergenerational history of a particular family.  Patterns of interaction in these periods generally reflect important characteristics of the overall functioning of a family. Nodal events also include birth, marriage, death, divorce, illness, institutionalization, and occupational change.  These complex major shifts in a family's relationship network trigger automatic behavior patterns that may or may not be adaptive for the family undergoing these changes.   Links: 8 Bowen Concepts on the Bowen Center Site: http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/theory.html (http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/theory.html) Books on Bowen Syetems: Extraordinary Relationships: A New Way of Thinking About Human Interactions http://amzn.to/HuEHlG (http://amzn.to/HuEHlG) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About Murry Bowen A psychiatrist, Bowen had dedicated his life to the “human cause,” producing a remarkable new theory of human behavior, family systems theory, also known as Bowen theory. The new theory has the potential to replace most of Freudian theory and to radically change treatment approaches, not only in psychiatry, but in all of medicine. Potential applications of Bowen theory extend beyond the human family to nonfamily groups, including large organizations and society as a whole.* *Gilbert, Roberta M. (2011-03-14). Extraordinary Relationships . Leading Systems Press LLC. Kindle Edition. 8 Concepts of Bowen Family Systems Links to The Bowen Center Triangles When there are three people in a relationship. Triangles are neither good nor bad - they are. Triangles sometime have one person on the outside when the other two are strongly connected causing tension. More: http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/concepttri.html Differentiation of Self Strong grounding in personal guiding principles where a person does not depend on the approval of others for decisions. Each person in a group emotional system thinks for themselves rather than opting in to the will of the group in what's called "group think." More: http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/conceptds.html Nuclear Family Emotional System The basic family unit is where we learn patterns and behaviors. By observing our family, we learn about ourselves and gain abilities to observe other emotional systems. More: http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/conceptnf.html Family Projection Process We all inherit problems and strengths from our parents who have projected their fears and hopes to us. Observing these patterns frees us the be independent and function in basic self. More: http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/conceptfpp.html Multigenerational Transmission Process We all posses learned behaviors that have been taught to us knowingly and unknowingly through multiple generations. Response to these emotional triggers results in less differention of self. Observing these patterns allows us to make good decisions staying true to our basic self. More: http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/conceptmtp.html Emotional Cutoff This is where we avoid or minimize contact with people with whom we have unresolved tension. Often, we establish new relationships as a substitute with the same issues appearing over time. Meanwhile, the tension continues with the original person creating unresolved anxiety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hugh Ballou interviews author, coach, and branding expert, Julie Corrineau on he work and new book, Twist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This session today is key. I am going to give you my five pillars of success. Each of these pillars is essential. Leave out one of them, and you are limiting your success by at least 50%. Over the 50 years of working with social entrepreneurs, I have found that there are many gaps. The series “Orchestrating Success” is about identifying those gaps, finding the missing elements that are limiting success for each one of us, and filling those gaps with knowledge, systems, and competent team members. Today, five pillars of success. I am going to give the five in a quick overview, talk about each of the five, and then summarize at the end what to do about it. Here are the five pillars. Number one is strategy, the absolute essential foundation of any organization, any business, any charity, any church. There must be a road map. I call it a solution map. Where do you want to be, and how are you going to get there? Pillar number one is strategy. We will talk more about it later. There was a session on it earlier, and we will go into detail on different elements. Number two is leadership. That is us. That is you; that is me. It won’t happen unless we equip ourselves to make it happen. Transform the idea. Transform the organization. It begins with transforming the self. Three is team. Surrounding yourself with highly competent people and getting out of their way. Four, financial. We must have somebody that understands finances, that is external to the organization or to our brain, somebody whom we pay to watch the dollars. I have seen lots of people raise lots of money and go bankrupt because they didn’t have somebody on the team with this expertise planning, evaluating, and monitoring the financial aspects of what we are doing. The last one is a support system. Every successful businessperson, performer, athlete, every successful person has a coach, a mentor, a support system around them, a combination of those. Let’s get started. Strategy. If you didn’t listen to it earlier, go back and listen to the session on strategy. Strategy is what we are going to do, when we are going to do it. It unlocks the key for team performance. People know when to be engaged when they have a strategy. They know what they are supposed to do when they are supposed to do it and what the result looks like. The strategy is your road map from here to where you want to be. Strategy is a plan that you develop. It’s not a business plan; it’s an operational plan. In my world, a business plan is a financial document that you share with a bank or an investor. That is just a footprint, an overview, a snapshot of what your business looks like. A strategic plan includes strategy; it is an operational plan. There is a quantifiable difference. Understand the difference. Build your strategy. Plan your work, work your plan. That is the only way. Strategy talks about your long-term strategic objectives. That is 3-5 years out. What is your target? Where will you be? Define the future in the present tense. One year, short-term goal. Define the future in present tense. One-month milestones. Those are 12 accomplishments during the year. Weekly to-dos. Everything so far has been defining the future in present tense. The weekly to-dos are tactical. Many leaders start here. Here is the tactical part. We have not got the long-term vision, the mid-term vision, or the short-term vision in place. All we are doing is tactics. We have so many tactics that they ultimately have the risk of cancelling each other out. We duplicate efforts and have to repeat actions because we didn’t do them in order. Sequence is key. These tactics are in sequence. You have a linear plan. The secret sauce for me is DVDs, Daily Value Deliverables. I suggest three goals as the limit for most organizations. Most leaders can manage three. I think there are three areas: financial, operational, and what you are delivering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, it’s Hugh. Thanks for joining me today. Today’s topic is how to build a high-functioning culture. I spent 40 years as a musical conductor. I will use musical analogies; I can’t help it. I know how to build a high-functioning culture. I worked 40 years building choirs, hiring great orchestras, and putting them together to create great ensemble. The name of my companies is based on the combination of the words “synergy” and “vision.” Synervision represents, in a non-musical situation, that sense of ensemble, which defines a higher functioning culture. Although these very competent musicians don’t give up their skill to be in a group, they enhance that skill with paying attention and performing together at a much higher level. The conductor doesn’t make it happen; the conductor inspires it and gives the space, just like a leader of a charity, a corporation, a non-profit, a church, or a business creates the space for people to function. I find that the biggest limit to high-functioning cultures is the autocratic leader that says, “Do this and do it this way.” That just pours cold water on human initiative and enthusiasm. I call myself the transformational leadership strategist because I am not a coach nor a consultant. I represent the integration of strategy and performance. We have a piece of music as a conductor that is just a piece of paper with dots. Nothing happens until we make it happen. The performance mode is key. We are only as good as the team around us. If your team is not functioning, if your team is not representing your principles and values, we are in trouble. Assimilating a high-performing team is an art. Let me give you my four steps. This is a surefire way to make sure you have the right people in the right seat on the right bus. Building a high-functioning culture in the organization you are leading is very intentional. We talked in the last session about creating a strategy, and I gave you some beginning thinking points. Certainly it is a lot more complex than I can give you in a podcast. I can give you some of the fundamental principles in the place I sent you before, thedefinitiveleader.com. There are some leadership lessons there, and there is a free report there called “Building a Sustainable Enterprise.” It’s not by accident. We must create the strategy. Out of the strategy we define the competencies we are going to need in our organization: on our board, on our staff, the collaborators, affiliates, joint venture partners, it’s a culture of high performance. We as the leader define that culture. Transformational leadership is a leadership system that is a high functioning, high-performing culture. The culture responds to every nuance of the leader, just like a very skilled orchestra responds to every nuance of the conductor. It’s no accident. We influence and empower people, and we limit people. After we have worked on ourselves, which is the first step, followed by the strategy, and now, only now, can we find the right people to fit the values and the principles we have defined in our culture and the strategy. Here are the four steps. By the way, when you go to hughballoupodcast.com, you get the link where you can print out the lesson if you can’t write it down or are driving. Hughballoupodcast.com will take you to the landing page that lists all of these podcasts and the transcription of what I am talking about. We don’t expect you to remember it all, so we have written it out for you. If there is a download, it will be linked on that page. 1) Competency: You want to make sure you have defined the competencies for the people you want on your team. We have done this in the strategy. You sit down and make a list. Here are all the people I need, and here is the sequence. Your strategy defines what you need when. When do you need this competency? Do you have the resources to pay them? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creating income depends on creating a plan on how to attract profit. This session teaches the principles for planning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to session number three. I am excited about this one. I have been teaching leadership for 30+ years with social entrepreneurs. I am in the middle of watching the Olympics in Rio in 2016 while recording this podcast, and I came to the realization that I am addicted to these games. I also came to the realization that all of these American athletes have worked very hard. They have trained very hard. They have really good coaches. I meet people every day launching an enterprise, and they are just going to go do it, no coaching, no training. They are going to run a marathon and die on the road. This session is about equipping yourself for success. It’s a session about transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is the model for growing your business, and it’s infinitely scalable. It is about transforming your idea into results. It is about converting your passion to profit. It is about building your high-functioning team. It is about creating the life that you want. People say to me, “What does a musical conductor know about leadership?” I respond, “I am a musical conductor. I know about leadership.” Through 40 years of my career, I brought people together who were singers. I transformed them into a choir, and then I transformed them into an ensemble. Same thing with instrumentalists. Formed an orchestra, transformed them into this high-functioning team we call an ensemble. It is where the sum of the parts is not it; it’s greater than the sum of the parts. We have 50 players, 200 singers. It’s not about that. It’s about the culture of high performance to achieve that high standard of excellence. That culture is a reflection of the conductor, just like your team is a reflection of your leadership. When we want to complain about our team, it’s good to look in the mirror and understand why they are functioning that way. This session is about creating the culture of high performance. High-performing teams are a culture of excellence, and that is the point of transformational leadership. It was developed in the 1980’s by two authors Burns and Bass. Burns wanted to reform our political system, and his book was titled Transforming Leadership. We are still in that transforming phase. It has been adopted and moved into a style of leadership that is extremely powerful. As I said earlier, it is infinitely scalable. It is not about you; it is about the vision. It is not that we are the boss. We do what we want other people to do: we model excellence, commitment, and passion. Whatever we model, people will reflect to us. The leader sets the standard. The transformational leader builds leaders on teams, builds a high-functioning culture, mentors others, avoids micromanaging, learns to delegate, and first and foremost, influences others by power of influence, not power of position. It is not the boss, which by the way, is double s-o-b. We are not the boss; we don’t have to approve everything. We have defined a culture of high performance with the standards of excellence defined as guiding principles. By the way, if you go to my website thedefinitiveleader.com, you can get my free report on this. It gives you videos on these four principles I am going to talk about. It gives you a report about leadership, about how important this is to the excellence that you see and the vision that is in your brain. The session coming up next is going to be creating your strategy. It is important to begin with equipping ourselves for the journey, equipping ourselves to develop and implement the strategy. In this podcast, I am going to give you my four principles of leadership. If you can master these four principles, you can lead any organization anywhere. It will make you a better leader starting now. Four principles, number one: When a conductor steps on the podium, they know the score. Principle one is about foundations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This session of Orchestrating Success is about forecasting the future and then making it happen. Orchestrating Success: Converting Your Passion to Profit. Don’t misunderstand this as being all about profit, all about money, all about the green back. It is an important commodity that helps us. It’s sort of like the gas. You get a car, which is sort of like building your business. You learn to drive it sometimes. Now you need to put gas in the car. It’s the fuel that runs your organization, the enterprise that you have been charged with leading. Effective leaders live in the future. We forecast what is going to happen. I remember somebody talking about a famous hockey player one time. They noted that he skated where the puck was going to go. He was there ahead of time. Think about visionary leaders. They are paying attention, looking at the future. That is part of it. Let’s envision the future in this podcast. Looking ahead: envision the future. When Napoleon Hill interviewed Andrew Carnegie, Carnegie introduced him to the most successful business leaders of his time: Ford, Woolworth, Wanamaker, Edison, five presidents, amazing people with amazing success. What Napoleon Hill found out is that every one of them saw the future and could see it in present tense. Definiteness of purpose is what he called that. We as leaders are charged with a vision. The vision is what takes us to where we want to go. Does it? No. The vision is the target. We take us where we want to go. There is a whole lot that needs to happen between the visioning and the arrival point. I’m watching the Olympics, and the track and field is this week. I really love it. I used to run in high school, and I still do; well, we call it running. It is equipping our bodies to do what our brains think we want to do. I have run several half-marathons and lots and lots of shorter races, and I don’t just get up one day and decide to run a road race. However, I meet lots of people, visionary leaders, who want to start a charity, a church, a business. They have an idea and are going to make it happen. Wait a minute, did you train for this marathon? Did you learn to fly the plane before you take off? Flying the plane might not be too hard; it’s the landing part that is tricky. Starting a business, a lot of people do that. Mark Twain used to say, “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing I have ever done. As a matter of fact, I have done it hundreds of times.” Sometimes serial entrepreneurs keep starting businesses because they don’t succeed. We read about the ones who start successful businesses, sell them, and then move on. We don’t read as much about the ones who start and don’t make it. Therefore, let’s equip ourselves for success before we start. Let’s envision the future. Then let’s create a pathway to get there. Envisioning the future, that is an art in itself. Let’s talk about leadership. There are many styles of leadership. Autocratic, charismatic leaders, we read about those. Those people are up there saying, “Do this, do this.” They are called the boss. They give all the orders. They manage. They create anxiety, which we call energy. They create all the stress for themselves. They are always in charge, and they are always giving orders. If that is the way you want to live, that’s okay; however, you might want to take a day off, you might want to go somewhere. We are going to talk in the upcoming sessions about building a system that is going to be the underlying foundation for your enterprise. It’s going to make money in several ways: make money while you are sleeping, make money with your team, your projects, your events, your products, and your personal activities. Before we get there, we have to look at the future. Now, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Orchestrating Success: Converting Passions to Profits, Session 1. This is my brand-new podcast. The recurring themes that have come up over my 30+ years of working with leaders leading businesses, churches, synagogues, charities, and all kinds of organizations are themes that I am going to weave through this podcast over the different sessions. I have already interviewed some really great people with some powerful wisdom. In the next series of podcasts, I will be uncovering things like my four universal principles that will make you a better leader no matter where you are leading, and my five pillars of success: one, two, three, four, five, here is my pathway to success. I meet leaders doing all kinds of different things. I go to events. I keynote at meetings, conferences, workshops, symposiums, summits. I meet people at all kinds of gatherings where they are sharing information and improving their future. I commend people for studying. Many times, people come looking for the secrets outside of themselves. They are looking for secrets to come from someone else when in fact the secrets are inside. As a matter of fact, some of the secrets inside are the secrets that are holding us back. The barriers we create to success often are those barriers that we hold inside of us. They are those negative scripts, those things that we have been compromised with over the years, the things we don’t know about ourselves. There are the mistakes that we’ve made. It’s time to forgive ourselves and let go of those mistakes. Say, “It’s time to let go. I have done the best I can.” Those mistakes have been reframed from mistakes and redefined as learning opportunities. I have had many, many, many learning opportunities. This foundational podcast is about equipping self, unbinding self, releasing the barriers, discovering what is holding us back. It is the shadow that is inside of us that repels money, repels team members, repels customers, when we really want to attract those. Those are the people we need because we have something they need. I don’t know about you, but I listen to lots of podcasts. I learn lots of things from many people. Many people are very successful, and many of these successful people have a niche. This is what I do. I have been bombarded with people selling me, “This is the program that is going to make you rich.” Yes, we do need to make money. It’s not about the money; it’s about me making a difference in people’s lives and building a sustainable profit and income for myself and my business. We need to make money to make sure that we achieve the vision and mission that we see so clearly in our minds. Over this series of podcasts, we will look at some of these shadows, these barriers, these fears and obstacles that are holding us back. Let’s look at defining the life that we want, and then we create the enterprise that will support the life we want. When I meet people at different gatherings, they have great ideas, and out of every 100 people who have a great idea, only three people will do something about it and follow through. Out of those three people that do something about it, 90% will fail because they have not worked on their skill. One of the people I read and listen to is John Maxwell. John Maxwell talks about the different laws of success. One of those is the Law of the Lid. It says that our organization that we are charged with leading can only develop as far as our ability to lead. I tell people that, and I talk about the Dun & Bradstreet study that says 90% of businesses fail because the leaders can’t lead the business. People nod at me, tell me it’s interesting information but it doesn’t apply to them, and move on, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of "Leaders Transform Self Transformation," we delve into the crucial themes of authenticity and integrity in leadership. I discuss how authentic leadership is not about donning a mask to fit a certain role but rather about shedding those masks to reveal our true selves. Many leaders feel pressured to act in ways they believe will earn respect and authority, but this often leads to disconnection. I share my personal journey, highlighting how I initially thought I needed to project confidence and authority, only to discover that true leadership stems from being grounded in our core values and leading with clarity and transparency. Authenticity is our greatest asset, as it fosters trust—the essential currency of effective leadership. We explore the concept of integrity, which serves as the structure supporting our authenticity. Just as a conductor maintains rhythm in music, leaders must ensure their values, words, and actions are in sync. Inconsistencies can erode trust, while a consistent presence builds stability, especially in uncertain times. I emphasize that being authentic doesn't mean oversharing; it means being anchored in who we are and leading without pretense. I encourage listeners to reflect on their own leadership authenticity, identify areas where they may be wearing masks, and consider how they can align their actions with their core values. Ultimately, I remind us that authenticity and integrity are not mere tactics but the essence of effective leadership. As we tune into these qualities, we set the stage for transformative leadership that inspires others. Join me in the next episode as we explore crafting a personal vision and enhancing emotional intelligence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this inaugural episode of my new series, "Leaders Transform," I delve into the essence of transformational leadership, a concept I've championed throughout my career as a conductor and leadership coach. I emphasize that true leadership begins not in the boardroom or on the podium, but within ourselves. Transformation starts from the inside, and it's crucial to manage ourselves before we can effectively lead others. Over the years, I've worked with a diverse range of leaders—from corporate executives to nonprofit visionaries—and I've learned that our attitudes and inner world significantly influence our teams and organizational culture. In this episode, I introduce the foundational truths of effective leadership, focusing on self-transformation as the first step. I encourage listeners to reflect on their core beliefs about leadership, assess whether their daily habits align with their leadership aspirations, and consider how they influence others. I invite you to write a one-paragraph vision statement about the leader you aspire to be, framing it in the present tense. This exercise will serve as your target as we embark on this journey together. In the next chapter, we will explore the critical themes of authenticity and integrity, which are essential for becoming a transformational leader. As I conclude, I share a powerful quote from Father Richard Rohr: "Transformed people, transform people." I look forward to continuing this journey with you in the next session. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dealing with Workplace Conflict Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict (with 17 years of nonprofit leadership experience, I can speak to how conflict is often not addressed well in NPO settings and how to do it well for more collaboration) Too often, team members don't have the meaningful, collaborative conflict that builds better results, creates innovation, and helps you serve your clients and communities. Often, people think of conflict as strictly destructive and avoid it altogether. But the right tools, you can easily help your teams move from destructive or avoided conflict to meaningful collaboration in pursuit of your mission. David Dye helps leaders and teams achieve transformational results without sacrificing their humanity. As a former nonprofit executive and elected official, he is known for practical leadership techniques you can use right away. He’s President of Let’s Grow Leaders, a global leadership development firm known for practical tools and techniques for human-centered leaders. David is also an award-winning author of six books including: Courageous Cultures – How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers and Customer Advocates and Powerful Phrases for Dealing With Workplace Conflict: What to Say Next to Destress the Workday, Build Collaboration and Calm Difficult Customers. He also hosts the popular podcast: Leadership without Losing Your Soul. Website - https://letsgrowleaders.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brainpower with Nina Sunday Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices