Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast: Recent Episodes
Michael K. Reynolds & Jim Johnson
Always lead with integrity. Never lead alone. This is the podcast for leaders and those who should be leading. It's a powerful gathering of people of influence in the areas of business, community and faith.
If you examine the backstory of any successful leader, you'll discover they have their own list of "Most Valuable People" of sorts, and that's influencers in their lives who were always in their corner, who cared about them, and invested in their future.
We call those people mentors. They often are in the background, and unknown to many, but they are essential to the development and success of leaders.
This is why it's so important to surround yourself by the right influences as you grow in your role.
But, how do you go about choosing an excellent mentor? How do you go about selecting someone who you can mentor?
Join Michael and Jim as they explore the extraordinary value and pathway of being mentored, and being a mentor.
One of the greatest traits a leader can have is their ability...just like a prize fighter...to take a hit.
Because if you're going to take a leadership role, you're getting into the ring...and your opponents aren't going to be taking it easy on you.
When it comes to launching or managing an organization, there is no sugarcoating this...it won't be simple. In fact, it will probably be the hardest thing you'll ever do in your lifetime. We wish this wasn't an exaggeration.
You will encounter unimaginable adversity along the way. Disappointments. Unexpected obstacles. A lot of injustice.
Yet, successful leaders are able to survive by leaning on the strong belief that when seemingly insurmountable difficulties arrive, they'll be able to confidently say, "This too shall pass."
Join Michael and Jim as they explore this critical topic.
As leaders and entrepreneurs...we are all about growth. In fact, some would say we are obsessed with growing.
We like to captain our ways to new revenue records and to reach new levels of profitability. That's natural for entrepreneurs, and in some ways it's the drive that is needed to actually keep us in business.
Yet, there are those times when you look out at sea and in the future you see darkening skies and you go, "Oh my!"
It's times like these when you need to batten down the hatches.
Join Michael and Jim as they share how to respond when the business climate gets tumulteous.
"I've got a strange feeling something bad is about to happen." Have you said to this yourself before?
If you've been in leadership for any length of time, you've probably experienced this feeling many times throughout the course of your career.
This feeling is actually something valuable to you in your leadership role. It is a sixth sense of a sort. The ability to discern what will happen before it eventually does.
The challenge is to not become paranoid while still maintaining an acute sense of awareness of anything and everything that could go wrong in the organization you are leading.
Join Michael and Jim as they explore how to balance a high level of leadership awareness without overreacting and causing more harm than good.
There are so many different essential traits of a gifted leader. Few are more important than planning.
No one wants to get lost in their business or with their careers. Everyone in the building is going to be judging the leader by the quality of their planning ability.
In most organizations, the difference between a business having to shutter its doors...or being highly profitable is the quality of the leadership's planning.
Join Michael and Jim as they take a deep dive into all aspects of what it takes to be a well-planned leader.
When it comes to being successful in business and life, it's all about relationships.
Most elite leaders will tell you that developing a circle of trusted friends, colleagues, and partners is as important as any other task before them.
However, building business relationships does not come easy for many entrepreneurs and leaders. Isolation and loneliness is all too prevalent in entrepreneurship. Often there can be sadness behind that beaming, business-facing smile.
Building business relationships isn't something that is really taught in business school. But it's taught in this podcast!
Join Michael and Jim as they delve into this most important topic and as they explain the differences and similarities between business relationships and personal friendships. If you're a leader, don't miss this extraordinarily valuable episode.
Have you every started off a day or week by saying to yourself, "There is no way we're going to get everything done that we need to do?"
If you're like most business owners, this experience occurs with too much frequency, and over time can cause great harm to your health and well being.
It brings this crushing feeling where the walls are coming closer and closer to you on all sides.
When you're a leader or entrepreneur, this is exasperated further as your panicked face starts to spread to everyone in your organization.
The worst part? You're probably the root cause of why this is happening. The good news is it's totally fixable.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss this important topic and provide you with the most calming remedy.
Can you imagine what it would be like if you had no competition in your business? None at all.
Theoretically, our company's offerings would be in high demand and we could negotiate in our favor with all of the leverage.
The phones would be ringing...the cash registers would be singing...at least for a while.
That's because competition is actually a leadership friend. One that makes us stronger. As leaders, competition is good for us. It's good for our teams. It's good for our customers.
And competition isn't just about competitors. It's so much more!
Join Michael & Jim as they delve into a critical strategy for winning in business, leadership and life.
Many people decide to start a business with the idea that it's going to change their lives in so many marvelous ways.
It will change your life alright. They got that part spot on.
The truth is this is a high risk journey...being a business owner. That pathway can lead to financial ruin, a loss of friends and a break-up of a family. You need to know this heading down this road.
Which is why being a successful business owner entails so much more than merely growing your revenues.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss how to win in all aspects of the game of entrepreneurship.
In this special episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership podcast we hear from Co-Host Jim Johnson only six weeks after his recent open heart surgery.
After more than 50 years of being a hard charger in the business world he shares what his most intimate thoughts were about leadership, success and life as he was being wheeled into the surgery room for what might have been his last moments here on earth.
What really matters when it comes to building a company? How do you truly measure success? How do you know if you're an excellent leader?
This is the episode every entrepreneur should listen to and should freely share with all of their business friends.
Join Michael and Jim for an unforgettable leadership discussion of a lifetime.
There are few things leaders and entrepreneurs enjoy more than being in control.
The truth is we never really are in control. It's one of the great leadership delusions.
There are so many things well, well beyond our scope of control...such as rain falling, earth shaking, waves crashing and most of the world's geopolitics that affect even the smallest of businesses. Then there are health crises.
All out of our control!
If we accept the true reality that ultimately we are not in control then as leaders it now becomes our responsibility to learn how to lead when things are out of our control.
Can we even do this? Join Michael and Jim as they explain how.
If we're in leadership. If we're entrepreneurs. There is an excellent chance we're heard this phrase throughout our lifetimes: You are SO stubborn.
What's interesting about the word stubbornness is that it's used both positively and pejoratively. That is...it's both a complement and a criticism.
The reason is...there really is a LIGHT SIDE, and a DARK SIDE to stubbornness.
The goal in leadership is to tap into all of the qualities of stubbornness without slipping over into the edge of stubbornness despair.
Join Michael and Jim as they shine the light on stubbornness.
One thing virtually every leader and entrepreneur wants to do...is to grow.
They want to experience interpersonal growth...intellectual growth...they want to grow their skillsets and those of their teams...they want to grow their network, their net worth...their revenues...their bottom line...their vision.
Growth is exciting. Which is probably why so many leaders can be reluctant to do the exact opposite.
That is to exercise the discipline of pruning. Yet, that's the exact critical practice that often can result in the best kind of growth possible.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss the power of pruning in leadership and life.
How future proof is your business? How well prepared are you for all of the things that could go wrong?
This is one of the least enjoyable parts of being an entrepreneur. Going through all of the "What if's?" and having a strong response in place for as many of these challenges as you can.
It's not as exhilirating as charting out plans for new product and service lauches and dreaming up ways for more growth.
But future-proofing your business will be one of the most important exercises you conduct as a leader.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss many of the most essential parts of this planning.
When you get into a leadership role one of the first great challenges you'll have to face is realizing that things are much different than they are advertised.
Yes...those dreams of leadership and entrepreneurship. That you'll be the captain of your own ship...that you'll be able to create a schedule and a lifestyle well beyond anything you could have imagined.
These may be true in part or in whole. But they also arrive with the tremendous burden of responsibility. These responsibilities weigh down on us and if we're not careful can take us to a very unhealthy place.
How is your overall health as a leader?
Join Michael and Jim and they'll walk through a leadership health check.
What is one of the most common questions a young entrepreneur will ask a much more experienced business owner?
It's this: "When does all of this get easier? When does running a business get easy?"
In many ways business does get easier when compared to those early frantic times of daily struggles. You build more systems. You gain efficiency. You can even work at making your job more enjoyable for you.
But...there will always be some less glamorous elements of owning a business...of being in charge. That "grind" never goes away.
Join Michael and Jim as they share some of the largest frustrations experienced by entrepreneurs and how best to deal with all of them.
One thing about leaders and visionaries...we love to see what's far ahead and plan for the brightest of futures.
It's about planning. It's about growth. It's about vision.
Unfortunately, there are those times in the leader's voyage when things get hazy...they get foggy...and uncertain.
Forget about planning for next year or even the next six months...you've got to get through the next few days.
Join Michael and Jim as they share how best to drive through a leadership fog.
You have your favorite restaurant. One you've enjoyed for years. But...then something has changed. It's just not as good as it used to be.
It happens with vendors we work with. You engage with them because of their amazing service and fair prices...and over time, they lose their luster.
They lose their value to you.
But, the worst case is when this is what they are saying about YOUR business. It's just not as good as it used to be.
If they are saying this about your company, the end is near. In this competitive environment you can't afford to let things go downhill for too long.
Join Michael and Jim as they share key tips regarding keeping your good business from going bad.
As leaders, in order for us to be successful, we must be excellent communicators. This is something we need to grow in each and every day.
And interestingly enough...as we develop our capabilities as a communicator...one of the things we need to master is not just what we say...but what we shouldn't say.
We can destroy our business more rapidly with the words we SAY than the words we DON'T say.
Figuring out what NOT to say, is one of the important leadership tactics...and one of the most difficult disciplines.
Join Michael and Jim as they speak on this most important topic.
When you hear the word "networking" it conjures up an image of a toothy salesperson in a suit, walking through a large gathering of prospects, reaching out a well groomed hand to offer a shake....while the other hand is slipping people business cards.
The truth of the matter is...at the entrepreneur level...you really don't have time to be attending all of these multiple events...passing out business cards like frisbees.
Your more successful business owners don't. They rely on a networking strategy that is infinitely more effective.
Join Michael and Jim as they share advanced networking techniques that will grow your business in powerful ways.
How many times have we heard this phrase: Patience is a virtue?
Often it seems like we hear this every day. But, what does this phrase...this colloquialism...really mean when it comes to business?
On one hand, you're hearing that in order to succeed you've got to hustle...hustle...hustle.
And, on the other hand...you're taught that you need to be patient, calculating and thoughtful.
So which is it?
Join Michael and Jim as they provide definitive answers regarding the virtues of patience in business.
There is a big difference between winning the lottery and winning in business. Yet, many entrepreneurs sometimes get these confused.
So many want to hit the big time with their business, but many times in this pursuit they themselves get hit...big time.
It's the age old pursuit. Captain Ahab in Moby Dick with the Great White Whale. Or Hemingway's Santiago...in The Old Man and the Sea.
They had to learn the hard way...sometimes you get the fish...and sometimes the fish gets you.
Join Michael and Jim as they share the untold story about landing the bigger fish.
One of the dark secrets of entrepreneurism is that it's not all that it's made out to be. You're told that if you quit your job and start your own business, that you'll be able to choose your hours, be your own boss and the money will flow in like Niagra Falls.
Instead...you lose sleep, hair, money...and sadly, some of the relationships around you, and you ask yourself, "I did this for what reason?"
This can bring on a bad case of the Business Owner Blues.
How do keep from getting depressed? Join Michael and Jim for answers.
Who goes into business wanting to be a so-so leader? No...as leaders and entrepreneurs...we want to be high performance! We want to go absolutely pedal to the metal, accelerating through the curves...the wind blowing through our hair and with large audiences cheering us on.
That is, until we crash.
You work so hard to be at the top of your game and then suddenly you realize there is a thin line between high performance and being overwhelmed.
Join Michael and Jim as they share how to win without being overwhelmed.
As leaders of organizations, as entrepreneurs, as wild-eyed inventors...we as a people...love getting things started. The start of a new project. Winning a new client. Making new goals. We love great beginnings.
This is exciting.
Sadly...there is another critical aspect of business that typically is less enjoyable.
Because in the ebb and flow of life as an entrepreneur, there are beginnings...and there are endings. You've got to be great at both.
Join Michael and Jim as they explain that when it comes to business...all's well that ends well.
We all need friends. We all need friendships with others. The question is...do we need business friendships?
Or should business be all about business?
If you consider that as an entrepreneur, you'll spend somewhere in the range of 50-70% of your productive waking hours...doing business...then that's a long time of your life to be friendless.
Of course there is value to business friendships. Yet, it's important to know that business friendships are...well...complicated.
Join Michael and Jim as they delve into the do's and don'ts of business friendships.
Is your project or business running out of money? You're not alone. This is an ongoing challenge for entrepreneurs.
So many start off with a fabulous concept. Then, against the odds, they develop it out to its full fruition. Now, they are excited to get it off of the ground and to share their vision with the world.
Their big problem? They are out of cash.
There is nothing left for marketing and without the ability to get the message out this great idea is going to wither on the vine.
This is not the place you want to be, but there are some options. And, your next step will be critically important.
Join Michael and Jim as they share from their own hard learned experiences on what to do when your project is out of money.
We're the leader. The entrepreneur. We're the boss. We can choose our own path. Don't we have a right to be...irresponsible at times?
Yes. But, if we actually want to design a pathway leading to success...we will want it paved with responsibility.
There is no more instantaneous opportunity to increase your revenues, your profits...your customer retention...your employee satisfaction...than becoming more responsible.
Literally, you can grow in all of these areas of improvement overnight.
Join Michael and Jim as they share key insights into leadership responsibility.
Most of our listeners are entrepreneurs, are working with entrepreneurs or are thinking someday about possibly being entrepreneurs.
Here is what you need to know. It's hard. Really hard being an entrepreneur!
Why do so many become entrepreneurs despite this being the case? Because it's well worth the challenges you'll face.
Yet, being aware of the most difficult aspects of being a business owner allow you to be prepared, and you'll have strategies in place to respond.
Join Michael and Jim as they share the hardest part about being an entrepreneur.
As entrepreneurs we are uniquely designed to go against the grain, to stop listening to how everyone says things should be done...and to go out and do it our own way.
This is both our blessing and our curse. It's one of the great challenges of being business owner.
You want to be unique...creating a new voice that no one else has heard...while at the same time, LISTENING better than anyone else.
This is no easy task!
Join Michael and Jim and they go deep on the subject of learning to listen.
One of the most treasured elements of leadership is also one of the most elusive. Just when you think you've got it...it starts slipping away.
It's traction. That wonderful feeling of, "Hey, this plan might actually work!"
It's the exhilaration that sets in when the tires are firmly gripping the road, and you feel the adrenaline rise as everything accelerates.
Your strategy is working!
Until, you hit that patch of black ice, and your tires start sliding off of your path.
Join Michael and Jim as they explain how to regain your traction when you're starting to slip.
One of the greatest joys of being a leader is when you get to assemble talent around you.
Then again...it's one thing to assemble the talent. It's quite another to get them all to play their best music...and to be in tune and timing with one another. It's either a symphony...or a clattering of instruments.
So as wonderful it is to have all of that talent around you...and the hope for symphonic music abounding...there also is another sound...the sound of money and resources draining out of the building.
You have to get this right as people are expensive.
Join Michael and Jim as they help you get tuned up in the art of maximizing your talent.
If you were to take all of the leadership books ever written on the topic of running an organization or a business, you could sum them up into one simple question.
That question? "Are you going to do this the EASY WAY...or the HARD WAY?"
In this day of hacks, shortcuts, and claims of "Three Easy Steps to Super Success" the answer can be more elusive than first thought.
Is there an easy road? Where do I find it? Is this pathway the one that is best to choose?
Join Michael and Jim as they journey along a series of stories that collectively provide a succinct answer.
How do leaders and entrepreneurs keep their heads up when their world is crumbling around them? Simply, by counting their blessings.
Of course, this is hardly a simple task.
After all, being an entrepreneur can be a tremendous challenge. It can be one of the toughest jobs that exists.
Much of this is because many of the difficulties business owners face are ones they take on alone. This why leaders can be among the loneliness people around.
So, when the high winds are whipping around you, how in the world do you count your blessings?
Join Michael and Jim as they provide an encouraging and impactful answer.
The pursuit of leadership glory comes with many twists and bends in the road. Sadly, so many arrive at the destination and say, "Is this it?"
Much of this disappointment is due to the fact they realize they were seeking out the wrong treasure.
Then, as if it's dust in the wind, the fool's gold blows away, leaving them emotionally broke and terribly unfulfilled.
The true key to success as an entrepreneur is to dig in the right place to find the gold. In fact, even more important is to know what's the right gold to pursue in the first place.
Join Michael and Jim as they dig up the hidden treasure of leadership and life.
There are those challenging times as an entrepreneur when you wake up knowing there is only one way you're going to get through your day without it ending up a total disaster.
It's going to take a miracle.
Yet, as crazy as it may seem, there is strategy, technique and experience involved when it comes to pulling off a miracle.
These are skills which the most effective and battle tested leaders know well.
Join Michael and Jim as they explore this topic and provide some...miraculous insights.
So often, you hear entrepreneurs saying they are waiting for their "big break" or they are hoping for their "ship to come in".
Sadly. That could be a very long wait. In fact, there is a good chance that ship might never make it to shore to pick you up.
Being a business owner is more about learning how to row a boat than waiting for a luxury liner to arrive.
Still, there are doors of opportunity that are opening and closing all around you. Which ones should you choose to walk through?
This answer and many more will be revealed in this fascinating episode with Michael and Jim.
Leaders and entrepreneurs are among the busiest, most stressed out and exhausted people there are. So should we excuse you when you decide not to show up to an event you were expected to attend?
Not if we're going to hold you up to the highest standards of excellence!
The impact of "just showing up" cannot be overvalued when it comes to being successful. Even during those times when it's the last thing you feel like doing.
Join Michael and Jim in their 125th episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership podcast.
Here, they share how a poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty encourages leaders to "just show up" through all great challenges.
Entrepreneurs often start off their journeys with unrealistic expectations.
They want to leave their job, launch a new business and start their new life...without any risk of failure.
Many new business owners are oftentimes hoping for the impossible. They want to be able to jump into the pool, without getting wet.
Yet, instead of making a splash, many of them quickly discover they aren't any good at swimming.
There is good news, however. You can jump into the deep end of the pool, and still find the waters warm and inviting.
Join Michael and Jim as they explain how.
Many leaders and business owners as they are getting started...or even midway through their company's development...experience what's known as Imposter Syndrome.
Even the most seasoned entrepreneurs will admit they still suffer from bouts of Imposter Syndrome where they feel completely over their heads, underqualified and totally overwhelmed.
What are you supposed to do when you encounter this common affliction of entrepreneurs?
Many will say, "Fake it until you make it."
What do Michael and Jim say about this? Well...quite a bit in this fascinating exploration of the cure for Impostor Syndrome.
If your business is struggling...99% of the time it will come down to this...you've got a people problem.
DISCONNECTED. OUT OF TOUCH. You started a business to fill your needs...rather than the needs of the people you're supposed to be serving.
Relationships are the single most important aspect of launching, growing and sustaining a business.
Don't believe this? Then you really need to listen to this episode.
Join Michael and Jim for this extensive exploration of the role relationships play in business success.
Plausible denialability? What's that? Well...it's a who new entrepreneurial term created and explained here in the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast.
What does it mean?
First...to be a successful entrepreneur you need to be able to function while often firmly being in a state of "denial". Because, there are too many times when things seem impossible, and you're the only one to carry the vision forward.
Yet, there also needs to be a level of "plausibility" to these dreams, or you'll take it all over the cliff.
Join Michael and Jim in this fascinating journey through the concept of "Plausible Denialability".
The experience of being an entrepreneur who created something out of nothing and then ultimately climbed the highest mountain of their dreams...it's such a great feeling.
But...it's also...SO FRUSTRATING.
And, having to manage all of this frustration? It just makes you all the more frustrated.
It's just something they don't teach you in business school. It's even left out of the fine print of those franchise agreements.
Owning a business is so frustrating!
But, here's the good news. This frustration can be converted into a true, competitive advantage. Join Michael and Jim as they share the secret to dealing with frustration as a leader.
Whether you're a jazz musician, a ballet dancer or even a comedian...you've got to have to perfect timing.
The same is true with leadership. The most skilled leaders have perfect timing.
This is not a topic you hear discussed in too many business circles, but it may be one of the most important leadership skills to master.
Everyday...without fail, you should be asking, "Is this the right time to have THAT discussion with my employee?" or "Is this the right moment to ask for the order?" or "Is this the right time to change our strategy?"
Getting those answers correct on a daily basis will often make the difference between leadership success...or failure.
Join Michael and Jim in this perfectly timed discussion for your organization.
Most leaders lie on occasion. Some tell little lies. Some tell medium lies. And, then there are those who frequently tell Big Whoppers.
Those are usually who you would refer to as failing leaders...maybe even former leaders...because in leadership, your lying always catches up with you.
For some, there is a belief you should have lying as one of your advanced leadership skill sets. Let’s call it Strategic Deception.
However; there is a vastly superior skill in the leadership toolkit. It's the one that will guide you to telling the truth...every time.
Join Michael and Jim as they share some important truth...with love.
There is one principle in business that always rings true...and it rings like a gong. That is, you're always going to have competition.
And, in business there is a competitor we all share in common...and it's a fierce opponent. In just about all cases it's our most challenging foe.
It never sleeps, it's unrelenting, it's unforgiving.
It's time. Time is our greatest opponent. As a leader, you either beat the clock or the clock will beat you.
Join Michael and Jim as they share keen insights into winning the war against time.
One of the most important traits required to being a successful and transformational leader is often the least discussed. And, that's having an attitude of gratitude.
In exploring the key characteristics of a skilled leader, there are many strengths that come easily to mind...ones like vision, fortitude, perseverance and communication.
Yet, employee survey after employee survey affirm that having a culture of gratitude is what is most important to our teams.
Join Michael and Jim in this deep and fascinating discussion of the critical skills and mindset involved in being a grateful leader.
Everybody knew being an entrepreneur wasn't going to be easy...but who knew it would be this tough?
Just when you think you're out of the stressful elements of your operation...they pull you back in again!
Yet, we're doing this crazy business owning thing because somewhere deep down...really deep down on some days...we love what we do.
Why is it that we can so enjoy chasing the dream...but this pursuit can also create such high levels of stress that it's literally unhealthy?
Join Michael and Jim for answers as well as a most enjoyable entrepreneurial spa treatment in this episode.
Here is the truth when it comes to being an entrepreneur or an organizational founder. Capital matters. But there is something that matters even more.
Yes...if you've got the money to invest in your dreams...you'll have a shorter path and easier ride to where you're heading.
But, there is something that your money can't buy you as a leader.
And, that's the trust of your people.
In fact, no matter how well funded you are...you won't be able to function as a leader in your business if you aren't a person of trust.
Yet, many leaders go about earning the trust of their people in all the wrong ways.
Join Michael and Jim as they dispel the myths and reveal the true magic behind earning leadership trust.
Most entrepreneurs are NOT free. Many of them have constructed an elaborate prison of their own making.
Sadly, in many cases, this prison of their business is not only for them, but for their family as well.
You can see this written on the faces of so many entrepreneurs. The lines in their faces...the concerns in their eyes....the fidgeting of their hands.
And, even some of those you would consider among the most successful business people...they've never really tasted freedom as an entrepreneur.
This is because many leaders are able to design a successful business plan, but they leave out the most important ingredient: Their freedom.
Join Michael and Jim for their most freeing episode to date.
As business owners, entrepreneurs, inventors and wild-eyed dreamers...we are part of the creative energy of change.
Hopefully, this is positive change...sometimes incremental and occasionally revolutionary.
But throughout it all, for us to have leadership success...at the fundamental level...we must be BELIEF PEDDLERS.
If you don't believe in anything...ain't nobody following you.
It's really the only reason why leadership is worth all of the trouble in the end. You have something you believe in and you want to share it with the world.
Belief is a leadership strategy. One that needs to be understood and used with precision.
Join Michael and Jim as they explore the power of belief.
As leaders, it's important we spend a lot of time in front of the mirror. Not to improve our good looks, but rather to make us stronger leaders.
It's about being self-aware.
Sadly...there are too few leaders who are self-aware of who they are in their roles and how they are perceived by those who follow them.
Many are literally drowning in pools of self-delusion, and the worst part is they have no idea they are even wet.
The hidden truth about being self-aware, and humble in your approach of understanding yourself, is there is great power in this knowledge that awaits you as a leader.
Join Michael and Jim in this highly humorous, painful and transformative episode.
As leaders...we are not in control. It's sad. It can be difficult to deal with this truth. But...as leaders we are not in control.
This is one of the areas where leaders fall prey to delusion more than just about anything else. We want to be in control. We want absolute control...because we're control freaks.
But, we're not in control. And this creates great frustration and disappointment.
We can influence the circumstances around us. We can plan well, to minimize disruption. We can train expertly to lower risks. We can have a vision that is far reaching.
But, we are not ultimately in control of our circumstances.
However, what we are in control of is how we react to these circumstances. That's all in our power.
Join Michael and Jim as they detail out the critically important managed reactions of a skilled leader.
In the pursuit of a grand vision, a noble dream, leaders will always have to face obstacles along the trail to success. Perhaps none greater is having to work with difficult people.
You can't be a leader if you're alone on an island. To get where you need to go, you're going to have work with other people.
This means you're going to be dealing with teams, with partners, with business associates, with superiors, with employees, with vendors and with clients.
One thing is absolutely for certain...these people are not ALL going to be easy to work with.
Join Michael and Jim as they reveal strategies for working with difficult people.
Leaders are wild horses by nature. We want to roam the open ranges. Any talk about rules or exercising restraint are conversations we don't really enjoy having.
But, we're going to have that important conversation today anyway.
In photography, you use polarizing filters to cut down the glare. Much in the same way, professional leaders must also master the process of using filters.
It's because not everyone around us has the same level of passion and vision. Not everyone around us has as much at stake.
So, without our leadership filters, we can come in too hot, be misunderstood and cause irreversible damage.
Join Michael and Jim as they share a unique and powerful take on this critical leadership skill.
My boss is a jerk. These are words that most of us have uttered at least a few times throughout our lifetime.
Maybe not out loud. Perhaps just whispered under our breath.
And, possibly for the most retrained and upright among us, we've never audibly said those words...but certainly they floated around in our mind.
The problem now is, as leaders, that we're the boss...which would make us the jerk.
Yet, are we really a jerk? Or are we being falsely accused as we simply do our job as a strong leader?
Join Michael and Jim as they explore this topic in great detail, sharing insights that might drastically change the way you act and are perceived as a leader.
Somebody has to be the adult around here. So why does it always have to be you? Because you're the leader.
It's true. As a leader, you don't get to jump in the puddles, fling yourself off of the swing set and make stuff out of Playdoh like your employees get to do.
You have to be serious. You have to be the responsible one. You have to always pick up the tab.
It can be a great burden. Yet, it can also be a true blessing.
Join Michael and Jim in this fun episode that highlights the frustrations and joys of being a leader.
There exists a species of followers that flat out aren't good at following. And, they aren't good at following because they aren't the least bit interested in following you.
They have their own plans, their own initiatives and their own motivations. And, the last thing they have time for...is following you.
Why? Because they are cats. They are fellow leaders. They are free spirits with clear minds of their own.
These cats are independent, and are mostly interested in doing exactly what THEY want to do. Rarely, does that include participating in your vision, mission or even short-term goals.
But...you've got to lead them none-the-less. So what you do?
Join Michael and Jim in this purr-fectly enjoyable and important episode as they explain how to master the art of herding cats.
No one wants to follow a weak leader...or even a strong leader who is experiencing an off day.
And, if you're a weak leader, or in a moment of weakness, you will take your entire team down with you.
But, on any given day, in any particular moment, how do you know if you're being a strong or a weak leader?
What if there was an analysis tool out there where you could get plugged into it and it would output a detailed report?
Actually there is a rapid test. And, it doesn't require any special technology or equipment.
Join Michael and Jim as they share a simple question that instantly reveals the strength of a leader.
Being an entrepreneur or founder of an organization isn't easy. It's long hours, high expectations and typically slow-to-arrive awards.
Obstacles are constantly appearing out of nowhere, and the storms of life seem to camp out on your doorstep.
Yet, consistently, probably the most prevalent issue for organizational leaders is this: Fixing The Money Problem.
You're running out money, and quickly. This puts a leader in a point of desperation that holds the real risk of compromising your integrity, and destroying your circle of family and friends.
What do you do? For the answer, join Michael and Jim in this critically important episode.
The mature entrepreneur knows the tremendous value in being prepared, having your team ready and staying ahead of the schedule.
And, being able to deliver what you promised on time and beyond expectations.
Yet...there are those times...
When things don't quite work out that way. Sometimes they don't work out that way at all.
In fact, on occasion, you or someone on your team drops the ball...big time. Now, there is potential pie on your face, and your plan is flapping in the wind. There is only one thing left for you to do.
You're going to have to wing it.
Join Michael and Jim as they share details about one of the least often discussed, yet very important leadership skills.
With politics...you only need 51% of your constituents to like you, and the rest, "Who cares?"
Yet, in the business world, it's pretty difficult leading an organization when you've got only a slim majority of support. You've got to hope you're garnishing more votes than 51% or it's going to be a tough haul.
The challenge is; however, as a leader, sometimes you've got to make decisions that have much less support than that. On occasion, you're the only one who sees things a certain way.
And, if it's the right decision, you've got to make it anyway. This can make you quite unpopular.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss strategies during these stressful leadership moments to be able to win the unpopularity contest.
In this, the 100th episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast, a topic is covered that is worthy of such a significant milestone in the journey.
It is something that is seldom discussed in leadership training, books or podcasts,
Yet, it's perhaps the most important.
It's the heavy, heavy burden of leadership. The serious and grave responsibilities that few people talk about in regards to leadership roles.
And, in addition to being a heavy burden, it's also the tremendous opportunity of leadership. How leaders respond in this area will ultimately separate the good ones from the great ones.
Join Michael and Jim in this century mark special edition of the podcast.
It's been said that speaking is the highest paid profession in business. But, this isn't necessarily true.
Yes. Leaders with the capability to speak before large audiences and in creative and compelling ways have only the sky as their limit in their ability to succeed.
But, there is an even more valuable skill set for leaders than speaking. And, that skill is listening.
You won't be a good speaker if you don't listen to and understand your audience. You won't be a good leader if you are not an exceptional listener.
Join Michael and Jim in this important episode as they share advanced listening techniques for entrepreneurs.
For those of us who have been leaders or business owners for any length of time, you are quite aware of this sad truth...and that is, you're going to spend a lot of time at the Leadership Heartbreak Hotel.
As entrepreneurs, we're risk takers. This is exactly what we've signed up for. If you're going to reach for glory, you're going have to gamble with your heart.
You can't say, "I'm going to put my heart into this project," without actually putting your heart on the line. The currency you're investing is both financial...and emotional.
So, what do you do when your leadership heart breaks?
Join Michael and Jim in this powerful discussion explaining how to mend up the heartbreak wounds and get back on your feet again.
Leadership is about motivation, perseverance, adrenaline, rising above the challenge, reaching a higher level...boldly going where no one has gone before...and then...there are those days...
...when you just don't feel like doing anything.
Some of the things that need doing, aren't all that fun to get done. And, your head might be in the gray clouds, in a depressed mindset where nothing is enjoyable to do.
But, you still need to get things done. Your team is counting on you.
And, being able to be productive even when you just don't feel like it, is a skill leaders need in order to succeed.
Join Michael and Jim as they share how to get the most sunshine out of those cloudy days.
We all have those people in life, those true leaders, who when we have an important decision to make...we will go to them. They are our trusted advisor.
They are someone we respect. They are someone we trust.
In many ways, it's hard to imagine going through life without these people. They have so much influence on our achievements.
In business, one could argue that being a trusted advisor is a necessity in being successful as a leader of an organization.
Can you learn to be a trusted advisor? Absolutely.
Join Michael and Jim as they dive deep into the topic of what it takes to be a trusted advisor.
As a leader...all of the world is a stage. You're the lead player, and more than anyone in your organization, you are in the spotlight...for better and for worse.
Unfortunately, for many of us, the worst parts of our personalities can draw the most attention, and often do.
We're having to make difficult decisions under constant pressure, and because of this we can crack, and in the process really embarrass ourselves in front of our team.
If this occurs frequently and we don't handle our mistakes properly, our company culture can devolve rapidly and will become dysfunctional.
Join Michael and Jim as they reveal their struggles in this area, and provide key insights into overcoming this common leadership issue.
There are those times on the high wire when it comes to being a leader, when it feels like you're walking between skyscrapers, and your knees are feeling shaky, and the winds are howling around you.
Then, glancing far, far below, you see a crowd...and you can see it in their eyes...they are thinking: "That guy's going to fall!"
It's actually a state of mind, a visceral, psychological event that leaders and entrepreneurs go through, and there is a highly technical term for it...it's called, starting a business.
Or...launching a new product line, overcoming a crisis, saving the organization...the list goes on and on.
Join Michael and Jim as they share how to work through those times when it seems as if no one believes in you, including yourself.
Business leaders are often faced with a challenging decision when it comes to the crossroads of uncertainty: should I hit the brakes, or should I accelerate?
We've all been in that situation on the road. We're driving along at a nice, even pace. In the distance, everything is clear, and there is a green light on the traffic signal.
Yet, suddenly, the light turns yellow, and we're faced with a decision. So too, is the case when it comes to your business.
Is the wise choice to hit the brakes and to slow everything down? Or will it be better to step on the accelerator and ride through it with momentum?
Join Michael and Jim as they explore this important topic in detail.
Leaders, have you ever felt this way: Your mind is spinning, your blood pressure is rising, the problems are many, and the solutions are few?
The walls are closing in all around you and the heat is clearly on. So what do you need to do?
You need to take a break.
It may seem completely counter-intuitive and some would say impossible during times like these...but taking a mental break...even when there is madness all around you...is not optional...it's essential.
But, how do you do it without falling further and hopelessly behind?
Join Michael and Jim as they share leadership strategies for taking a break.
There are many different ways of deconstructing the elements of success in business.
Yet perhaps, if you were to best break it down, you could say that success comes from a series of many, many right decisions.
So if we believe the premise, that success in being entrepreneur comes from making more significant right decisions, than wrong ones, then the pathway to victory now becomes a discipline of learning how to make right decisions.
But, can you actually learn how to make the right decisions?
Absolutely, and join Michael and Jim in this episode to learn how.
There will come these times in the leadership journey when you and your organization hit a briar patch, a thorny place where the tires get stuck in the mud and the battery is not starting.
It's not what you planned...it's not what you hoped for...but it's dark outside, it's starting to rain...and your team is looking at you for the solution.
What is clear is a response is needed. In this moment, you may not have a clue what to do. But, that doesn't change the fact that everyone is counting on you and expecting some magic.
Which means, it's time for you to pull some rabbits out of your leadership hat.
Join Michael and Jim as they shed light on one of the least talked about, but perhaps most important leadership skill.
It's difficult to find a leadership book in any bookstore, business library or executive bookshelf on the planet, that doesn't talk about the importance of focus.
As a leader, we know all about the necessity for focus. We believe that we need to be focused and most of the time we do a pretty good job at focusing...until...
Until...those times...when we really need to focus! Like when chaos is all around us.
And...then all of the sudden, what was easy, what was maybe even second nature for us becomes almost impossible to do.
Join Michael and Jim as they reveal the steps in keeping your focus during chaotic times.
Has the weather turned on you and your business suddenly? Are the waves starting to crash against the sides of your once comfortably traveling ship?
Do you now find yourself in uncertain waters?
All leaders are born instantly as experts at getting INTO messes. What separates the good from the great is their ability to get OUT of messes.
The best leaders may have started their training in ivory tower classrooms or through heavy researching and mentoring. But at some point, to get your sea legs, you've got to get on your own ship.
And, if you really want to learn about your leadership capabilities...that self-discovery will occur the moment you find yourself lost at sea.
Join Michael and Jim as they provide key navigational secrets to weathering the most difficult of business storms.
There comes a time in the life of any leader of significance where they will face the toughest of decisions in the most challenging situation.
During these times, there is rarely the perfect answer...the most clear choice...but action is required, a decision needs to be made...and everyone is looking at you.
Because you...are the leader.
In these moments of tremendous stress, and the highest level of danger for you and your organization, you must have the ability to muster the courage to take action.
Join Michael and Jim for this critical discussion regarding one of the most important capabilities in leadership.
As an entrepreneur, as a leader, loving what you do provides a central core of energy, a shield against all difficulties, and the motivation to take you up the highest mountains.
It's what gets you springing out bed on a Monday morning...it's what takes you through the roughest rivers...with a laugh and a shout of victory when you make it through a Category 5 rapid.
When your work is a joy...it's a joy to work.
So...what do you if your current work situation doesn't provide you with the love you feel you deserve?
Join Michael and Jim as they explore this important topic and provide strategies for loving what you do.
There comes a time in the journey of every leader when all they have built, all they have hoped for seems to shatter into so many pieces on the ground.
Things will break. Experiences will disappoint. The insurmountable odds against you...will sometimes prevail. It's just the way it is.
It's the life of an entrepreneur. It's written in every leadership resume.
But, there is light in the distance. And as a leader, the place you're going is always better than the place you've come from, because you're so much stronger and wiser now.
Join Michael and Jim as they share how to bring new life to your ideas and how to rebuild your shattered dream.
Life is an adventure. Being a leader is an adventure. Sometimes it's an enjoyable Sunday drive...and at other times it's a wild safari.
When things do get a bit crazy...and especially when everything seems to go flat out nuts...the people around you are going to getting worried, nervous...and they might even panic.
During these moments when the foreboding clouds are approaching and that twister appears in the blackened sky...you...as the leader, must still lead with a steady hand.
Join Michael and Jim as they explain how leaders can and must always be the calm in the midst of the storm.
There is no more significant need of great leaders in the world, than when there is a crisis.
When everything around you has shifted, when all of the rules have suddenly changed, when the right decisions, the right actions are needed...and needed quickly...excellence in leadership is required.
And when it comes to your business...that leader is you.
Join Michael and Jim as they share the wisdom earned through hard lessons in order to help you maximize your leadership skills during a crisis.
"Do I have what it takes to start a business?"
Let's be honest. If you're working for someone else...and you're a leader, someone who enjoys designing a vision, building a team, and pursuing a goal, then you've already asked yourself this question.
You've wondered, "Why am I grinding away so hard at building something for someone else? For making someone else more wealthy?"
Yes...friends, at some point in your life...you've probably asked yourself..."Do I have what it takes to start a business?"
Join Michael and Jim as they help you answer that critical question...before you take the leap.
Today's markets are so competitive, that for you to succeed in business, you can't swim in the waters of mediocrity. You've got to be exceptional.
And even being exceptional will only get you so far. It will help you launch a company, and to have a good run at selling products or services.
But, if you want to build something to last, something with long-term impact, it needs to rise to an even higher level.
Join Michael and Jim as they provide key insights into getting your customers to love you.
Being an entrepreneur is a wonderfully wild journey...full of winding roads, deep shadowy valleys and glorious peaks.
It really is a Dickensian novel...in that it's "the best of times...and it's the worst of times."
When it comes to worst of times..pretty high on that list are those moments when you have to share some bad news.
Yet, doing it correctly, can make all of the difference in your role as a leader.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss the art and heart of breaking bad news.
Successful leaders need to be effective communicators. This requires specific skill at using the language of leadership.
Not all entrepreneurs launch their businesses with sharp communication skills. In fact, few ever do.
The good news is the ability to communicate with power and precision is an acquired skill set. It can be learned. It can be developed day by day if you make it a priority, as you should.
Join Michael and Jim as they explore important facets of the language of leadership.
Every leader knows the role of perseverance in running a business. They understand the importance of overcoming obstacles on the pathway to success.
Yet, few leaders every really consider what they'll do when success finally arrives.
Surprisingly, this is one of the greatest causes of depression for entrepreneurs and goal setters. They finally reach their destination and they are overcome with one single, overwhelming sentiment:
"Is this it?"
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss a topic few others ever have, preparing you for when you reach the top of your mountain.
Sometimes an entrepreneur can experience seasons of defeat. These are moments when you're too deep in the valleys to even catch a glimpse of the peaks.
Depression runs rampant among business owners and much of it is caused by the fatigue of stress and disappointment.
It's understandable in these times to find yourself in a place where your emotional embers are down to a dull glow.
But, don't despair! Oftentimes, it just takes some fresh winds to get the fires raging again.
Join Michael and Jim as they share best practices for rekindling your leadership fire.
Getting overwhelmed. Getting over our heads. This is a very common issue with entrepreneurs and one that needs to be avoided.
It's one thing to be swimming in deep waters. It's another thing to be drowning.
Fortunately, in business, when you're in those deep waters, there are different types of lifesavers and life rafts that can assist you when you're too short on time and too long on responsibilities.
And, one of the most powerful flotation devices is something called outsourcing. Yet, if you don't get outsourcing right, you'll create more problems than solutions.
Join Michael and Jim as they offer insights into the Do's and Don'ts of outsourcing.
The heartbreak. The seemingly insurmountable challenges. Even failure. These are all part of the entrepreneurial journey.
Yet, there are those times. Those sweet, sweet moments when a plan comes together. When your team beats all odds.
You overcome. And, above the clouds, with an unbelievable view below of all you've accomplished, it is all suddenly and powerfully worth the struggle.
Join Michael and Jim in this special 75th episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership podcast where encouragement for leaders abounds.
Most entrepreneurs struggle from the "Lone Ranger Syndrome" in that they try to carry all of their company's challenges on their own shoulders.
Yet, it doesn't take too long for most business owners to realize this is a recipe for burnout and poor leadership performance.
Still, you can get yourself in big trouble if you share your troubles with the wrong people. So what do you do?
Well...you listen to Michael and Jim in this important episode detailing key strategies around lifting your leadership burden by trusting your problems on the shoulders of others.
One of the most important leadership capabilities an entrepreneur can have is knowing the right times to make changes in their organizations.
Too often, we act too quickly or too slowly.
Skilled, experienced leaders are instinctively strong when it comes knowing exactly when to pull the trigger on decisions large and small.
Join Michael and Jim as they share insights into developing this critical skillset for the benefit of your organization.
There is so much that can go wrong in owning a business, and too often it all goes wrong at the same time. Sometimes, all you can do is laugh.
And, this is not a bad thing. That is, if you are using the strategic leadership skill of having a sense of humor.
So often, the entrepreneurial stress can get overwhelming and if you don't face your challenges with some humility and levity, then they will consume you.
Join Michael and Jim as they share the infrequently discussed, yet highly important, leadership survival skill of sense of humor.
One of the single most important traits of a successful entrepreneur is perseverance. You can't reach the prize, if you're too quick to quit when times get tough.
But, actually the pathway to success is much more complicated than just having perseverance. You need to know how to use it properly.
This is because there is a thin line between perseverance and delusion.
Get this wrong, and you're going to end up leaving a path of destruction.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss the finer, and highly important, points of perseverance.
All leaders make mistakes. And, because we are so stubborn and persistent, oftentimes these mistakes turn into huge messes.
Just like mistakes, messes can turn into learning opportunities with the chance to ultimately move our organizations forward in a multitude of positive ways.
Yet, there is still the initial the problem of cleaning up these messes. And, it's easily one of the least enjoyable and most costly exercises an entrepreneur has to face.
Join Michael and Jim as they pass out the shovels, as well as hand out valuable best practices for cleaning up after yourself.
To most normal human beings, taking vacations is pure pleasure. Not so for us entrepreneurs.
It can be expensive in terms of lost productivity, missed opportunities and a slowdown of our business momentum.
And, that's all before we pay for the airline tickets.
Still, vacations are important for spending time with family, clearing our heads and being refreshed for the next stage of the journey.
Join Michael and Jim as they share ideas for accomplishing the impossible leadership task of taking vacations.
If you've been a leader for any length of time, then one thing is for certain: you've had to deal with your fair share of bad news.
Bad news comes in many forms and from all directions as you're responsible for people, money and performance.
Obviously, it's the goal of every entrepreneur to minimize the amount of bad news occurring in the business on a daily basis, but much of it is difficult to avoid.
Join Michael and Jim as they reveal valuable strategies in how good leaders can best handle bad news.
Confrontation is inevitable if you're a leader. In fact, it's an important part of your job description.
If there is a critical issue in your organization you can't just ignore it and hope it will go away. You will be expected by your team and clients to take it on with skill and professionalism.
Good leaders shouldn't seek out confrontation, but they shouldn't back down from it either.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss the best ways to handle confrontation and how to use it to grow your people and organization.
Being a leader is a big deal. It comes with big responsibilities and big risks and rewards.
Yet, most experienced entrepreneurs and leaders will share with you that it's the little things that make a big difference when it comes to success or failure.
This attention to detail is often what sets leaders apart.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss the keys to winning big with the little things of business.
Negotiation is one of the most significant skills required for successful leadership.
If you're an entrepreneur, your ability to negotiate with expertise and integrity will make or break your business.
Many people mistakenly believe that negotiation skills are something you're born with and you either "have it" or "you don't".
The truth is, any leader can develop themselves into a fine negotiator with some strong foundations and practice.
Join Michael and Jim as they share the art of negotiation for leaders.
It's always a challenge when you are the boss of yourself. Who is going to hold you accountable? Who is going to make sure you perform your duties with excellence?
So many entrepreneurs launch a business without really working this dilemma out properly. And, that can lead to disaster for the business.
Self-discipline is an extraordinarily important skill for entrepreneurs and one that needs to constantly be developed.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss strategies for self-discipline and share something even more critical for leadership success.
It's the biggest question an entrepreneur will face. Or at least it should be.
That is, "What is the appropriate level of risk for me and this organization?"
This question should be wrestled with at every phase of the entrepreneurial journey starting with the launch and continuing through every subsequent business milestone.
Most business owners fail to realize just how complicated and layered the level of risk is in their enterprise.
Join Michael and Jim as they plunge to the depths of one of the most critical aspects of being a well-rounded, successful leader.
Let's face it. As leaders, we are among the world's worst control freaks.
Although we are blessed with the gift of leadership, it often comes attached to an unrelenting desire to have everything go exactly the way we want it go.
This leads to an unhealthy and unattainable goal of controlling everything around us, including our best people.
It's proven to be the downfall of many great visions and many excellent organizations.
Join Michael and Jim as they share the secret to replacing the illusion of control with empowering leadership.
Most leaders and entrepreneurs excel at being focused, clear visioned and persistent.
Which is exactly why we often struggle the most when it comes to making a change. Change gets in the way of our momentum.
Still, great leaders know that people, markets, and the world itself are in a constant state of change, and if we aren't adapting, we'll rapidly fall behind.
The hardest things for a leader to change are those personality traits and character flaws that are holding us back. Yet, these changes are the most powerfully transforming for both ourselves and the organizations we lead.
Join Michael and Jim as they provide insights into breaking free from toxic obstinacy, and explain how to reach your greater potential through change.
For entrepreneurs, there is joy in the pursuit of success.
Unfortunately, another common emotion experienced by business owners is the fear of failure.
In small measures, it can provide a high level of focus and a healthy drive for achieving goals.
Yet, when it reaches toxic levels, this fear of failure can be crippling and cause profound stress and sleeplessness.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss the fear of failure while offering powerful ways to overcome it.
Everybody loves winning a deal. It's even exciting when you get to put that shovel in the dirt on that new project.
Yet, this is not where the money is really made.
It's in the final stages of a project or in the delivery of a product when the contract is fulfilled. It's only then when you get fully paid.
Cleaning up isn't fun. It isn't glamorous. But, it may be the most important requirement of effective leadership.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss this unique, and surprisingly critical topic.
Everyone wants a highly motivated team. Few find this objective easy to accomplish.
Don't be hard on yourself. It's not just you. The external challenges you're facing make your task more difficult than this was in the past.
And, even the best leaders are constantly having to innovate new ways to keep the fires burning in the hearts of their people. It's difficult to inspire their teams to excel day in and day out.
Join Michael and Jim as they share some unique insights into how to motivate your team along the path of greater success.
It's one of the hot buzzwords today. Leaders should be transparent, they say.
But, what does this really mean? And who exactly should these leaders be transparent with?
In these times of social media, one thing said wrong can sink an entrepreneurial ship overnight.
At the same time, these days you can't operate in a cave and hope to be successful.
Join Michael and Jim as they explore in significant detail the leadership boundaries of transparency.
When you start a business, you need to take on just about any job or opportunity that comes your way.
Yet, before long, as your capacity fills, this approach can rapidly get you into trouble.
Pretty soon, you'll be knee deep in profit killing activity and your reputation will start to decline.
The word "no" is one of the most powerful ones in an entrepreneur's toolkit, yet it's rarely used to its maximum effectiveness.
Join Michael and Jim as they share their own hard knocks and hard earned lessons in their use of the word "no".
If you've been hiring employees for a while, then you've certainly discovered some real gems.
And, most likely, you've probably picked a few bad apples as well.
It's truly just part of running a business. You'll never get it right all of the time.
What exactly do you do with that problem employee? What kind of leadership tactics can you use to turn things around?
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss the issue from the perspective of their combined sixty plus years of experience in hiring.
Rarely a day goes by when leaders aren't under some sort of pressure.
There is pressure to keep up with the bills. Pressure to keep your clients, employees and vendors happy.
On top of this, there is the pressure of meeting the expectations of your family, friends and your harshest critic...yourself.
With all of this stress, why do leaders get themselves in this mess in the first place?
The simple answer? It because it's who we are.
Join Michael and Jim as they explore strategies for dealing with the pressure of being in charge.
There is strength in humility.
Many people would agree with this statement, but when it comes to leadership, how does this really play out?
No one wants to follow someone without any confidence in themselves or the vision they are pursuing.
Yet, it's also clear that few members of your team are going to be excited about following you if you're arrogant and always taking all of the credit.
Join Michael and Jim as they explain how leaders can and should be both strong...and humble.
This is a confusing time for leaders. Many of us strive to be individuals who care about the people on our team.
At the same time, you never want to cross any boundaries in terms of the privacy of your staff.
After all, they are responsible to you during their work hours, but for the most part, what they choose to do on their own time is their own business.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss this tricky area of leadership and offer solid suggestions on how to navigate it wisely and with care.
Do you ever feel like you're on a losing streak in your business? When you can't seem to win a big sale...or any at all? Or when you're seemingly hit with more bad news every day?
Maybe you're experiencing those hard times right now.
The challenge is not only trying to snap yourself back into the win column, but you have to do it why leading others. No simple task!
Join Michael and Jim as they offer advice on how to get the sun shining back in your leadership role.
You NEED to trust you people.
Every leader embraces this concept on an intellectual basis. However; it's the application of it that takes many a lifetime to master.
The challenge is a leader's individual trust, reputation and fiscal health is on the line every moment of every day. Trusting this responsibility to others with less at stake can be a challenge. Albeit a necessary one if you're going to be victorious.
Join Michael and Jim as they share both their struggles and secrets to success in this critical area of leadership.
Time.
It is a leader's most precious commodity because it's typically the resource which is the scarcest in supply.
In order to build a more profitable, more productive company, a leader needs to acquire the productivity mindset.
You need to be more efficient in order for your team to be more efficient.
Join Michael and Jim as they share unique tactics for enhancing your productivity.
One of the greatest challenges in making the leap to becoming an entrepreneur is figuring out how you'll be able to replace your current paycheck.
Unless you are independently wealthy and don't need to worry about generating income from your business, you're going to need to solve this problem early on in your entrepreneurial journey.
Should you pay yourself when you're launching your business...and if so, how much? Then, once the business is up and running and stable, what should be your long-term compensation strategy?
Join Michael and Jim as they explore these essential questions.
Just because you wear the title of business owner, doesn't necessarily mean you're a good leader.
And, in almost all cases, if you want to win on your bottom line, you've got to win with your people.
The good news is that although some are more innately gifted at leadership than others, everyone can take their performance to a higher level.
Join Michael and Jim as they lay down some priceless guidance on what it takes to be the great leader your business desperately needs.
If you aren't managing your clients...then they most certainly will be managing you.
Once that happens, you'll be miserable, your team will be unhappy and the business relationship will rapidly start losing money.
You don't need more clients. You need more GOOD clients. Ones who want you to lead and who respect what you do.
Join Michael and Jim as they explain how to manage your clients in a way they'll appreciate and that will make your company more profitable...and more enjoyable.
There is a prevailing sentiment among business consultants that most leaders hurt their team by micromanaging every person and every process.
However; there is a flipside to this and it often is even more damaging to a company. That is, when the entrepreneur is rarely to be seen.
Do you tend to be overly heavy handed in your leadership style? Or do you lean toward being too absent when your presence is needed?
Join Michael and Jim as they offer their take on this as they share the story of the "footsteps in the field".
There is a huge difference between being a manager and being a leader.
For many who take the leap into business ownership, the task of becoming an inspirational and effective leader is the biggest challenge of their entrepreneurial journey.
Can someone even learn how to make the transition from employee or manager to leader?
Join Michael and Jim as they provide answers to this critical leadership question.
The greatest leaders develop a keen sense of perfect timing.
Just like a gifted farmer, they know when to till the soil, when to plant the seeds and when to harvest.
Are there times when you're too late to the market? Or when you hold onto a strategy when it's no longer bearing fruit?
Join Michael and Jim as they share hard earned lessons in being a leader for all seasons.
If you're a leader, you're going to make bad decisions.
And, if you've been leading for a long time, you're going to have made quite a few of them.
For entrepreneurs, making decisions is a daily responsibility and the bad ones can literally take a company down.
Join Michael and Jim as they share strategies on how to best remedy those inevitable slip-ups, whether they are small ones or enterprise threatening.
All dreamers must first be fools.
For entrepreneurs, this is especially true in that we must often risk so much in order to pursue our dream. And so many times, we're chasing a vision that only we can see.
Still, there are those occasions when the party is clearly over. When the dream has become a nightmare and we're only hanging on because we're too deluded to do anything else.
Join Michael and Jim on this business critical topic.
Momentum is a welcome friend to any business owner.
It's exhilarating for you and your team when you're on the right track, and picking up considerable steam.
But, what happens when you suddenly realize your vision is off course and needs to take a sizable detour?
Navigating through a difficult transition is one of the most challenging leadership tasks you'll face.
Join Michael and Jim as they share their past stories and offer solutions in making it through the inevitable difficult patches of your entrepreneurial journey.
Leaders resist change. And their teams often resist change as well.
Yet, in today's world, if you're not constantly enhancing your practices, services and products, you'll be left in your competitors' dust.
And sometimes, you need more than just a tweak. You may be at a point where your career or your organization needs to pivot in a whole new direction.
Join Michael and Jim as they share critical insights into knowing when to pivot, and how to pivot effectively in order to create a brighter future.
One of the most difficult entrepreneurial feats is getting partnerships to work.
It seems like everyone wants to start a business with a partner, but then no one wants to stay in the partnership. It's the number one failed business model.
This is because successful partners require advanced relationship skills to make them endure the test of time...and business.
Join Michael & Jim as they offer hard earned insights into making partnerships work.
So many entrepreneurs have partners. So many partnerships fail.
Yet, there are many of these team-based entities that thrive and are stronger with two, three and even more partners.
Why is it that partnerships are so challenging? How should a business owner or organizational leader make the decision as to whether they team up, or go it alone?
Before you make that decision, you must tune into this podcast episode!
It could be life-changing for you as Michael & Jim share critical lessons they've learned in their partnership journeys.
Every business owner has faced a period of time when the bills are coming in faster than the checks.
Worse are those times when the cash in the bank is rapidly running out.
It's like when the fuel light turns on in the car and you're not sure you'll make it to the next station.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss strategies on how to keep your business from ending up on the side of the road.
Each and every day, entrepreneurs face a plethora of decisions to make.
Many are small. But, some are quite significant.
And, there are plenty of marketing campaigns and sales representatives encouraging these business owners to "Just Do It".
Sometimes, these decisions include whether to open a new business in the first place.
Join Michael and Jim as they share their insights into knowing exactly when you should...just do it...or not.
Struggling with the Millennials in your business?
Or maybe you're a Millennial who is challenged with leading a Gen X'er or a Baby Boomer.
Although no one wants to be labeled, there are broad patterns of behavioral variations across generations. As a leader, it's important to be sensitive to differences in experience and attitudes.
Join Michael and Jim as they take on this hot topic and provide key insights into leading across the generation gap.
Anyone who has ever tried their hand at being a leader or entrepreneur knows the journey can aptly be described as being on a roller coaster.
There are unbelievable highs. There are frightening lows. And there is often both fear and exhilaration.
The reality is, you're either taking a ride...or you're being taken for a ride.
Join Michael and Jim as they share their insights into developing an acumen for riding entrepreneurial roller coasters.
There is a mindset that is holding leaders back more than just about anything else.
Not only will this constrain your effectiveness in leading your team, but it will send you down a daily road to disappointment and depression.
Could there be one word that will free you up from this mindset? Could it change everything for you almost instantly?
Join Michael and Jim for twenty minutes of mind shifting that will change you as a leader...forever.
Burn out. Depression.
All too often, these are the real experiences of business owners as they face a sense of being trapping in a cage of their own making.
If an entrepreneur loses their sense of vision, their feeling of hope, they will find themselves rapidly on a downward slope.
Join Michael and Jim as they share their own struggles in this area and reveal how to gain victory over this common entrepreneurial affliction.
It's been a business objective for companies to have their employees feel like they are part of their corporate family.
Yet, so many organizations fall short in this area because their efforts are often perceived as forced and contrived by their staff.
Too few businesses are able to create a genuine sense of family.
Join Michael and Jim as they explore authentic and effective ways to build a healthy family atmosphere in your company.
If you've been in business for any length of time, you probably have had to face the hounds of bill collection at some point in your career.
It's one of the lowlights in the entrepreneur's film reel, but it's also one of the moments that will define them as a leader.
You're discouraged as the checks fail to arrive on time, and your stomach churns as the bills flow in with "past due" stamped on them.
Join Michael and Jim as they openly share their past challenges in this area and as they reveal strategies they used to gain victory, just like you can.
As leaders and entrepreneurs, we get it.
If we don't clearly understand the needs and wants of our clients, we won't be in business for very long.
Yet, this isn't always as obvious to our employees who many times are only able to see things from their own perspective.
Join Michael and Jim as they share ideas on how to teach your staff to see things from a customer's viewpoint.
Leaders and entrepreneurs are uniquely adept at doing the impossible. It's how we're designed.
Yet, the real challenge is leading our team through an impossible task.
How do we accomplish critical, and extremely difficult assignments, without burning out our entire staff?
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss this topic and provide key insights into improving this important skill in your leadership toolkit.
Many times, it's the worst thing that can happen to a leader.
First, there is a knock on the door, followed by, "Boss, you've got a minute?"
Having your best person letting you know they are leaving the company can ruin any business owner's day, and in many cases can cause significant damage to the company.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss how best to cope with this most unfortunate, and all too common, situation.
Maybe you hear this too often from your team: "You never listen to what we have to say."
No. You don't want to be that type of leader. Because, you'll only chase away the sharpest, most creative minds.
At the same time, you can't take in everyone's ideas, all of the time, or your vision will always be "under construction" and won't ever make it out of the garage.
Join Michael and Jim in the 25th episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast to get their unique insights in how to be both a great listener, and a decisive leader.
If you're going to be a leader. If you're going to be an entrepreneur.
Then you're going to end up with knots in your stomach.
By nature, leaders are always pushing things to the limit, and demanding the most out of themselves and their teams.
Yet, this doesn't mean you should be a nervous wreck and a wrecking ball in your organization. There is a better way.
Join Michael and Jim as they share practical methods for untying those crippling knots of tension in your life.
Anyone can start. Be a finisher.
This is a powerful statement for leaders and entrepreneurs. But it's one many struggle with in a mighty way.
Coming up with an idea on a cocktail napkin is the fun part of starting a business or new venture. Yet, it's the ability to reach the finish line that separates the wannabes from the highly successful.
Join Michael and Jim as they provide insightful strategies that will help you and your team finish...and finish well.
Entrepreneurs and leaders are among the most innovative people in the world.
Yet, this same extraordinary creative skill can prove to be a great weakness as well, as chasing butterflies can be a distraction to achieving their most business critical goals.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss this phenomenon and provide detail strategies for keeping both leaders and their teams focused on success.
In this challenging environment, providing competitive salary and benefits is essential to building a great team.
But, did you know there is a motivator that your employees crave above all others?
Study after study shows this critical role in your leadership responsibilities will have more impact on the long-term performance of your team than anything else.
Join Michael and Jim as they share the importance of ringing the victory bell in your organization.
Every leader gets overwhelmed.
In fact, the ability to deal competently in the face of overlapping priorities is one of the most critical success factors of a leader.
Yet, it's also one of the most unpleasant tasks and the cause of tremendous stress, and oftentimes lack of sleep.
Join Michael and Jim as they share key strategies in both avoiding and dealing with the entrepreneur's common ailment of being overwhelmed.
No one wants to work for an intolerable grump.
And the truth is, few will.
Yet, even the kindest, most beloved of leaders find themselves in a position at times when they must make difficult and unpopular directional shifts.
In fact, if you aren't being disliked on occasion, you're probably not much of a leader.
Join Michael and Jim as they dive into this challenging topic of leading successfully through controversial and uncomfortable decisions.
Could your company benefit from a dramatic boost in productivity?
Would you like to increase your own ability to make the most of each and every day?
If so, listen in as Michael and Jim share the productivity boosting concept of "Clutch Time", which is a lesson learned many years ago on a farm far away.
This episode will change the way you approach your work habits from here on out. It will also provide you with a powerful way to inspire your team to greater success.
Every business launches with great expectations.
Yet, oftentimes it doesn't take long for the daily grind, extraordinary pressures and recurring disappointments of leading a venture to take its toll on even the hardiest of entrepreneurs.
Are you finding yourself a little burned out with your business?
People who don't understand what's at stake will say, "Just do something else."
Michael and Jim will share with you insights and strategies based on real life experience that will actually help you fall in love with your business all over again.
When you lead alone, you greatly reduce your odds of being successful as a leader.
Even leaders are safer and stronger travelling in packs. This is especially true if they share their unique journey with other like minded, high responsibility bearing professionals.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss the many virtues of being part of a leadership peer group.
They also share the secrets to making these groups strong, and how to start one from the ground up. This is much more than tactics, this is life-changing advice.
As a leader, how many times have you asked yourself this question:
"Am I the only one here who cares?"
If you're like most business leaders or entrepreneurs, this is a question posed often.
But, is it healthy for us to be in this mindset? Will it destroy our team and our ultimate goals for success?
Join Michael and Jim as they explore this topic and offer one powerful word that will forever change the way you think about your employees.
Recruiting and developing strong people is the most critical and challenging job for most leaders.
Equally difficult is the task of knowing when to let those employees go who don't seem to be fully embracing the opportunity you're providing for them.
It's not that hard when it's a case of an obvious fireable offense like employee theft.
But, it's not as cut and dry when it's more about you just not being fired up about someone you're cutting a paycheck to every other week.
Join Michael and Jim as they explore what many consider the worst part about being the boss. Listen in as the two hosts share key insights into knowing "when to let them go".
Nearly all leaders use the word integrity when describing themselves or their principles of business on resumes and websites all throughout the world.
But how many of them truly understand what the word means and if they or their organization are really measuring up?
In this challenging episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership podcast, Michael and Jim explore what the word integrity really means, and why mastering it should be the quintessential goal of a leader.
Debt is something every leader will face somewhere along their journey.
Most entrepreneurs need capital to get their ideas off of the ground.
But, this initial desire to finance a new idea, expanded service or company growth can often snowball rapidly into an insurmountable burden.
More sleepless nights have been spent worrying about debt than just about anything else.
Join Michael and Jim as they openly discuss their own difficult challenges with debt and as they share a pathway to victory and financial freedom.
This may surprise you, but the top challenges a leader faces are frequently ones they don't even know exist.
Too often, the Emperor Has No Clothes; yet, there is no one with the guts to let him or her know.
If you are brave enough to listen to what is revealed here, you will unlock an inner freedom you have yet to experience as a leader.
Join Michael and Jim as they share with you the most important reality check a leader must make if they are to achieve true success.
This episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast just might change everything for you, in a very positive and transforming way.
It's a good business practice to seek feedback from your customers and employees.
Yet, as leaders, are we brave enough to survey our family with the open ended question of "How am I doing?" as a husband, wife, father or mother?
For most of us pouring our time and energy into the difficult daily challenge of leading a company, this exercise might not result in the high grades from our family we would hope to earn.
Join Michael and Jim as they discuss strategies for being successful at putting your family first. It's easier said than done, but this might be the episode that changes everything for you and those you love.
As a leader, have you ever found yourself staring up at the ceiling with your heart pounding at 2:30 in the morning?
You're desperate to get some sleep, but all you can do is worry. And then you worry about worrying.
Worry can be a crippling disease for leaders, and all of us with responsibility and concern for others have to face it with some frequency.
Yet, you can free yourself from worry, and in doing so, increase your effectiveness and happiness as a leader.
Join Michael and Jim as they dive deep into life-changing solutions for this common affliction suffered by leaders of business, community and faith.
It doesn't matter if it's at work, at church or while serving on jury duty, it seems like it's the same people over and over again who get chosen as leaders.
If this is you, it won't take long for the additional work, cost, time commitment, stress and responsibility of being in charge to add up.
It can easily get you to a place where you find yourself wondering, "Why am I always stuck leading?"
In this episode, Michael and Jim discuss this common affliction of the well-meaning leader and give some time-freeing advice for when to say, "Yes" to a leadership opportunity and when to say, "No".
Study after study by business colleges affirm the disheartening news for entrepreneurs and business executives: The survival rate of the marriages of leaders is tragically low.
This is often because the spouse is treated as a silent partner, rather than a leader's most trusted adviser.
Worse, the business becomes a mistress in the marriage.
In this critically important episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast, Michael and Jim share insights in how focusing first on a successful marriage can further increase the odds you'll have a successful business.
Don't miss this one and be sure to share it with whomever you feel it may bless.
Ever say to yourself, "If every day is like yesterday, I don't want to do this anymore?"
Most leaders, if they are being honest have uttered these words countless times as they've built their vision.
Yet, sometimes this feeling can repeat itself over and over again to the point of rising to depression. Sadly, depression is rampant among leaders.
In this episode, Michael and Jim discuss this serious issue and provide insights in how to deal with those really, bad days. This is one to share with as many leaders as you know.
It's been shared the two most essential attributes of a successful leader are strength and kindness.
There are many strong leaders, but they have no heart, and they leave behind a trail of the battered and bruised.
Then there are those who are kind, yet they are too weak in many areas for others to want to follow them.
In this groundbreaking episode, Michael and Jim discuss the "Heart of a Leader" and share key insights toward being successful as a both a happy and effective leader.
What is one of the biggest threats to leaders and entrepreneurs? The answer may surprise you.
It's success.
Yes, that's right. Many business schools and entrepreneur coaches will give you guidance on overcoming challenges and failures in your organization. Few will spend much time at all on helping you deal with success.
In this episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast, Michael K. Reynolds and Jim Johnson cover all aspects of dealing with success.
This conversation may save you from years of hardship and grief. Don't miss it!
Successful leaders aren't experts at success. They are experts at overcoming disappointment.
Yet, responding well in the face of adversity can be one of the greatest challenges a leader has to deal with on the road to reaching their vision.
How should you deal with disappointment? Should you always be fully transparent when you're going through hard times? Or are you better off keeping a stiff upper lip.
These answers and more with Michael K. Reynolds and Jim Johnson on the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast.
Leaders can be among the loneliest people on the planet.
Many have spouses, yet they don't often feel comfortable burdening them with their challenges, and many times their wives or husbands are a little exhausted about hearing about these problems anyway.
Then there is your team that you lead. Are they going to have an answer for you when you can't meet payroll? Do they really want to hear about your personal challenges.
But, rather than keeping it all to yourself, there's another way.
The answer lies in the lifechanging concept of the leadership table. And it's the focus of this week's discussion on the Two Are Gathered Leadership Podcast.
In this, the launch episode of the Two Are Gathered Leadership podcast, Michael K. Reynolds and Jim Johnson reveal the "keystone" to surviving and thriving as a leader through times of great challenges...and sweet victories.
They also explain the purpose and vision of the podcast and offer critical encouragement to leaders...and those who should be leading...to come along for what promises to be an amazing journey for in the areas of business, community and faith.