Enlightened Executive Podcast

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.

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?

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.

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?

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?

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.

Leadership looks pretty nice for the Tim Cook and Warren Buffetts of the world. They’re widely recognized for their contributions, and by every account, they’ve attained success. But what about the leaders climbing the ladder and making a conscious impact away from the public eye? 

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

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. 

As you rise through the ranks of leadership, experiencing setbacks and failure is inevitable. But as many successful leaders will share, what we often judge as failures are merely opportunities to grow and learn. How you respond to the tests you face will make the difference.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How do you accelerate change? We all have this playlist running in the background of our lives that—whether we know it or not—acts as a ceiling on our leadership effectiveness. And the good news is you can change it. I’ll show you how in my upcoming book, The Leader’s Playlist.

As leaders, we’re taught that our opinions and feedback drive our business’s success. That we must be at the head of all decision-making and take a stead-fast and assertive approach to our teams in the way we motivate them. But what if we were to turn that on its head?