Enlightened Executive Podcast

Music has the power to increase team and personal effectiveness. Certain songs have the ability to trigger powerful emotions and memories within us. By harnessing this power, we can intentionally use music to subconsciously boost our moods, productivity and motivation.

If you’re a leader who is only focused on profitability and productivity, consider that you might be doing just the bare minimum. The enlightened, modern leader is intentional about using their position to contribute to a more equitable organization. Social good is good for business. 

High achievers are primed to buy into common misconceptions around happiness and fulfillment, underestimating the importance of prioritizing self. True fulfillment is a deep sense of well-being that comes from living in alignment with one’s values and purpose.

Rapid evolution and the extraordinary pace of change is the only constant. Driving factors such as artificial intelligence, the remote and hybrid workforce, and global sustainable business practices make it imperative for leaders to adapt quickly in order to stay relevant.

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?