Enlightened Executive Podcast

Music not only has the ability to connect people from different backgrounds, but it can also have a profound impact on our health and well-being. As I share in my own book, leaders who use music strategically boost their mental health and revolutionize their leadership. 

Could striving to become a perfect leader keep you from becoming an effective, authentic leader? Authenticity is a buzzword commonly cited in articles discussing effective leadership, but the journey to actually becoming an authentic leader requires more introspection than discussion. 

Experts talk about the importance of trust, but very few actually discuss how to build it. Yet trust is a competitive advantage in today’s volatile environment. The interdependent nature of business means that we cannot afford to not develop high levels of trust.

Organizations crush their employees with emails, meetings, decks, reports and paperwork all day long while expecting vitality and meaningful contribution. White space is this unscheduled time that allows talent to tap into their creativity, productivity, and ultimately their full potential.

Talent retention is not just a strategy, it’s a mindset that requires a shift in the way organizations approach the management of their employees. In this episode, Mike outlines 3 essential strategies for keeping top performers engaged and committed to the company’s mission.

We’re connected worldwide. At the same time, we’re more disconnected than ever. COVID-19 showed us it’s possible to work and live in a borderless society. But in a hybrid or remote work environment, how can we reconnect with our teams and colleagues in a meaningful way?

When you listen to a song, the way you connect to it, the emotions it evokes in you, and the way that you interpret the meaning of the song, is an experience that is uniquely yours. Have you ever thought about the impact that the music you regularly listen to has on your emotions and on your life?

The relationship between a CEO and a COO is akin to that of yin and yang. The key is to find a truly compatible counterpart, build a foundation of trust and honesty, and have confidence in the other person’s ability to get the job done without having to constantly check-in with each other.

Did you know that, believe it or not, only about 10% of your happiness comes from outside conditions and circumstances? Which means that 90% of your happiness is within your control, that you generate internally. These percentages make up the happiness formula.

Most every business wants to be seen as a beacon of diversity and inclusion. Yet, with the incoming workforce being more diverse than ever, why does this goal seem to be increasingly hard to achieve? The reality of a diverse and inclusive workforce isn’t measuring up.

There comes a time when every leader realizes that they have a “bellyful.” A moment where you see, with absolute clarity, that your current course of action no longer works for you, and you’re ready for drastic and intentional change. For Laban Ditchburn, this moment came 7 years ago.

Leaders like to be in complete control. Every action you take is toward a tangible goal. When you cannot see the way forward, you step back and reassess where you veered off the path. But often we focus too quickly on “the how.” What happens when you start to ask why?

What skills are most important in being an effective leader? Is it the ability to inspire? The ability to be innovative or master strategic decision making? Jim Hotaling believes that while all these attributes matter greatly, they’re nothing without the skill of resilience.

The only true power you have isn’t changing others; it’s shifting how you show up as a leader. That shift starts with music… and updating your soon-to-be old playlist. Music can do more than soothe you; music has the power to heal your trauma and allow you to triumph.

Michael Jackson said it best: “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change.” Are you curious about the playlist you currently have running in the background of your mind, and you’re perhaps starting to wonder how to change that playlist?

There is no denying that music has the power to transform us. We often listen to music that matches our emotional state, but can we also leverage music to alter our state to the level of happiness we seek? And can we get our newfound happiness to stick? Yes we can!

Early childhood experiences can impact how we currently interact with others, particularly in stressful situations. The reality is, your wounds and habits, if not addressed, will become exposed while you try to run the marathon of scaling an organization.

What if I told you, that regardless of your age or experience, the impact that you have as a leader is limited by an internal story, that replays itself over and over in the background of your life? That story is a repeating record, imprinted with a playlist of songs, and it influences everything you do.

Is your team overwhelmed by the pace of change? Are you feeling a sense of burn out? Or maybe you feel that you can’t delegate or trust your team to deliver. The impact of your current playlist shows up in many insidious ways. But in this episode we discuss a way to change that.