Ready to Lead

As leaders, it can be tempting to bypass team building exercises and just get down to business already. That is a very bad idea. In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask build a solid case for why leaders in today’s virtual environment can’t afford not to design trust-building experiences for their team. If you want to make an impact—and you want it to be enduring—you have to rally people to do their best work, or it won’t be sustainable. Your dreams and aspirations will...

When is a decision yours to make as a leader and when do you entrust it to your team? On today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about the fine line leaders walk when it comes to making decisions. If you think that being a leader, being in charge, automatically means you make all the decisions, you need to take a step back. Sometimes the biggest decision a leader can make is deciding to delegate that decision-making to someone else. As leaders, we also need to take a...

What’s one of the single biggest frustrations/struggles for new leaders? Time management. On today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask take on the challenge of helping new leaders manage their time effectively as they transition from an individual contributor role to the role of manager. That shift is no joke, they say. And hopefully it helps to know that you’re not alone. No less than 100% of leaders find this difficult. And no two leaders approach time management the same...

When was the last time you praised someone on your team with specific, authentic feedback? On today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about the absolute importance of leaders expressing appreciation and acknowledgment for the work their team is doing—in a consistent way. If you do it randomly, whenever the urge strikes, it probably won’t happen. You need to build this mechanism into your weekly routine. They share some helpful stories (both good and bad) and some...

The transition to leading virtually hasn’t been easy. It helps to learn from people who have been doing it for a really long time. On today’s episode, host Jeff Mask sits down with Ralph Burns, CEO and founder of Tier 11 and co-host of the Perpetual Traffic podcast, to talk about his new book, Virtual Boss. Jeff planned to just skim the book in preparation for their interview, but he couldn’t stop reading. He loves that it’s written from the actual trenches of virtual leadership, not some...

“How in the heck do we keep people?” is the question on every leader’s mind right now in the midst of The Big Quit happening all around us. In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask sit down to talk about the tension of employee retention. Specifically, retaining the most talented people who are the best fit for your company. Of course you don’t want them to leave. And as difficult and scary as that thought might be, there are some really simple (not easy) ways to make...

If delegation is challenging for you right now as a leader, this simple, proven exercise will help. Today’s episode is a micro-session with host Jeff Mask, and it’s for any leader who has big goals for the year but way too much on their plate to get it all done. It’s okay to admit it: to accomplish what you need to accomplish going forward, you’re going to need help. You’re going to need to delegate. Listen in as Jeff walks us through a simple delegation exercise that can make a huge...

If you hope to grow your revenue, your teams, and your company, you have to find a way to delegate. There’s simply no way around it. In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask take on the evergreen, but ever-challenging, topic of delegation. Delegation is something all leaders need to take a look at annually (okay, and monthly, weekly, daily), but it’s especially timely right now. As we kick off a new year and aspire to achieve new goals, we realize we can’t continue to...

Millions of people left their jobs last year, and the elephant in every office right now is: how do we talk about money? In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask tackle the difficult topic of salaries and raises head-on. 2021 was the Big Quit, the Great Resignation, the Year the Employee Leaves. Everyone has felt it. When 38+ million employees in the U.S. quit their jobs in a single calendar year, everyone feels it. That’s a lot of people walking out. That’s a lot of...

When you know your purpose, your why, as a leader, you’re able to set harmonious and powerful goals for yourself and your team. In a previous episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talked about setting relevant goals that align with their overarching purpose as a company. In today’s episode, they want to continue that conversation and connect some dots. How do you go deeper into your own personal why, your personal purpose? This is a topic that is absolutely invigorating for Jeff...

The words “you’re fired” spark a lot of emotion, but in some unfortunate circumstances, they’re necessary to say or hear. In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about best practices when it comes to delivering termination news. Most leaders have faced—or will face—that moment of truth when they have to let someone go. There’s a right way and a wrong way to fire people, Richard and Jeff believe, and they want to give you the script. Listen in for some super...

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You want to hire people you know, love, and trust, and quite often those are friends and family members, but how do you avoid favoritism and nepotism? On today’s episode, host Jeff Mask is joined by his brother, Clate Mask, CEO and co-founder of Keap (formerly known as Infusionsoft), a sales and marketing automation platform. Clate loves entrepreneurs and has great respect for the grit and tenacity and perseverance they show as they build their businesses. He built a company that helps...

Richard and Jeff want to hear from YOU. Was something in today’s episode a big aha moment for you? Anything you disagreed with? What did you learn that you’ve applied to your leadership? Email them here with your thoughts/questions: feedback@readytolead.com OTHER SHOWS YOU MIGHT ENJOY: Business LunchPerpetual TrafficDigitalMarketer Podcast

What does it mean to lead well through the holidays with all its distractions and deadlines, and people’s different beliefs and cultural backgrounds? On today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about the holiday season and how it can be exhausting and loaded with dangers and pitfalls. But it can also be rewarding, even life-changing, with a few key mindset shifts. Listen in for some heartfelt tips on turning the holiday season into an incredible opportunity for you...

It can be hard to know how to navigate a really tough environment as a leader. This is how one woman did it really well. On today’s episode, host Jeff Mask sits down with Karen Pierce, CEO of KMP Consultants, to talk about best practices in leadership and how to deal with tough, even toxic, work environments. Karen and Jeff met at an event where Karen told him, “we speak a very similar language.” It’s true. They do. The bottom line? They both believe deeply that leadership is all about...

Rituals and routines, done with intention, can help us prepare ourselves to show up emotionally and mentally and lead from a place of power. The theme of routines and rituals is popping right now. People around the globe are finding that the routines that once worked so well are no longer serving them. Life has changed, and our routines need to change too, if we want to stay on top of our game. In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask kick things off by telling a true...

When you invest in appropriate relationships with the people you lead and make them feel valuable, you become all the more effective as a leader. In today’s episode, host Jeff Mask sits down with Kimberly Holmes, CEO of Marriage Helper to talk about some universal principles that work across all relationships, whether personal or professional. Kimberly is passionate about championing marriages and creating strong families. She and her team want to take over the world with hope for great...

Corrective conversations are never fun, but as leaders, it’s our responsibility to help people become better versions of themselves. Today’s episode with co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask is all about having those difficult, but necessary, corrective conversations. How do you give correction? When do you give it? How do you do it well? It can be an easy thing to mess up, and Jeff and Richard want to help people avoid that pain. Listen in as they talk about why correction matters...