Unconventional Leadership Podcast-logo

Unconventional Leadership Podcast

Career

The Talent Magnet Institute is committed to developing leaders to succeed in relationships, work, community, and life: we’ll reframe what success means, and you’ll hear the personal stories of successful leaders from around the globe. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, every guest has a unique story to tell and insights to bring. Discover how to achieve a new type of success that goes much deeper than profits: culture, talent, and holistic leadership.

Location:

United States

Description:

The Talent Magnet Institute is committed to developing leaders to succeed in relationships, work, community, and life: we’ll reframe what success means, and you’ll hear the personal stories of successful leaders from around the globe. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, every guest has a unique story to tell and insights to bring. Discover how to achieve a new type of success that goes much deeper than profits: culture, talent, and holistic leadership.

Language:

English


Episodes

Taking on Leadership Challenges with Deb Coviello

6/28/2023
Tune in to today's episode of the Unconventional Leadership Podcast as host, Mike Sipple Jr., visits with Deb Coviello, a trusted partner to C-Suite leaders with 30 years of experience in helping clients identify, assess and solve issues preventing their businesses from growth. Their discussion weaves between the biggest issues facing CEOs in today's culture to helping teams deal with conflict. If you are a leader in today's culture their conversation will cover a topic that is relevant to you. Main Points from the Episode: Main struggles facing CEOs today Feedback is freeing not fearful Viewing conflict as an opportunity The impact of failing to develop people Quotes from the episode: The ultimate goal is peace of mind not only for them as business owners, or C-suite leaders, but for their customers as well, and focus a little bit less on the results. If you're not in a culture where people are freely giving you feedback, we as an individual need to know how to solicit feedback in a way that is positive and actionable. When giving feedback, the framework is what should one continue? What should start? And what should they change? A little bit of the framework is to find common ground to slow things down, seek to understand the gap from a place of curiosity, and agree what the gap is, and then each take action moving forward. Resources: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Deb Coviello "The CEO's Compass: Your Guide to Get Back on Track" Click here for our Leadership Foundations course Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Deb Coviello | LinkedIn | Twitter Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! If you like our podcast, be sure to follow us on social media as well for more content on how to be the best unconventional leader.

Duration:00:40:04

Learning to Listen with Heather Younger

6/21/2023
How often do you stop to truly listen to the people around you? Everyone wants to be heard. Too often frustration and resentment build within a company because no one feels like they are being listened to. Join Mike Sipple Jr. and Heather Younger as they dive into a conversation about what true listening looks like and how it can impact the culture of your workplace. Main Points From the Episode: Create a culture of listening. The end result of listening is that people are heard, valued, and understood. Listening is for everyone, leaders and employees alike. Quotes from the Episode: The activation part is the thing that happens after you seek, or after you lean in, or after you do the thing that was fully encapsulating and listening. You build trust via listening, but you have to have trust to get to the truth of your listening. Are people comfortable enough to openly tell us their whole truth? It's super important to set expectations right up front. You may not be able to act on any or all of the things, but you do have an intent to do the work. The act of listening is a tennis match where one person is kind of delivering back and forth, and you're always interacting. It's a two-way street. Resources: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Heather Younger "The Art of Caring Leadership" Heather Younger "The Art of Active Listening" Heather Younger "The Seven Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty" Stephen Covey "The Speed of Trust" Stephen Covey "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" Click here for our Leadership Foundations course Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Heather Younger | LinkedIn | Twitter Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! Listening without action isn't effective. Take action after listening to this podcast and subscribe to the Unconventional Leadership Podcast.

Duration:00:33:49

Philosophy for the Modern Leader with Paul LaLonde

6/14/2023
Philosophy isn't just meant for old guys with white beards living in ivory towers. Philosophy has a place in today's world and in today's company culture. Paul LaLonde, VP of People and Culture of CETA of Cook County, joins Mike Sipple Jr. for a conversation about what philosophy is and how to integrate it into the workplace. Philosophy has you look at yourself and helps you determine how to live better. Who wouldn't benefit from implementing that practice in their life both personally and professionally? Tune in as they take a closer look at philosophy, conflict resolution, and more! Main Points From the Episode: The place philosophy has in the modern workplace The cyclical nature of life The importance of conflict as an opportunity Quotes from the Episode: True philosophy to me, and to a lot of the philosophers that I study, is meant for the real world. It's meant for the real individual. To be a philosopher means to look at yourself every day and try and live a better life, and live by values that you espouse to make the world a better place. You're not going to become a great leader overnight. It's something you need to work on daily. It's something you need to work on minute by minute, hour by hour, opportunity by opportunity. Communication is key. So all problems and I thoroughly believe this in personal life, but also business, I would say almost all, if not all, problems arise from miscommunication, poor communication, or lack thereof. We can't be afraid of failure because it's the greatest teacher that anybody is ever going to have. Resources: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Matthew Desmond "Poverty by America" Click here for our Leadership Foundations course Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Paul LaLonde | LinkedIn | Twitter Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! If you like our podcast, be sure to follow us on social media as well for more content on how to be the best unconventional leader.

Duration:00:41:29

Maintaining a Growth Mindset with Danielle McCombs

6/7/2023
When do we stop growing? Sure we stop growing physically at some point, but maintaining a growth mindset is vital to our success both professionally and personally. You have to believe that you are able to learn new things, tackle new tasks, and take on new responsibilities. No one knows the importance of maintaining a growth mindset more than Danielle McCombs, our guest on this week's episode of The Unconventional Leadership Podcast. Tune in to learn more about growth mindset and how to apply it to all areas of your life! Main Points from the Episode: Growth happens best when you understand your learning style Growth leads to opportunities Growth mindset is for everyone Be curious and ask questions Quotes from the Episode: The best way to define growth mindset is your belief in your ability to learn, not your ability in playing the saxophone, or your ability in algebra, but your ability to learn those things. There are also places where you can have a fixed mindset in some things and a growth mindset in others. It's not an either-or. We want to build up individuals who think intentionally about themselves and those around them, both professionally and personally. So much of what you do is helping give people the confidence and the voice to own who they are. Building that confidence and being willing to be bold in whatever your past says, this might be part of your past, but it doesn't define your future. Resources from the Episode: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Click here for our Leadership Foundations course Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Danielle McCombs | LinkedIn Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! Continue listening to The Unconventional Leadership Podcast to continue in your growth as a leader!

Duration:00:39:24

Building a Thriving Company Culture with Melanie Booher

5/31/2023
The culture of a company or business is vital to an employee's experience. But many organizations spend little or no time developing a healthy culture. Join Melanie Booher, president of Influence Network Media, and Mike Sipple Jr. as they talk through how to build a culture within a company, and how enhancing an employee's day-to-day can affect the bottom line. Culture is about all the little experiences people have within a business, so no element is too small to discuss! If you are a leader within an organization, this is a must-listen episode! Main Points from the Episode: Culture drives the bottom line of a company Culture is about hundreds of micro experiences within a company People stay with a company based on the level of care they are given Quotes from the Episode: They either are repelled by your culture or they're attracted by it. The way you show up for them is what they're going to remember most. They may come for your values and mission, but they're going to stay based on how you treat them and how you make them feel. Resources from the Episode: Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Melanie Booher "Conscious Culture" Catherine Ryan Hyde "Pay It Forward" Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Melanie Booher | LinkedIn | Twitter Click here for a new retention course for leaders. Access the transcription of this episode here. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! Subscribe to our podcast to stay current with important ideas surrounding unconventional leadership!

Duration:00:37:04

200. Caring for the Entirety of Your Employees with Cory Carlson

5/24/2023
Being a great leader includes caring for your employee's home life. As much as we try to separate home and work life, they bleed together. One affects the other and vice versa. Join Cory Carlson on The Unconventional Leadership Podcast as we talk about the importance of caring for the entirety of your employees. Cory shares from his personal experience in corporate America, his own burnout, and from the coaching and speaking business he has built. Tune in to learn how you as a leader can invest in your employee's personal life as well as their professional one! Find Cory Carlson Online at: https://www.corymcarlson.com/ Quotes from the Episode: My encouragement is no matter where you're at, you don't have to stay there. All leaders get knocked down. Great leaders get back up quicker. We know that being intentional takes work. It also takes inspiration. My vision statement is to connect people to greater performance and even more significant purpose. We all know we have to hit those numbers, but what I also know is we need to hit those numbers and cross that finish line- look back and not see shrapnel, not see broken marriages, not see parents that don't know their kids. Instead, we want to go across that finish line together where as a company we hit our goals, we're still married, we're doing well physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Imposter syndrome is real, and sometimes it's so helpful to have a coach to help encourage you, and hold you accountable to stay focused on what really matters and not shiny object syndrome. With technology, our whole days are blended together, and it can get messy. People leave jobs because they don't feel seen, known, and heard there. You may find someone bigger and better, but if you don't fix your purpose, your culture, and how you're treating the whole self of people, that next bigger, better person will leave. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Cory Carlson "Rise and Go" Cory Carlson "Win At Home First" Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Cory Carlson | LinkedIn | Twitter

Duration:00:39:25

199. Creating a Positive Work Environment: Insights from an HR Expert with Stacie Baird

5/17/2023
What kind of experiences are people having within your organization? The human experience extends and encompasses our careers and work life. Stacie Baird who has 20+ years in Human Resources joins the show to talk about how as leaders, we can positively impact the human experience when people choose to work within our organization. A huge part of that experience takes place through communication, both verbal and written. Join our conversation and learn how you can positively affect the human experience of anyone working within your organization. Find Stacie Baird online at: https://staciebaird.com/ Quotes from the Episode: Every time we send out an email, there's an opportunity to create an experience for someone. Every time we talk about launching a program, it's an opportunity to affect and change people's experiences inside and outside of the organization. The work is always inside out. We start inside and that's what reflects back out to the people that we work with every day. Everything in life, everything we do, influences others' experiences. Be mindful about written communication and do your best to understand how someone may accept and receive that information. I will say communication, and effective communication, certainly has a huge impact on people in their experience inside of the organization. We're constantly looking to evolve and see where people are. That's a really healthy practice. One of the big challenges in our business is that there is a lived experience, a human experience in our organization that is very heavy. We are working with people that are struggling with substance use disorder and opioid use disorder. The biggest thing we can do is reduce the stigma of getting help, and there is an incredible amount of stigma around seeking and accepting help for opioid use disorder. We are very focused on harm reduction. We don't expect perfection. We would love people to make progress. There are so many employees around us and team members around us that are dealing with emotional trauma in their life that their employers step away from. How do we look at the lens of trauma-informed care related to the human experience of people within work? When someone's failing, or not succeeding in a role, it's really challenging for them emotionally to continue to navigate. I think that unconventional leadership is by definition that everyone, every human has their own perspective, history, background, and experience. There is nothing better as a leader than showing up with who you really are, your strengths, and your vulnerable areas of opportunity to your team. Join the conversation and share your ideas with us! Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Stacie Baird | LinkedIn

Duration:00:44:06

198. Finding Purpose in Work and Life with John McCarthy

5/10/2023
60% of Americans are emotionally disengaged from their work life. That means a majority of Americans aren't emotionally invested in what they spend a majority of their life doing! Join John McCarthy and myself for a conversation surrounding finding purpose in life and in work. A big part of finding purpose is knowing oneself. How can you know what you want, if you don't spend any time on introspection? Tune in and learn how you can find purpose not just in your work life, but life in general. Find John McCarthy online at: http://purposepartner.org Quotes from the Episode: We don't want to create great managers, people, and leaders that only think about work. I want people to think about the whole human and how we can help those around us succeed. The muscle memory to really contemplate oneself is something that we're not learning at an early age. We all want to see people go deeper into the introspection of taking information and gaining the knowledge they need about their unique self. Every unique person has unique views, we should have unique views on success, but we can only obtain it through wisdom. If I'm a manager, what's my responsibility for the team around me to help them find their purpose? If I'm a leader, I need to stop looking at the people that I lead as a cog in the wheel of my productivity and start realizing my job in leadership is to help them define their best life. To understand the difference between management and true leadership right now is absolutely critical for any organization that's looking to attract and retain top talent. 60% of the American workforce is emotionally detached from work. This was a unique metric that they brought out this year, and 19% were flat out miserable. Emotions are a gift from God and they're beautiful and we all show up with them each and every day. When we create an environment where we have greater emotional awareness, we are creating environments where people are not going to check them at the door. No strategy ever got accomplished without people. You matter because we're going here, and you are a part of getting there. A cog in our wheel of getting there so that we can increase profitability, but we can change the world with you uniquely and we honor who you are in it. People are so excited when they can be inspired by purpose -organizationally and individually. The collective nature of crafting these visions, these missions, these core values are essential. The question is, do your values on the wall align to the behaviors that people experience? One of the things that we have been sharing with individuals is, don't talk about the value. Talk about acknowledging when the values are lived. You don't get things accomplished when your people don't even understand the definition of what you're trying to accomplish. We need to have strong systems and boundaries in place. People crave boundaries, but they love those boundaries when they have a say in what they are. We're in an era where we're going to see organizations get back to the root of why we're actually in business, and that's caring for people all across the org chart. It's really about helping people understand what self-care looks like for themselves in order to create psychologically safe environments. Why would we tell them to rest while they're at home and not create environments where they can feel rested and balanced at work? We can't just create a culture of wellbeing based on what we feel we need. We need to help them discover what they need and meet them in that place. You have to prioritize and realize that there's amazing value in contemplating oneself. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter John McCarthy | LinkedIn

Duration:00:40:15

197. Preparing Your Line of Succession Within Your Business with Becky Scheeler

5/3/2023
What's the exit strategy? Every member of your team, from the CEO down to the front desk manager needs to have a succession plan, and it can't begin once that individual puts in their notice. Becky Scheeler joins us again on the Unconventional Leadership Podcast to talk about how to prepare your line of succession within your business. Bottom line, it's never too early to begin the grooming process! Tune in to learn how and when to start replacing your most valuable assets as a company, your people. Find Becky Scheeler online at: https://centennialinc.com/ Quotes from the Episode: I think one of the most important things is that they fit in your organization, not only where you are today, but the right fit for the future. Inventory your values. Ask other people in the organization that you know and respect. Ask your advisors. It's really about succession planning. I suggest three years out. You want to have a long-term vision of 5 to 10 years, but as far as talent goes, what are we going to need to get us through the next three years? Have people do an inventory of their job description on a regular basis. You always want to have a contingency plan. We are seeing a trend, and they're usually larger, privately held companies, where they're asking: we really want our succession plan to be this person that you're bringing on now to probably stay for 15 or 20 years. When we add someone to our team, if we help this person unlock their fullest potential and create a culture inside the organization that this person really integrates with well and brings a lot of additional value and experience to, what are the possibilities? It takes intention to reach those possibilities. We know that when a candidate walks in, they don't just interview with the hiring manager. They're looking at their whole experience. Find, as a team, those key things that you're looking for. Candidates want to know the big tough questions that we're working through as an organization. Why we are where we are, and what we're processing as a group. Before we ever recruit, we have to make sure that we're all aligned to build that attraction for the candidate pool. The best assessment is an assessment that's already been given to your leadership team. It's something that you've already validated within your organization. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Mike Sipple Jr. "People Fusion: Best Practices to Build and Retain a Strong Team" (with contributions from various other authors) Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Becky Scheeler | LinkedIn | Twitter

Duration:00:40:39

196. Your Moral Compass with Kimberly Luse

4/26/2023
Did you know that your moral compass plays a huge role in your professional life? In this week's episode of the Unconventional Leadership Podcast, Kimberly Luse shares the importance of knowing your moral compass. It's vital to know where your value system lies, and how to honor it in your workplace. As leaders, we have to lead by example by walking according to our own moral compasses. The first step to living a moral life is defining what morality looks like to you. You may be able to finish the sentence, but tune in to learn how to start it! Find Kimberly Luse Online at: https://www.strategicethicalsolutions.com/ Quotes from the Episode: If you don't know where your moral compass lies, if you're trying to figure that out under duress, it can be very complex and maybe not get you where you need to go. People will get to the end of the sentence pretty easily, but that elusive first part is where your moral compass lies. What is the core thing, whether it's professional or personal, and lots of times they overlap, where you know that if you get out of alignment with that, you're going to be frustrated and not productive. What we're trying to find is that place where, if you cross that boundary within yourself, you're not going to be able to sleep at night. We're always struggling with how do we act and behave towards others, but it's also how do you allow people to treat you? People become terrified that if they speak up, they may lose their position. They might make decisions based on the fear that they are going to be somehow harmed: their reputation, their livelihood, or their ability to support themselves and their families. You can't possibly have all the answers. That's why you put good people around you that you trust. I don't know what to do right now, but together we'll be stronger to figure it out. If you're in business and you're executing any type of plan or strategy, no plan or strategy ever got accomplished without people. We are not built to have the foot on the gas all the time in a heightened state of stress, worried sick about what the next day's going to bring. Be the example of what's really going on in life. It is the definition of being strong enough to stand in your value system, that you have to have done the work to know what that is, to know why you're behaving the way that you do. Be vulnerable enough to stand up and say, I've done this work. I value that time. I want you to take time to take care of yourself. We are going to approach each other with a trauma-informed lens. We are going to make sure that we set the example that we are not going to violate one another. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Resources: Brenda Corbett and Jennifer Chloupek "Why It Matters, the Sherpa Guide to What You Are Looking For" Scott Eblin "Overworked and Overwhelmed the Mindfulness Alternative" Kimberly Luse "Losing Your Job Without Losing Your Mind" Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Kimberly Luse | LinkedIn

Duration:00:53:40

195. Curiosity and Collaboration with Jodi Brandstetter

4/19/2023
Every entrepreneur has a story, but not everyone has the ability to write a complete book about it. Collaborating is a great way to share your story and expertise in conjunction with others in a similar field. Jodi Brandstetter joins us on the Unconventional Leadership Podcast to share her knowledge in the realm of collaboration. A key element to developing your story is curiosity. Asking questions and seeking answers helps you develop yourself and those around you. Get to know yourself, and your team so you can build a brand that is recognizable. Tune in to the podcast to dive deeper into these topics! Find Jodi Brandstetter online at: https://jodibrandstetter.com/ Quotes from the Episode: If you are not willing to ask questions or Google something to find out what's happening, you are really going to be stuck in your career. Once you really can see what curiosity can do for you, then you should absolutely be pulling that out of your team, letting them explore, and be able to do what they want to do. Let them fail. You have to accept that you have that inner critic. You have to listen to it, but it doesn't define you. A collective is an opportunity for someone who wants to become an author, but they do not want to write a book alone. There's a lot of time, energy, effort, and money to writing your own book. A collective book gives you the opportunity to write with other authors. Branding is understanding who you are, what drives you, what motivates you, what makes you- you, and then being able to highlight that to the world so people can really understand who you are. Truly understanding your gifts, your passions, your strengths, and your weaknesses is really going to help you with your profession. Every human has a brand. It's a matter of how we manage it and how we lead it. There are some amazing stories that people don't even know that they have. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Resources: Matthew Kelly "The Dream Manager" Jodi Brandstetter "Breaking Through" Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Jodi Brandstetter | LinkedIn

Duration:00:30:08

194. Leading a Thriving Company with Carol Lawrence

4/12/2023
It's not easy to be a female leader in today's society, but Carol Lawrence has been leading teams well for almost 30 years. It's our privilege to have her share some of her wisdom with us on today's episode of The Unconventional Leadership Podcast. Good leadership is about trust. Good leaders trust their employees, and employees, in turn, trust their leadership. When there is a healthy balance of respect, fun, and trust, companies thrive. The tone must be set by the leader for the trickle-down to be effective. Regardless of the generational gap among employees, there is a universal truth that if you meet individuals where they are and hear what they have to say, your team has a better chance of healthy chemistry. Carol has a wealth of knowledge and we are grateful for all she has to share! Find Carol Lawrence online at: https://centennialinc.com/ Quotes from the Episode: Even though I worked in several male-dominated industries as a leader, I did not have to put aside my femininity. I did not have to become one of the boys. Sometimes even when you don't have your voice, you find your voice to help someone else. You don't have to know everything. It's not just the leader, it's the whole team that needs to succeed. I'm not going to ask anybody that I supervise to do anything that I'm not willing to do. I will actively show them that I'm part of the team. Just because it worked before doesn't mean it's going to work this time. We are not cookie cutter people. We don't take the time to enjoy what we've done and the impact that we might have had. Even when somebody comes and tells us we made an impact, we tend to, as human beings, be like, oh thanks for that, but I could have been better. We have to take the time to celebrate the small things because when we have the big things, we'll be comfortable to celebrate it. You have to show that you care enough about the people you supervise to care for yourself. As the leader, you have to take the time to be genuine. Let your staff and your team know that they can trust you. As a good leader, you then learn how to tailor the message and meet that person where they are. You don't have to be shouting from the rooftop to be a leader. I can sit quietly in a room and still lead that room. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Resources: Jay Steinfield "Lead from the Core" Stephen Covey, "Leading at the Speed of Trust." Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Carol Lawrence | LinkedIn

Duration:00:34:57

193. Human Connection in the Workplace with Laura Canter

4/5/2023
People need to feel connected to people. There is no doubt that over the last 3 years, human connection has been threatened in the workplace. While good has certainly come from employees working from home (having a sense of control over their environment) there is a definite lack of connection to their work, their coworkers, and their bosses. Laura Canter shares a bit about the psychology of human behavior and leading people through change. She shares the importance of focusing on individual strengths rather than weaknesses. We've all had change forced upon us over the last three years and today on the Unconventional Leadership podcast we want to talk about how you can weather the changes well! Find Laura Canter online at: https://canterassociates.com/ Quotes from the Episode: Covid kind of exacerbated it and let everybody throw their hands up and say, okay, this is what I actually need and want from either my organization or my boss or just life in general. People don't become teachers or nurses for the big bucks. They don't do it because it's just a job. It really is a calling for them. We have to manage more. We have to keep up with more. I need to take a mental health day. People don't laugh at that anymore. They see it as a, wow, you know what? I think I might need to as well. There's such an, innate protection element that we all want to hold on to what we've always done. Working from home, it allowed people to maybe set their own schedules a little bit more, have a little bit more of that flexibility again, feeling like they actually had some sort of autonomy within their role. We have to talk to the individual. We have to understand their individual priorities, motivators, stressors. If you don't take time to do that, this is where you're going to create chaos in a team. We spend more time in a job than we do with our families. It's completely unrealistic to think that you're not going to have a personal and emotional connection to whatever it is that your occupation is and what you're doing If you had one negative interaction with someone on your team, you need more positive events to get you back to neutral, you're never going to build that positive relationship with them. As a leader, when you know your strengths, the way that you manage "the weaknesses" is to go hire people who have incredible strengths in areas that you don't. Number one, do you even recognize the strengths and the talent of the people on your team first? Second, do you acknowledge and appreciate then how well those strengths and talent can come together? If a company is actively investing in you and feeding into your interests and the strengths that you have inside of you, you're going to naturally be more engaged. By putting so much on managers, they don't feel like they have the time to even get to know people. That's the biggest mistake you can take, not genuinely getting to know your individual team members. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Resources: Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter

Duration:00:40:59

192. Company Culture and Communication with Becky Scheeler

3/29/2023
Some of the greatest ideas are birthed from silence. When you ask questions of your team and your employees, it's okay if it takes a while for them to respond with their answers. Becky Scheeler is back on the Unconventional Leadership podcast sharing about the importance of culture and communicating with your team. It's important to foster an environment where employees can share their good ideas and their opinions. Conversely, if a company's culture is toxic, you have to be ready to dig into the issues. Listen into a conversation with a guest so full of knowledge we had to have her on multiple episodes! Find Becky Scheeler online at: https://centennialinc.com/ Quotes from the Episode: If you treat your employees right, they're gonna know what good looks like and they're gonna treat their customers that way. So it's very simple, you treat others the way you get treated most often. The first thing that I work on all the time is trying to keep my mouth shut and reflect the question back. You gotta have fun at work. I mean, people wanna have fun. People wanna work with people that they like. I don't mean fun like you don't have to have a party every day, but be able to laugh at ourselves and have a clear goal. Have that dialogue. Well, what do you think? What are the pitfalls? What's the worst that can happen? What's the best that can happen? It's okay to have silence. It's okay to let people process for a few minutes. One of the ways to evaluate the health and safety that you've created in your company is to identify where the greatest ideas are coming from. Because if they're all in the boardroom or all in the executive leadership team meeting, you're probably not creating a safe environment where people aren't afraid to raise their hands and ask questions. They feel judged or evaluated by the questions that they're asking or the ideas they're bringing at the table. It's really important to be on the floor, to be in front of the customer, to listen to all levels of employees, because they're all seeing ways that things can be done better. You really have to know yourself. And when I say yourself, I'm not talking about just the executive, but those that you know and trust. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU

Duration:00:35:25

191. Leading With a Clear Vision with Mehmet Yuksek

3/22/2023
Businesses without a clear vision at the top won't have buy-in from employees. Mehmet Yuksek is a globally seasoned and accomplished strategic business leader with a demonstrated track record of building high-performing teams. He shares in the Unconventional Leadership podcast the importance of leadership within a company creating and sharing a clear vision. For a business to truly thrive, leaders need to spend time sharing with and listening to all aspects of the company. Mehmet and Mike sketch out the ideal ecosystem for a healthy business. It starts at the top but trickles all the way down. Wherever you fall on the totem poll, there is something for you. Find Mehmet Yuksek on LinkedIn. Quotes from the episode: I boil (leadership principles) down to three things, from my perspective, number one would be what I call the 3H principle, I tried to lead with my head, my heart and my hands. The teams that you have in the organization are the foundation of anything you do. Any sustained success happens with the right people in the right seats. What do I want it to be known for? How do I want to be remembered inside of the organizations that I lead? It's not just about you. It's not about me, it's about we. If you want to strengthen, if you want to leverage that, we, we need to be able to sit down and make sure that we're listening to our people. Lead with humility and confidence. If there's no organizational health, then its intelligence is not gonna last. I would always finish with two questions. The number one is, how am I? And number two is, what else can I do to support you better? Give me the good news and the bad news. Every single time I always ask. Not just the good news, but the bad news so that we can do something about it, because we should be doing something about it collectively. So, definitely, there's always a reason to try, but I do believe certainly that for it to really be sustained in the mid to long term, it needs to be really nurtured and supported and enabled by the greater organization. So there's only so much one person can do. It's not about heroism, it's about being an agent of change. That's one of the reasons why, when you look at data, employees thrive in environments of clarity and engagement because clarity makes everything about work and life better. It really transcends all borders. It's just the universal truth. Ask a question or leave a comment at: https://forms.clickup.com/2253800/f/24rz8-20340/XTWGWO599F6S42X0JU Resources: People Fusion

Duration:00:43:34

190. Building Genuine Relationships as a Leader with Mark James

3/15/2023
Are you ready for a quick but impactful way to strengthen your leadership development? Talent Magnet has a digital leadership development platform and a FREE way to take it for a test drive! Sign up for Leadership Foundations here. On this episode of the Unconventional Leadership Podcast, we’re sitting down with Mark James, the founder and president of HIRE Consulting Services. We talk about how to build genuine relationships and how they help you as a leader. Mark encourages us to see what we can give, and how we can help those around us. Mark James, CPC, is the founder and president of HIRE Consulting Services, established in 1999. Mark is a Certified Personnel Consultant and the author of the best-selling books; "Keys to the C Suite: Unlock the Doors to Executive Career Path Success" and "The Interview Mindset: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Your Career." Mark has over 25 years of experience in Executive Career Management Coaching, Outplacement, and Executive Search Consulting. He has been a Certified Partner with the Predictive Index since 2016. Find Mark James here: https://hireconsulting.com/ Join in the conversation and share your ideas with us! Interview Quotes: You pretend you're the doctor and the hiring manager is, the patient. Your goal is to determine where's the pain, and what's not working? What are the objectives for the person that gets the job that he or she needs to do? Very much like a doctor, when you're sick, a doctor has to ask very compelling questions in order to determine what's wrong, and how to provide a remedy. One of the things that I believe, is in short supply is, ethics, integrity, and honesty. I believe that everything we do, it's imperative that we use honesty, ethics and integrity in the way we deliver services, and deal with customers on a daily basis. So, I believe that 93% of all communication is nonverbal. A big part of that is listening, and asking questions to get people talking, who are shy, and you learn about them. It's a sign of respect. I make it a point that, everybody I have a conversation with, I always want to try to have a call to action or a reminder before we finish talking. When's the next time we should meet up, revisit and talk about the subject that we were talking about. 80% of your good relationships will come from 20% of the people, right? So you really need to pay attention to the top 20%. When you're in business for yourself, everybody's first question is how much is this going to cost me? Right? You know, they're thinking ROI - return on investment. I think it's a mistake, or an oversight if you will. I think people need to think what will the outcome be? How are we going to get there? What are the steps that we're going to take, so that I could make good decision? Just two words come into my head when I think of unconventional in the form of leadership, those two words are "I care."

Duration:00:30:27

189. The Power of a Break with Megan Leasher

3/15/2023
Are you ready for a quick but impactful way to strengthen your leadership development? Talent Magnet has a digital leadership development platform and a FREE way to take it for a test drive! Sign up for Leadership Foundations here. Could you use a break? What about quitting your job with no backup plan? In this episode, Megan Leasher, an industrial and organizational psychologist, shares her story of how she quit her job without another job lined up. She learned about herself, about routines, and is continuing to learn new things through this break. Join in the conversation and share your ideas with us! Find Megan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganleasher/ Quotes from the episode: Human behavior is not just behavior at work. It's behavior in your personal life, it's behavior in your volunteering, your parenting, and your friendships. All of those aspects. Predicting futures is about your whole self. Because we are bringing our whole selves, we're bringing our fears, our discomfort, our frustrations, our passions, the goods and the bads. Companies, having realized that, with all the data and the research that's out there, I think there's a greater awareness to get first time leaders ready. I think companies are really bringing the "human" into first time leadership training. There's a greater awareness in helping first time leaders understand, "Hey, this is what's going to be coming at you and you know what, you're a person too." I made a choice last September to leave the job I was in without having another one lined up. I just said, "You know what, I'm going to step aside, I want to take a break. I've never had one of those before. And I'm going to have some rest. I'm gonna see what this space provides." What I didn't know, was how much my leadership would be on a stage by doing that, and by being in this in-between space. Is there a scenario where maybe a few months off is okay, maybe things might be a little tighter? What is the gain for your mental health, for your rest, for operating at your best self, embracing your potential, maybe learning something new? Could there be more to gain in those areas that might make some financial tightness worth it? In terms of knowing it's time, for me was a lack of fear. I wasn't paralyzed by the idea of having nothing. I was really excited about it. There was a calm with it. Another direction I really want to lean into more, is support for first time leaders. So many people, as individual contributors get promoted for the first time to become a leader, a manager, and they have no idea what to expect. They're thrown into it, and maybe a month or so later, they start to get some training. It's kind of the backwards order for me. When I think of an unconventional leader, I think of someone who really owns a mistake early and openly. A manager told me an email can always be good news. But if it's bad news, pick up the phone or do it face to face. Add the extra level of dignity, integrity, and human connection, if you're sharing something that's not positive. That, that really stuck with me. Megan's Recommendations: Book: Presence by Amy Cuddy Tool: Focus Mate

Duration:00:32:18

188. Where's the HR for HR? with Julie Turney

3/15/2023
Are you ready for a quick but impactful way to strengthen your leadership development? Talent Magnet has a digital leadership development platform and a FREE way to take it for a test drive! Sign up for Leadership Foundations here. It's no secret that HR deals with heavy subjects and has hard conversations. When anyone else in the company is struggling, they go to HR. So where's the HR for HR? In this episode, Julie Turney, the brainchild of HR@Heart Consulting Inc., talks about some coping mechanisms and how to deal with the hard things we face as leaders. Find Julie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hratheart/ Join in the conversation and share your ideas with us! Julie's Quotes from the Episode: Whether it was dealing with a leader who I wasn't able to get in alignment with, or whether it was a death in service and just dealing with that, or the trauma that comes with dealing with a difficult termination. Sometimes at the end of those things I would ask myself, where is the HR for HR? A lot of times, because we're dealing with all of those different things, we're not taking the time to pause, and take care of our own emotions and feelings. Then, we end up in this cycle of burnout. HR people really do need the support. I think communication is key and really taking the time to have those conversations with your HR teams is really important. Then determine what are their struggles and what do they need? One of the things that I always recommend to people is to create a gratitude jar for yourself. Then, when good things happen, or when you're feeling at your lowest, you can always go back to that gratitude jar. Look at something that reminds you, this is the good stuff that I'm doing. Journaling questions: What will I take with me into tomorrow? What will I leave behind? Make sure that when you're trying to help people, you are actually in a position to help people. A coach can help you when you set those goals of I wanna protect my heart, how do you do that? Well, let's try to think about all the things that impact your heart on a daily basis, and then let me help you to find practical ways to either move people forward that doesn't impact your heart. My leadership style is my leadership style. Whether people think it's crazy eccentric, whether people think that it's um, weird. It is my leadership style, and as long as my team are happy, that's the most important thing. But previously I would've thought more about how other leaders felt about how I led my team. How do you define what an unconventional leader is in today's world? I think the basic definition for me would be if you're an unconventional leader, you're not doing the normal things that most people do when it comes to leadership. For me, leadership is about the people I'm leading and for me, leadership is also about servitude. The higher I climb as a leader, the more I serve the people below me. The comeback is stronger than the setback. Focus on the comeback, not the setback. Recommendation: The Calm App

Duration:00:34:29

The Unconventional Leadership Podcast Trailer

3/8/2023
Are you looking to take your leadership skills to the next level? Want to learn from the best and most successful leaders in the world? Then you won't want to miss the Unconventional Leadership Podcast, sponsored by Talent Magnet Institute. Our incredible team took a year off to practice what we preach, investing in our team and our people. That's the heartbeat of who we are and now we are ready to share all that we've learned. We are back, ready to serve up the best leadership news, tips, and advice to take your organization to the next level.

Duration:00:02:10

I Quit!

1/27/2022
On this episode of the Talent Magnet Leadership Podcast Mike is reflecting on his journey with the podcast, what he has learned, and what's next for the Talent Magnet Institute Team. He also talks about the importance of taking pauses, and the impact the podcast has had on its listeners, clients, and its team. Growth-minded leaders are willing to pause and assess, and then go after what’s most important. These leaders focus on the things that most align to their values, and lead them closer to where they want to go. In order to do this, leaders also have to learn how to say no. [00:54] Mike gives a brief recap of all past episodes, and the impact they have had on listeners. The episodes and conversations have helped people connect and let them know that they are not alone in their leadership journey. [2:11] Saying ‘I quit’ does not have to be negative. Quitting can open doors of opportunity that you would not have had otherwise. [6:27] Mike talks about the various leadership courses that are available on the Talent Magnet Institute website. [8:23] The world is changing and that is inevitable and uncontrollable. However, leaders can control how they invest and develop themselves to adapt to these changes and successfully harness the opportunities that come their way. [9:27] “We're going to put 100% of our focus on our community and direct our time and effort on serving alongside those in our community and those clients and members who rely on us,” Mike begins. “The last couple of years have taught us that we all need support, we need guidance, and we need to be proactive in the trenches,” he adds. [10:32] In his closing remarks, Mike thanks everyone who has been a part of the podcast from the beginning, and shares where listeners can go to access the free leadership courses. [13:28] Resources Mike Sipple Jr. | LinkedIn | Twitter Talent Magnet Institute

Duration:00:18:31