The Level Up Leader with Michael King

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Summary
In this episode, executive coach Michael King explores the pivotal role of respect in building high performing teams and visionary leaders. Drawing from his personal experience and research, he highlights how respect fosters open communication, trust, and collaboration within teams. With statistics showing that respecting teams outperform others by 17%, stay on schedule 20% more, and are 25% more productive, King emphasizes the strategic advantage of respect and provides actionable insights for cultivating a culture of respect within organizations.

Key Points
• Respect is the most valuable and expensive currency for a successful team
• Embracing respect leads to increased teamwork, improved morale, and enhanced performance
• Teams that prioritize respect outperform others by 17%, stay on schedule 20% more, and are 25% more productive
• Respect breeds trust, enabling open and honest communication for effective problem-solving and decision-making
• Respect is a two-way street: how you show respect determines how you receive it
• Healthy debates are essential for growth and innovation, but must be handled with dignity and professionalism
• Cultivating a culture of respect builds a strong foundation for success

Best Quotes
00:19 - 00:24
• "Respect is the most valuable and the most expensive currency for a team."
02:22 - 02:26
• "Respect breeds trust, and trust is the glue that holds teams together."
02:38 - 02:42
• "How you show respect to your team members is exactly how you will receive respect from them."

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Summary:
In this episode of the Level Up Leader podcast, Ralph Velasco discusses his two travel brands and how he creates cultural tours that cater to photography enthusiasts. He also shares his story of becoming a travel photographer and tour organizer, along with his tips on setting clear client expectations and over-delivering on promises.

Key Points:
• Ralph recently created a YouTube channel called The Continental Drifter, where he shares travel and photography tips for baby boomers and Gen X travelers.
• Ralph's favorite trips are the Treasures of Armenia and the Republic of Georgia, and Mexico's Copper Canyons, which are somewhat off the beaten path but accessible and really exotic and unique.
• Ralph believes in setting clear expectations and never over-promising but over-delivering in his business.
• Cultural tours with a focus on photography appeal to people who want to experience a place's unique culture while taking great photos.
• All people, including those with smartphones, can enjoy cultural tours; it's not just for people with fancy cameras.
• Ralph's websites, photo enrichment.com, allal.com, and aag.com, offer trips focused on the Mediterranean and culture.
• Trips from Ralph's umbrella brand, Continental Drifter, offer incredible experiences in cuisine, wine, and beautiful locales.

Best Quotes:
02:06 - 02:25
• "These aren't photo workshops where it's 12 hours a day, every sunrise, sunset photography. So these are very casual and I, I created these trips as sort of a hybrid between, I would call it a photo tour, which isn't quite a photo workshop, but that and a regular trip."
03:40 - 04:01
• "And so we spend the entire trip in one, maybe two locations and instead of, like I said, going around an entire country or region and spending eight hours in a vehicle getting from place to place, we pack and unpack once, and then we do little day trips that might be 30 minutes to an hour away."
13:35 - 13:45
• "People are gonna come on trips where they either can learn something or there's an activity like photography or learn a language or food."

About Ralph:Ralph Velasco is a U.S.-based travel photography instructor, author, and international guide who has organized and led over 120 international tours and more than 100 domestic tours in the United States. His international trips have included Armenia & the Republic of Georgia, Egypt, Morocco, the Adriatic, Central Europe, Iceland, Bhutan & Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Spain, Portugal, Tuscany, Romania, Mexico’s Copper Canyon, Turkey, and other locations. Ralph is an award-winning travel photography blogger, podcast host, and public speaker, and for more than 14 years, he’s been the Founder and CEO (Chief Experience Officer) of PhotoEnrichment Adventures. Recently he created a new travel brand called Alla Campagna Experiences, where the focus is less on photography in each destination and even more on the culture, people, food, drink, and other unique activities and experiences they have to offer, all while staying in unforgettable properties, such as private castles, wine estates, one-of-a-kind boutique hotels, villas, and converted mansions, mainly around the Mediterranean. Subscribe to Ralph’s YouTube channel (https://YouTube.com/ContinentalDRIFTER), The Continental DRIFTER, and visit its accompanying travel blog (https://ContinentalDRIFTER.co). At The Continental DRIFTER you can expect travel advice, interesting stories, expert interviews, and easy-to-use photography tips for Baby Boomers and Gen X travelers. Now, invest in yourself…get out and travel!

Web: https://PhotoEnrichment.com

Social:
http://youtube.com/continentaldrifter
https://www.facebook.com/thecontinentaldrifter
https://www.instagram.com/ralphvelasco/
https://twitter.com/ralphvelasco
https://www.pinterest.com/continentaldrifter/

To learn more about the podcast, please visit:
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Michael King Facebook Page
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Summary Michael King, founder and CEO of Teams Co Coach, LLC, shares his coaching methodology and insights on the importance of adaptability and innovation in today's business landscape. He highlights the need for leaders to remain resilient in the face of uncertainty and embrace change to thrive.

Key Points • Failure can be a positive learning experience and a catalyst for growth. • With the rise of AI and other technologies, leaders must stay informed and prepared for change in their respective industries. • The shift towards digital media has caused some organizations to reevaluate their advertising strategies. • Embrace technology, social media, and identity maintenance through executive coaching to maintain one's brand and vision. • The smaller team cannot deliver the same results as the bigger team. • Find new effective ways for the smaller team to move forward. 6. The Aspire Leadership Program provides a community of leaders to collaborate and share insights with.

Best Quotes 07:48 - 07:58 • "When things start to shift, how you adapt, not necessarily react, but how you adapt and making sure that embracing change towards your future innovative strategies, those things matter." 10:49 - 10:57 • "People are cutting back their digital ad spend like never before. So what do you do? How do you do it?" 11:18 - 11:22 • "Cutting back without adjusting strategy, you will continue to lose. You're just gonna lose bigger." 11:56 - 12:00 • "You can't expect a smaller team to deliver the same results as your bigger team." 12:12 - 12:16 • "Embrace technology, embrace some of the new things that are being rolled out." 16:20 - 16:25 • "If you don't have executive coaching to keep identity maintenance alive, you will lose."

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Summary In this episode of the Level Up Leader podcast, host Michael King shares two powerful reminders for leaders that can propel them towards their fullest potential. He encourages leaders to be unshakeable and to embrace the 80% rule. By protecting their energy and focusing on progress, leaders can liberate themselves from unnecessary burdens and empower their team members to take ownership of their responsibilities. Key Points • Leaders should protect their energy and cultivate unshakeable resolve • Embracing the 80% rule can liberate leaders from perfectionism and unnecessary burdens • Effective delegation allows leaders to leverage the strengths of their team and achieve more collectively • Leaders should aim for progress, not perfection • Trusting and empowering team members creates a ripple effect of productivity and innovation throughout the organization

Best Quotes 06:00 - 06:07 • "By delegating effectively, we can leverage the strengths of our team and achieve more collectively than we ever could do it alone" 07:31 - 07:35 • "Your journey is to become the best version of yourself, and it starts now"

Transcript

Welcome to the Level Up Leader podcast. This is the podcast that ignites your leadership potential and helps you to lead your team to greatness. I'm your host, Michael King. I'm an executive coach for visionaries who are ready to take their teams to the next level. Today, we have an incredible episode in store for you, filled with insights, personal stories, and a dash of humor. Hello leaders. I'm thrilled to have you here joining me on this journey of personal growth and professional excellence. Today I wanna share with you two powerful reminders that will propel you towards your fullest potential. So let's dive right in. The first reminder is to be unshakeable. Picture this, you wake up in the morning and see a sticky note on your mirror with the words be unshakeable, written boldly. It's a simple, yet powerful mantra that resonates within you. It reminds you that your energy is precious and finite. So instead of allowing external forces to shake your resolve, you protect your energy like a fierce guardian. Now, let me share with you a personal story. A few years ago, I faced a challenging situation that really tested my spirit. I was working with a team that had experienced a major setback, and the atmosphere was heavy with disappointment and doubt, frustration. I had been here before. This space was way too familiar for me. I had failed this scenario so many times that I completely lost count. So this time I decided to rely on something completely different. I refused to let negativity permeate my mindset. I nurtured the unshakeable resolve that I have, and focused on leading my team with grace and with determination. Now, it wasn't easy, but by guarding my energy and remaining solid, I was able to cultivate resilience within myself and inspire my team to bounce back. Remember, the power to remain unshakeable resides within you. Protect your energy, channel it personally, and fuel your aspirations with unwavering belief. Now, onto our second reminder, it's simply this. It's the 80% rule. Now, embrace the 80% rule, all that perfectionism, it's a blessing and it's a curse, right? But we all strive for excellence, but sometimes we find ourselves trapped in a never-ending cycle of overanalyzing and obsessing over inconsequential details. Can you relate? Well, it's time to break free from this self-imposed prison. Now, imagine this, you're in the middle of a project and instead of aiming for perfection, you embrace the power of 80%. You understand that the majority of progress and impact can be achieved by exerting 80% of your effort. Now, by shifting your perspective, you liberate yourself from unnecessary burdens and you find joy in progress rather than unattainable perfection. Now, let's be honest, the final 20% has very little chance of giving you the ROI that you've spent with time and energy that you summon to get it to your perfection according to your standards, right? So let me inject a touch of humor in here. Now, I, I once had a a, an A client who was absolutely brilliant, but she struggled with perfectionism. Everything had to be flawless. Like everything meticulous, like down to the dotted i's and the cross T's and everything. The way it was arranged, I'm pretty sure that if you looked in her closet, everything was alphabetized and and color coded. For example, right now, everything had to be flaws, which caused unnecessary delays and stifled her team's creativity. Now, we worked together to embrace this 80% rule. It was a new concept for her. It stretched her. In fact, at first it even offended her. But soon enough, she discovered the joy of completion, the freedom to move swiftly, and the ability to tackle bigger challenges directly. So leaders, I encourage you to envision a future where you operate at 80%, where you embrace the joy of freedom that comes from progress. I challenge you to break free from the chains of perfectionism and watch as your productivity soars and your fulfillment grows. Now, let's talk about how the 80% rule can be also applied to how you delegate and how you raise up the next generation of leaders. As leaders, we often struggle with delegation because we feel that no one can meet our standards of excellence. We want everything to be perfect, and we fear that our team members might not be able to deliver our expectations. This is really dangerous. I can't stress this enough. This fear, this fear can lead to micromanaging and a lack of trust, which ultimately hinders productivity and growth. Now, your decision to not delegate compromises the productivity of the organization, and I want you to understand that and feel that. And in turn, it actually exposes a significantly deeper issue rooted directly in your leadership. By embracing the 80% rule, we can free ourselves from this perfectionism and empower our team members to take ownership of the responsibility. Instead of striving for 100%, we can aim for 80% and trust that our team members will deliver their best work. Within that framework, we released it 80%, and then we watched them grow it to past what we were able to contribute in the first place. This not only saves time and energy, but it allows us to focus on more strategic and high level tasks. Ultimately, it does get down to like with the thing that we're supposed to be doing as leaders in the first place, not just managing projects, but developing people. Delegating at 80% also expands our impact as leaders. When we trust and empower our team members, we allow them to grow and develop in their skillset. This creates a ripple effect of productivity and innovation throughout the whole organization. By delegating effectively, we can leverage the strengths of our team and achieve more collectively than we ever could do it alone. So if you're struggling with delegation, try applying this 80% rule. Start small by delegating tasks that don't require your full attention and gradually build trust within your team members. Now remember, the goal is progress. It's not perfection. It never has been in the first place. By letting go of the need to control everything, you'll open up new opportunities for growth and for impact. Now, as we come to a close today, I want to leave you with these two fundamental principles. Cultivate your unshakeable, resolve and protect your energy as a precious resource. Do you feel that embrace the joy and freedom that also comes by operating within the 80% and experience the transformative power it actually holds. Now remember, the more subscriptions that we have, the better the episodes become. So if you enjoyed today's episode and want to dive deeper into the world of leadership excellence, make sure to like and subscribe to this podcast on your preferred streaming services like YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music Now, and don't forget to visit www.teams.coach to subscribe to our mailing list where you'll receive exclusive content and updates. You can also reach out to me personally about one-on-one coaching, team coaching, or even having me visit for a team event or a keynote at one of your conferences. I'd love to connect with you and help you unlock your full potential. Thank you for joining me today on the Level Up Leader. Remember, your journey is to become the best version of yourself, and it starts now. Until next time, keep leveling up and leading with purpose.

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David Page joins the Level Up Leader Podcast with Michael King to discuss his creative and exciting journey from investigative journalist w/ NBC to creating Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. He talks about leading by example, his radio show, and his journey to becoming a successful voiceover artist. He shares his experiences in leadership, the importance of curiosity and intelligence in creative endeavors, and how to promote his radio show.

Key Points • Created Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for Food Network • Wrote book Food Americana to explore American cuisine • Leadership requires patience and understanding • Curiosity and intelligence are essential for success in creative endeavors • David Page is a voiceover artist • His advice on how to Level Up Best Quotes 08:59 - 09:09 • "Immigrants brought various cuisines with them. We then modified them, revised them, made them our own, and together they created American cuisine." 13:06 - 13:16 • "My hobbies are my avocations. In other words, if I find something interesting and creative, I do it. It's, it's not as if at some point I'm going to stop doing that." 15:41 - 15:49 • "I never hired based on television experience so much as I hired based on two things. These are the only two things you need in any kind of journalistic or beyond that creative endeavor. You need intelligence and you need curiosity. If you're not curious, I have no interest in you." 27:13 - 27:24 Michael King: www.michaelkingjr.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkingjr75/

https://twitter.com/michaelkingjr

https://www.facebook.com/michaelrkingjr75

Instagram: michaelkingjrofficial

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/levelupleader

David Page:

pageprod@icloud.com

https://www.facebook.com/david.page.1840

Transcript: Welcome to the Level Up Leader podcast. My name is Michael King. I'm an executive coach that helps leaders find clarity, expand their vision, make sure they have all the right system, strategies and structures in place to be able to amplify the right culture and create what they need to do their business at a level that they've never seen before. On today's podcast, I am joined by David Page. David Page comes from a long historical background of some incredibly creative and exciting endeavors, starting off as an investigative journalist going all the way to actually creating Diners, drive-Ins and Dives. And now he is diving into some new endeavors. I'm excited for you to be able to check out what David has at offered today on this podcast as he talks about leading by example. So everybody, welcome David Page to the Level Up Leader podcast, Mr. David Page. Welcome to the Level of Leader podcast. It's so great to have you today. Thank you very much for having me. Now, in our pre-show interview, we kind of chatted a little bit about, about your story and just a little bit of your history and you definitely have have quite an entertaining journey. So why don't you give, give me and just the listeners a little bit of an overview of like, man, what has your journey been about and what has that look like for you? I was driving, well, I was in the backseat. I was a kid into New York City from Long Island with my parents one day listening. They were listening to W N E W Radio, which was the middle of the road powerhouse of New York City and by extension of the country. And William B. Williams was joking around and I said to my father, I want to do that. And he poo-pooed. He said, what now? Be a disc jockey went, nah, that's no, no way of life. And somehow that stuck with me. When it was time to go to high school, I knew that the local prep school had a carrier current radio station, so I convinced my parents to send me there as a day student. From that, I followed radio and then TV jobs around the country. Worked, especially as an investigative reporter in a number of markets, got picked up by N B C News got sent overseas, which I had never expected and was unprepared for. So I found myself learning a whole lot about countries while I was there. I remember early in my, my tenure, I was in Cairo for some, some event that was so large that a vice president from New York had come over to run it. And he walks up to me and he says, Paige, go to cartoon. I said, okay. Turned to one of the locals and said, where's Cartoon? They said, it's in the Sudan. I said, where's the Sudan? They said, one country south. So I I, I picked up been a bunch of cartoon. I, I worked overseas for a number of years covering some of the biggest events in 20th century history. I walked through the Berlin Wall the night it opened, came back to the states, became a show producer at N B C, then moved over to a b c, ran the investigative unit at 2020, then became one of the three rotating senior producers who a week at a time put Good Morning America on the air left after I was advised that there was gonna be a million dollar winner and who wants to be a millionaire that night, and that the next morning I would have the winner in my first half hour. And I realized that network news was not quite what it had been. Got out of there, went to Minneapolis to work for a TV shopping channel. Didn't like that. Opened a production company at my production company. I created the show Diners, drive-Ins and Dives for the Food Network. Then moved on from that, wrote a book about American food called Food Americana. These days I'm back with my first love of radio, which I started when I was 14. My first job, I'm syndicating a show called Martini Music, which is the music of the thirties, forties, and into the mid fifties. And that in a nutshell is, is the whole story. Fantastic. Well, thank you David Page for being with us today. I think we covered all the pieces. Thanks for having me. Absolutely, man. Well, I was, I was intrigued about to have you on the show. I love working with creatives and I'm a, I'm a musician and recording artist as, as kind of a thing, as well as being an executive coach. But I'm also huge foodie. And so when I heard that you were one of the brains behind making Triple D happen, I was like, I wanna talk to this guy. I wanna see This guy. Let me be rude. I was the only brain behind making Triple D happen. I that's it came outta my head. So how did that happen? Well, I opened my production company and I was starving cause I was failing at selling anything to anybody. I called up Al Roker who had and still has a production company in addition to his N B C gig before Al was on the Main Today Show, he was on the Weekend show, which I co-created. So we were buddies. I called him up, I said, Hey, you got any work? I'm starving. He said, yeah, I'm doing a lot of stuff for the Food Network. I'll subcontract some of it to you. So I started doing things for the Food Network through AL'S production company, which made me a known entity to the network. Al and I understood, both of us understood that I wasn't gonna get rich working through him. So I went ahead and began pitching the network on my own, and I was getting nowhere. You know, I had, I, I had a leg up in the, there was an executive who would talk to me, which if you're trying to pitch a network is kind of important. She kept saying no. Finally, I had done a documentary for them through Al about diners, and one day I'm on the phone pitching her and in frustration she says, don't you have anything else about diners? And I said, oh, absolutely. I'm developing this program called Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. And I told her all about it. And to my surprise, she said, you know, that sounds interesting. Get me a writeup on Monday. We have a development meeting on Tuesday. Hung up the phone. I I was delighted that she was interested, but I, I had kind of a problem in the, I had, I was not developing a show called Diners Drive, Andon Dives. I had just made the name up during the phone call and now, now I had a, and I explained the show to her in great detail, but it was all smoke that, that I was blowing. And this was late on, I think a Thursday afternoon, maybe a Friday. So I had the weekend to call around the country and try to come up with restaurants and people. And anyway, I, I wrote up what's called a one sheet, a proposal. Got it to her on Monday. Shortly thereafter, they picked up a special, a one hour special to Star Guy Fieri, who had recently won their Food Network star contest. They, at the time, thought that that contest was going to generate their next generation of stars. In fact, he's pretty much the only one, whoever went on to anything after the contest. But they were looking for something to keep him in front of the public while they developed a, a primetime show for him with a big deal production company. They, they'd asked two of them for proposals. I did the special, it rated well, they looked at the proposals from the big deal production companies and didn't like 'em. And cautiously green lit a a short first season of diners and it went from there. And now the rest is still, it's still actually happening. It's still a very popular show. Yeah, I left after the 11th season. It's now in season 40 something. Wow. Seasons are 13 episodes. I mean, it hasn't been on for 40 years. So then you wrote a book, food Americana, is that right? I did very well. I, it's my search to find and define American cuisine, which is in fact more than hot dogs and hamburgers. I, I learned when I was working internationally that that food is a gateway into the soul of a culture. And our cuisine, just as America at its best to use a cliche, is described as an immigration melting pot. He said, wearing his left wing political views on his sleeve, American food is also a melting pot. Immigrants brought various cuisines with them. We then modified them, revised them, made them our own, and together they created an American cuisine. American pizza's, not the pizza you find in Naples, but it became what it was because of an abundance, pardon me, I'm gonna clear my throat. An abundance of items like meat available to the poor here, that were not available to the poor in Naples. We have Chinese American, which is quite different than the food you'll find in China, but which evolved from the immigration to the states of Cantonese gold miners to California for the gold rush. And, and they, some of them opened restaurants and modified the food to fit American tastes, which did not skew toward the awful and interior body parts that much of Cantonese cuisine and other cultures a favor in their foods. So we've, we've created ab sushi, in my view as eaten here is is now part of American cuisine. So that, that's the book, pick it up at Amazon Food Americana. We'll definitely include that, include that link in our show notes. So I wanna talk to you a little bit about your radio show that's, that's coming up here in a few minutes. Maybe we'll do that a little bit more on the, on the back end of this. Sure. Just because I think that's super interesting to me as well. You've had a, you've had a, a long career in which your resume, when you start to list off the, the singular opportunities that you've had to be in front of high level influence people and to be able to create interesting products and programs, et cetera, you've definitely had quite, quite the share of opportunities for you to be able to make a really big impact. You mentioned to me just in the, in the pre-show interview, you were like, yeah, my attention spans a little, a little short. I kinda like to move on to things pretty, you like to do a lot of things. What is, what is your, what is the next thing for you? Well, I'm getting old. I mean, eventually it's gonna be death. I I I'm deeply involved in the radio show right now because we're still in the phase. Well, I'll, I'll remain involved in it. I do the whole thing myself after the radio show is smoothly running. I do have a second book in me that I, I may go back to or I may do, try to sell a TV documentary or, or something. I, it's, I I have a number of concepts for other books or projects that interest me that are sitting in the possibles file. I'm, I'm fascinated by the way in which American business has monetized poor service. How over the years human interaction with customers has been diminished. How the concept of escalation by which you, you intentionally allow customers to get really pissed off before you send the few of them who really will stay with it up to another level to deal with humans. That's a book I may write that, that one's in the possibles file. That's, that's, that's intriguing as well. So you're, you're out in the Jersey shore now. Yep. Living your, living your best life. You said you, you have a, a nice porch that oversees some water in which you can wave at your neighbors from a distance. So that is Correct. So I love that. When you look at your life of as far as like what life looks like for you five years from now, what's the pi what does that picture look like for you? Five years from now? Waving up my neighbors and continuing to do something creative. I don't, I just turned 68. I don't see, retirement is not a thing. I I I am not somebody who went to an office job and then one day stopped going to that office job so he could fly fish. My, my hobbies are my avocations. In other words, if I find something interesting and creative, I do it. It's, it's not as if at some point I'm going to stop doing that. There, there's, there's no formal concept of, well that was my years of working now, now it's over. You gotta do something and I don't fly phish. That's really cool. That's great. And I'm, I'm kind of wired the same way. It's like I, I'm in, I'm so much in love with the things that I get to do and I'm also a creative to where I don't really have to necessarily see an end date to the things that I'm a part of. I see different chapters, but, but not necessarily just, you know, hanging it up and just, you know, chilling out. You know, I, I could, I look forward to dying in a skydiving accident at the age of 109. We'll go ahead and make reference to that and maybe even pop a date on the calendar just to remind you that you just in case, Hey, look, my mother-in-law's 104 and, and just got a new boyfriend. So everything's possible. Everything is possible. Alright, real quick here. So just kind of to, to go down this list with that we ask all of the guests when they're, when they're on the Level Up Leader podcast, but the first one is, is at some point in time in your life you decided, you know what? I think I need to level up my own personal leadership in order for me to actually go to the next level. Do you have a moment that you can recall that looked like that? Yeah, I came back to the States. I was the enon to Reeb SuperDuper producer overseas for N B C in, in, in Europe. I mean, I also covered African in the Middle East. I was a hotshot. I was, I iconoclastic, I was braggadocious, I was, I I was me, I was all about me. I was brought back to the States to become a senior producer of a relatively unimportant show. But nonetheless, and I was brought back, you know, N B C was owned by GE and which had the reputation of, of great management training N B C offered none. I was brought back without even being told exactly what a senior producer on a show does. And certainly was not sent to any kind of a course to be given any kind of management training whatsoever. And I started breaking a lot of pottery. I was not, and it's been a problem for me as a leader throughout my career. If you're talented, I'm good with you. If you're not talented, I, I kind of give up on you and I might not be the nicest person on earth. And I found in my first senior producer role that I was tripping over myself an awful lot and, and pissing people off and not necessarily getting the best out of people with, with honey. And I had to, I had to work on that. And in all candor, it's always been an a Kelly's heel for me. I I've, yeah, I've never been an instinctively great manager. I can motivate, I can lead by example. I can get involved. If you are good, I'm, I'm delighted to help make you better. But I don't have the patience I should have for those who are less than wonderful. That's fair. That's fair. I, I think that, well, not that I think, but I know with the scope of work that we do in coaching, you know, entrepreneurs all the way through Fortune 500 executives, one of the biggest issues that people have, especially when they inherited a team, is having reasonable expectations of knowing what can you actually expect out of the tribe that you inherited. And also too, like if you're building a team, you're not the only one out there, by the way. That's just like, I work with leaders all the, all the time that kind of break people into two different camps. You're either a leader or you're a talent. You can't be both apparently in this world, sarcastically, This, this, look, you're absolutely right. This got a lot easier for me when I had my own production company because I did the hire and because I did the hiring, I was invested in, if I assume you have talent, I don't want to be wrong. I, one particular individual I hired as a writer and then I made her chief writer, she was good at that. And then I made her the number two in the company and she was awful at it. And I invited her to a breakfast meeting one morning and we sat down and I said, obviously this isn't working. What do you want to do? She said, I wanna go back to my old job, but I thought you were calling me here to fire me. And I said, why would I fire you? You were really good at your old job. But again, I had hired her. I was, I was invested in this. Now I didn't, one of the freedoms I had as the boss, the owner is, I didn't have to waste a whole lot of time on, for example, managing someone out specifically. We used a fair number at one point of freelance editors. And if a freelancer was hired and came back for a review of a first cut and I gave them notes, if at the second cut they, they didn't get it, I would pay off their freelance contract and say goodbye, which was seen by some as cruel, heartless, whatever. But at that point, I knew it wasn't gonna work. It was gonna be too much work for me. So thank you, here's your money, we'll finish the project. Which to me made a lot of sense to some people was seen as me being a major asshole. Really just kind of depends on the way that you communicate and, and value somebody during that process. For you being a leader, ask people this question all the time when they're dealing with personnel issues. Three years from now, what do you see your relationship like this particular person looking like? And if they tell me that three years from now, if they're feeling like in that moment, I don't really see this like, you know, I don't see this playing out, why, why waste time? Yeah, Absolutely. But see, I also, because I'm emotionally invested in my creative projects, I did not use the model that has worked very well for some other people. Notably Jeff Zucker, when he was running the Today Show, all bad news came from his number two. Jeff only dealt with people in the happy way. And I suspect, I mean, I don't know what his tenure at CNN was like, but they loved him there. So I, pardon me, I suspect he continued that. So what you're saying is that you went a completely different route and you chose to lead through honesty and transparency and just looking it all on the table. And, and I was, I wouldn't lie to people about expectations and results, but I was deeply invested in training and education firsthand. This is why I think we should do well. I didn't say, I think this is why we should do this, this way, and here's why. You know, if someone brought a, an episode into my office to screen, I would play it on my computer. And when I got to something I didn't like, I would turn around, face the computer, make the change myself and show them why it made a difference. Expecting that next time they would understand that production technique and employ it. You, you have to start with show and tell. You know, especially in a creative business, I've always prided myself on the fact that I've never been one of those senior or executive producers who says to someone upon screening, it doesn't work for me. And then you send someone back to figure out why no, it's, here's what doesn't work for me and here's what I'm suggesting, parenthesis directing you to do to fix it. That's really good. Your level of leader tip that you, that you submitted was that leading by example and then kind of leading into this idea of making sure that you allow those that you teach to be able to shadow. Absolutely. Yeah. I value that. Have you heard is that when it comes to mentorship and and development, the process of I do you watch, I do, you assist, we do. And then it kind of transpires from there eventually getting the person that's shadowing you to be able to actually work it out. Yeah. You can't expect someone to know something they don't know. You have to show them and give them an opportunity to try it and then they'll either know it or they won't. Now those in a creative world who can't, they don't stay with you very long. You can't have that. You need, look, I never hired based on television experience so much as I hired based on two things. These are the only two things you need in any kind of journalistic or beyond that creative endeavor. You need intelligence and you need curiosity. If you're not curious, I have no interest in you. That's powerful. That's good. That's that. That'll be, that'll be a standout quote from this. If, if you're, if you're not curious, curiosity, there's something incredibly powerful about Curiosity Man. So good. Alright, so well fast forward here. So now you've, you've gotten all this stuff going on and now you're like, you know what, I'm gonna create a ra, a syndicated radio show, diving into the history of big band era jazz and all that cool stuff. Talk to me about that. Where you at with it? Look, I started in radio when I was, as I said, you know, as a child and interested me. And then I got my first professional job when I was, I believe 15. So my first love has always been radio to this day. There there's a website, music radio 70 seven.com, dedicated to W a c when it was Top 40 station, the greatest top 40 station that ever existed back in the sixties and seventies. To this day, off that website, I entertained myself by listening to Air checks of Dan Ingram, the greatest dj, whoever lived. And I burst out laughing at, at his double ENTs 65 years after he said them and, and 10 years after he died. So radio's always been a thing for me. You know, some people sing along with the radio in the car. I did the breaks between songs. So I, I had started working on my second book and I had been doing for about, I don't know, a year in my spare time, there's a, a low power community station, about an hour south of here. And I was doing a show for them called Simply Classic, which was the best of any genre. And I thought to myself, you know, I'm enjoying this. I maybe I should do more of this. So I went online, I found a syndication company, I sent them some examples of the work and said, you know, is this saleable? Did would this be interesting? They came back to me and they said, absolutely, but you gotta pick a genre. And I said, well, I I want to do Swing crooners big bands. And they came up with the name Mar Genie music and they're out pedaling the show and we're in a handful of markets now and growing. Cause syndication is something you, you pedal a show at a time, a station at a time. But I'm doing two hours a week and I'm loving it. That's, that's really, really awesome. I gotta, I gotta figure out how to be able to get access to it. So that'd be, that'd be really cool. So your, so your ask is that one of the things is that we can all kind of get behind you as part of being a part of the level of Leader Tribe, is to call your local radio station and to ask for the Martini music radio show is That tell them that they should be carrying martini music, which is brokered by syndication networks and help, help me, help me grow the roster of stations. Fantastic. And so if somebody wants to get ahold of you directly, how can they do that? I'm on Facebook or in all candor, I, there's no secret. I'll give out my email page prod as in productions, but someone's squatting that page, prod icloud.com Page prod icloud.com. That is fantastic. So, so we have a Facebook group that goes along with the Level of Leader podcast. So there's a couple hundred people that are in that, that are just, they actively engage with, with the people that are on the show. So, and I've, I've joined, I'm there. Yep, I see that. So thank you for doing that. And so as soon as I just courage everybody to, to just throw some questions your way and when you're, when please live, just pop the link in there as far as where people can, you know, if they, if there's anything that we need to know to be able to get behind you to promote your radio show. But man, this has been fascinating and enlightening and fun. You know, you, you, when talking to you, you definitely, you, I know when I'm talking to somebody that has a seasoned radio voice and so it's, it's one of those things, weird random, just fun fact about me. So I, you know, I love to, I love food network stuff. I love jazz music. I'm a saxophonist and guitarist, piano player, all that stuff. So I love all those things. But one of the things that I also, I fall asleep every night listening to, to, or watching forensic files and, but it has nothing to do with the content. It's not like this crime thriller murder thing that's, that's me. It literally is because the, the guy that narrates the show, he's, he's got that radio voice that's gonna put you to sleep. Right? And, and so you got a talent man, go for, for it. Thank you very Much. Thank you. Much appreciated. I love it, man. Thank you so much. All right, David Page, thank you so much for being with us and I'm excited to see what happens to you next. Thank You. Thank you for joining us today on the Level Up Leader podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving a review on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast. It really helps to get the word out and make sure to like, subscribe and follow so you get all of the episodes. Also, a special thank you to our featured artists names without numbers for allowing us to use their music. We decided we only wanted to feature music that I've produced in the studio, so we think that's pretty cool to find out more about everything that we're up to. Please check us out@teams.coach and don't forget to join our Facebook group at teams.coach/levelup leaders.

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Jeff Bartsch- Never Give Up

Welcome to the Level Up Leader Podcast. I am your host, Michael King. I am an executive coach and founder of Teams.Coach, LLC. I work with C-level leaders to clarify and expand the vision, elevate performance, and Level Up their Leadership. On today’s podcast, I am joined by Jeff Bartsch. Jeff is a storyteller and marketing strategist who built his career as a television editor in Hollywood. His clients include ABC, NBC, Universal, Disney, Apple, and many others, with thousands of students and clients in over 50 countries around the world. His commentary on the entertainment industry has been featured in Time Magazine, USA Today, The Associated Press, and multiple textbooks. Jeff is the founder of Story Greenlight, an online community that helps experts and professional advisors shape their message, grow their business, and expand their impact in the world. Please welcome Jeff Bartsch to the Podcast.

Thank you for joining us today on the Level Up Leader podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving a review on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts - it helps to get the word out. And make sure to Like, Subscribe & Follow, so you get all the episodes.

A special thank you to our featured Artist, Names without Numbers, for allowing us to use their music. We decided we wanted to feature music I produced on the podcast..so that’s pretty cool.

To find out more about everything we're up to, check us out at https://teams.coach, and don't forget to join our Facebook group at teams.coach/levelupleaders/

Michael

www.teams.coach

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkingjr75/

https://twitter.com/michaelkingjr

https://www.facebook.com/michaelrkingjr75

Instagram: Teams.Coach

Jeff

https://www.StoryGreenlight.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-bartsch-0265934www.StoryGreenlight.com

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Jesse' Level Up Lesson: Never Give Up. There is always an answer or solution. Stay positive

My entire life.- One story specifically would be my Eagle Run story. My wife and I were a part of the Corporate team of Crane Coffee. Every Halloween, we would go around to each other eight coffee shops and celebrate the fun of Halloween. Take pictures and show off costumes. In 2017 as we were visiting our 7th of 8 stops, a car drove through their drive-thru kiosk. My entire left arm and hand were broken and dripping blood, but I immediately acted to ensure everyone was okay. My wife had much more severe injuries, but I ensured we had contact at the store. I loaded everyone into ambulances, rode to the hospital, and checked everyone in. The doctors forced me to check myself in, get checked out, and stay with the team and my wife until we recovered. I was staying positive and coordinating operations from the hospitals. I continue to empower others to let them know that even your worst day can be good with the right attitude. Nothing is out of reach with a good team.

Connect with Jesse Moore:

https://www.facebook.com/jessemooreomaha

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessemooreomaha/

https://twitter.com/JesseMooreOmaha

https://www.instagram.com/jessemooreomaha/

Connect with Michael King:

https://www.facebook.com/michaelrkingjr75

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkingjr75/

https://www.instagram.com/teams.coach/

https://twitter.com/michaelkingjr

Podcast Group: JOIN TODAY!

http://www.teams.coach/levelupleaders

Names without Numbers (our feature music)

http://www.nameswithoutnumbers.com

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You’ve heard it said that the ones that embrace technology are the ones who will win.

In today's rapidly-evolving world, staying ahead of the curve is more important than ever. And nowhere is that more true than in the world of life insurance.

Gone are the days of traditional policies and paper-based applications. Today, the most successful life insurance companies are the ones that have embraced technology to streamline their processes, make it easier for customers to apply, and provide faster, more personalized service.

Today I am excited to talk to you about another application in which this company is using technology to change the face of the life insurance industry.

Welcome to The Level Up Leader Podcast. I am your host, Michael King. I am an executive coach and founder of Teams.Coach, LLC. I work with C-level leaders to clarify and expand the vision, elevate performance, and elevate their Leadership.

On today’s episode, I am joined by Jim Grauel, the CDO of FOXO Tech. Jim comes with an impressive tenure in the insurance industry, brandishing nearly 30 years of experience in roles ranging from agent to CDO. With prior experience from Legal & General, Physicians Mutual, and Assurity, he has been instrumental in building agencies, brokerages, and regions, and is now drawing upon this unique skill set to implement FOXO’s innovative “for agents, by agents” model.

Jim shares a story about how he had a boss that was jealous of his success and tried to move him out. I don’t know about you, but I have stories like that from my past…and it's painful. As leaders, we need to remember that it's not about who we are in charge of, but rather who’s in our charge. What are we doing daily to set our team members up for growth?

A special thank you to our featured Artist, Names Without Numbers, for allowing us to use their music. We decided we wanted to feature music that I produced as a music producer..so that’s pretty cool. To find out more about everything we're up to, check us out at https://teams.coach, and don't forget to join our Facebook group at teams.coach/levelupleaders

Music by: Names Without Numbers www.nameswithoutnumbers.com Where to find Jim: FOXOLIFE.com Other links: Instagram Twitter Linkedin To learn more about the podcast, please visit: Level Up Leader Facebook Group Teams.Coach Facebook Page YouTube

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Welcome to the second episode of “Lessons” on the Level Up Leader Podcast. Today, Michael King talks about Killing the GOOD systems to find the Great Ones. Fostering a culture of continuous improvement is essential for any business’s success. In this episode, we discuss the importance of regularly evaluating your systems to identify and optimize the ‘great’ ones.

We also explore why it’s so important to have an objective understanding of the value each system provides, as well as how ‘killing the good’ can help you focus on creating great results.

Tune in to learn how consistent evaluation can enable you to find and implement better solutions that drive growth and success. To learn more about the podcast, please visit: Level Up Leader Facebook Group Teams.Coach Facebook Page YouTube

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Today on The Level Up Leader Podcast, we’re thrilled to have Greg Griffith from King of Kings Church in Omaha, NE. Join us as Michael King asks him about how his leadership has enabled deep and meaningful change within his organization!

Here's a little about Greg:

“Having grown up on the west coast, being raised by a mom who grew up in an orphanage, and a dad who was an ex-police officer, I learned very early on what it means to work hard and live with each day as a gift.

"Life is a series of choices that can change our trajectory. When I consider the choices made about me as an adopted child, my life could be so different...yet God had a greater plan and purpose.

"Learning over the past 45 years, the intentionality of relational building, of making each day count, and savoring the gifts of others and of life, has made me a relational leader, who simply seeks to see in others great potential.

"I wouldn't say I have conquered all I set out to do, but I have figured out the purpose of life...and the potential of life.

"Together with my wife of 16 years, we have two girls - 15 and 10 - and are striving to make the most out of each day we have together.

"I love sports, reading, relaxing, binge tv watching, and technology. I hate running (jogging), but I do it to strive to reach 85. I've been a pastor at large churches for 19 years, and am an avid leadership learner. I love food and sharing my meals on social media.” - GG

Today, Greg challenges us to take our leadership up a notch by embracing three key traits - Accessibility, Accountability, and Attentiveness.

By being accessible and making ourselves available to others, we can build strong relationships.

By accepting accountability for both success and failure in all aspects of life, we are led to personal growth.

By giving attentiveness, we are not only actively listening but also showing genuine care towards those around us.

What an empowering opportunity!

Music by: Names Without Numbers www.nameswithoutnumbers.com Where to find Greg: https://www.kingofkings.org www.instagram.com/greggriffithleads www.facebook.com/greggriffithleads To learn more about the podcast, please visit: Level Up Leader Facebook Group Teams.Coach Facebook Page YouTube

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Welcome to the Level Up Leader Podcast. I'm your host, Michael King--Executive Coach and Founder of Teams.Coach, LLC!

Join me as we dive deep into today's leadership lesson about discovering our Leadership Indexes and emphasizing how important it is for leaders to make others feel appreciated in order to be remembered most effectively.

This short-form podcast will come out twice a month alongside the classic Level Up Leader show, so stay tuned!

To learn more about the podcast, please visit: Level Up Leader Facebook Group Teams.Coach Facebook Page YouTube

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According to the Harvard Business Review, job resignations are still up 23% above pre-pandemic levels, and many organizations are short-staffed.

When just a few employees resign, their workloads can usually be redistributed among the remaining employees. In fact, many organizations are jumping on the #quiethiring bandwagon and unintentionally burning out their teams just to stay afloat. Today’s guest seems to be in the right place at the right time to help a very important niche in the dental industry.

Welcome to The Level Up Leader podcast. I am your host, Michael King. I am an executive coach and founder of Teams.Coach, LLC. I work with C-level leaders to clarify and expand the vision, elevate performance, and elevate their Leadership.

On today’s podcast am joined by Melissa Brown, the COO of Concierge Elite. Melissa holds a Master of Arts degree in Business Management specializing in Human Resources and several certifications in remote staffing, adult education, and training development.

Melissa is a veteran already in the entrepreneur space and is now paving the way in the remote team industry. Everyone, please welcome Melissa Brown to The Level Up Leader podcast.

In my conversation with Melissa, she opens up to me about her passion for investing in people. She states that “Great leaders invest in people. Investing in others creates margin and return. No hidden cost. The reason why over 98% population fails to invest is due to one thing and one thing only. Fear.”

This reminds me that Fear is the greatest enemy of progress that exists. More times than not, I am found working with a leader that has backed themselves into a limited mindset or stalled the performance of their team because of fear.

The return on investment when investing with people is significant. This is one investment that will never give us a bad return. Human Capital is our greatest asset.

A special thank you to our featured Artist, Names Without Numbers, for allowing us to use their music. We decided we wanted to feature music that I produced as a music producer...so that’s pretty cool.

To find out more about everything we're up to, check us out at Teams.Coach, and don't forget to join our Facebook group at Teams.Coach/LevelUpLeaders/

Source: https://hbr.org/2022/05/3-strategies-for-managing-an-understaffed-team Music by: Names without Numbers www.nameswithoutnumbers.com Where to find Melissa:https://www.conciergeelite.com/ Other links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-brown-462275232/ https://www.pinterest.com/conciergeelite/https://www.facebook.com/ConciergeElite.17https://www.instagram.com/concierge.elite17/

To learn more about the podcast, please visit: Level Up Leader Facebook Group Teams.Coach Facebook Page YouTube

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In the early 2000s, a music genre called EMO was taking the world by storm. Some of my favorite artists came out of this period - Dashboard Confessional and Panic! At The Disco, to name two.

But there's one that is especially near and dear to me, a local band from Omaha, Nebraska...one that I happen to also produce...called Names Without Numbers. They beautifully blend solid Rock & Roll performance with high levels of intellect and excellent writing. Some 20 years after the band was formed, they have had a resurgence, just in time to catch some much-earned attention. Welcome to The Level Up Leader podcast. I am your host, Michael King. I am an executive coach and founder of Teams.Coach, LLC. I work with C-level leaders to clarify and expand the vision, elevate performance, and elevate their Leadership. On today’s episode, I am joined by Ryan Cruickshank and Dave Owens of Names Without Numbers. One of my favorite parts of this interview is getting to dive into the lyrics of some of their best songs.

Ryan opens up about his struggle with Social Anxiety and why he decided to write a song about it. This hit home with me. Not too many people know that I have struggled with social anxiety most of my life, so knowing we were producing a song directly talking about it was right up my alley. Everyone, please welcome Names Without Numbers to The Level Up Leader podcast. Thank you for joining us today on The Level Up Leader podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving a review on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts - it helps to get the word out. And make sure to Like, Subscribe & Follow, so you get all the episodes. I really like the fact that these guys are doing something to bring them joy. That is a measure of success for them. It’s not how much money their music is making. It’s about creating memories and doing something that they love.

One of the key factors that leads people into depression and burnout is the lack of joy in their life. I have a lot of respect for these guys for doing something that not only fills their buckets but also spreads a really intelligent message of hope. Please take a look at the show notes and check out their website for the upcoming release of FLORIDA, and their upcoming tour schedule. And also…an extra special thank you to our featured Artist, Names Without Numbers, for allowing us to use their music. We decided we wanted to feature music that I produced as a music producer..so that’s pretty cool. To find out more about everything we're up to, check us out at Teams.Coach, and don't forget to join our Facebook group at Teams.Coach/LevelUpLeaders/ Source: https://www.indievisionmusic.com/news/names-without-numbers-new-song-florida-coming-soon

Music by: Names without Numbers www.nameswithoutnumbers.com Where to find Name Without Numbers:https://www.nameswithoutnumbers.com/ https://www.facebook.com/nameswithoutnumbers/ https://www.instagram.com/nameswithoutnumbers/ To learn more about the podcast, please visit: Level Up Leader Facebook Group Teams.Coach Facebook Page YouTube

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According to research from the Harvard Business Review, only 8% of people achieve their dreams and goals & 92% just give up or fail to make it all the way. It's a considerable percentage. Perseverance is the biggest factor when it comes to success. Benjamin Franklin has been quoted as saying, "Energy and persistence conquer all things."

And I love this quote from Steve Jobs: "I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance." In talking with today’s guest, we hear an inspiring story of a leader who faced adversity early on in life but showed the power of perseverance to make a lasting impact. Today, I am joined by Kevin Cassidy. Kevin has been a Hollywood stuntman for over 17 years, featured in many movies you and I love. Spiderman, Ant-man…the list goes on and on. Now, Kevin is making a big shift to tell his story to the next generation. Everyone, please welcome Kevin to The Level-Up Leader podcast. Kevin shares his big value statement, focused on WHO you are rather than WHAT you are. I can relate to this. In working and coaching leaders, identity is the place where everything starts.

A leader eventually needs to face the first ceiling - removing false narratives about who they are. We cannot compete with horrible ideas of who we believe we are. Changing what we believe about ourselves is paramount to any leader leveling up. A special thank you to our featured Artist, Names Without Numbers, for allowing us to use their music. We decided we wanted to feature music that I produced as a music producer..so that’s pretty cool. To find out more about everything we're up to, check us out at Teams.Coach, and don't forget to join our Facebook group at Teams.Coach/LevelUpLeaders/ Source: https://www.inc.com/matt-ehrlichman/11-quotes-that-inspire-startup-perseverance.html

Music by: Names without Numbers www.nameswithoutnumbers.com Where to find Kevin:https://www.kevincass.com To learn more about the podcast, please visit: Level Up Leader Facebook Group Teams.Coach Facebook Page YouTube

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Steve Jobs was fired from his own company; Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, and Abraham Lincoln failed in business, had a nervous breakdown, and was defeated in eight elections. They all went on to experience tremendous success.

As an Executive Coach, I have a legitimate soft spot for a leader that has experienced rock bottom and has embraced honesty. As a society, we tend to move on too quickly from someone who has experienced failure.

I am a little different.

There is something so powerful about the next chapter of a leader that knows where they went wrong in the first place and does the work to ensure it doesn’t happen again. I want to be a part of that story.

On today’s episode, I am joined by Miles Welch. Miles Welch is a leadership coach with amazing experience in business and church. I have been Miles' coach for nearly 2 years and have seen him triple the size of his business and income over the time I have worked with him.

More importantly, I have seen Miles' life transform and witnessed the effect of that transformation on the leaders he serves.

Everyone, please welcome Miles Welch to The Level-Up Leader podcast.

Miles shares a story about waking up and writing on the whiteboard, "DO WHAT YOU CAN DO."

I like the simplicity of this but also its bold transparency. So often, it's easy for us to get distracted and only focus on the things that we can't do.

Miles also stated that if we focus on what we can do, the can-do grows. Take some time and jot down your Can DO list. Let’s allow this to get our focus today. Also, share your thoughts on today’s episode in the Level Up Leader Group on Facebook. Miles would love to see you there.

To find out more about everything we're up to, check us out at Teams.Coach, and don't forget to join our Facebook group at Teams.Coach/LevelUpLeaders/

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/keldjensen/2012/08/08/rock-bottom-how-great-leaders-triumph-over-failure/?sh=33c113c16c38

Where to find Miles: https://www.facebook.com/mileswelchcoaching/

To learn more about the podcast, please visit: Level Up Leader Facebook Group Teams.Coach Facebook Page YouTube

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Whoever tells the best story wins. There are so many authors and marketers attached to this saying that I wouldn’t dare put a claim of ownership to this for myself or anyone else really. The fact is that this perspective has served me well and has given our clients significant returns.

Why?

Because people care more about your motivation and the story behind the product and services you provide than they do about the services themselves.

An article published by the Harvard Business Review (linked below) speaks directly to this, going so far as to lead with the headline, “An Emotional Connection Matters More than Customer Satisfaction.”

This is where the power of the story ends up in a very unlikely place, with a determined leader to take the risks.

On today’s episode, I am joined by Malorie Maddox. Malorie is the Chief Marketing, Communications, and Strategy Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska. She has an extensive history as a reporter for a regional TV station in Omaha, NE. When the opportunity came knocking for her to make a major career shift, it was a huge decision.

Since taking that leap, she has been able to build a great culture and also shift operational norms to match up with the storytelling convictions that she has honed for decades.

On top of all this, Malorie lost her husband after a long battle with cancer just five weeks before this interview. Thank you, Malorie, for making time to connect with me.

Everyone, please welcome Malorie Maddox to The Level Up Leader podcast.

In our conversation, Malorie shares that one of her best leadership practices is to include her team in an exercise in which they can openly identify the things that are working well, the things that need some adjustment, and the things that they need to stop doing.

One of the exercises we do here with my company is the "stop, start, refine" exercise as part of the Blue Sky Experience. The biggest win in utilizing these types of exercises is that you need to hear from your team about what they love and what they think.

True collaboration exists when you open up feedback for systems and strategies to execute the vision. This is where I see leaders fail. Protect your vision. Refine it. Vision can't be negotiable. But your systems and strategies can be. Open up the conversation with your team on the process it takes to produce results.

To find out more about everything we're up to, check us out at Teams.Coach, and don't forget to join our Facebook group at Teams.Coach/LevelUpLeaders/

Source: https://hbr.org/2016/08/an-emotional-connection-matters-more-than-customer-satisfaction

Where to find Malorie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malorie-maddox-028418161/

To learn more about the podcast, please visit: Level Up Leader Facebook Group Teams.Coach Facebook Page YouTube

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According to Gallup, “Americans' membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup's eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999.”

Christianity Today reports that in 2019, approximately 3,000 Protestant churches were started in the US, but 4,500 Protestant churches closed, according to estimates from Nashville-based Lifeway Research.

For over two decades of my life, I have served in music and executive roles in one of America’s fastest-growing churches. I have seen firsthand the life-changing experience that can happen in a healthy church when things are going right. I have also helped hundreds of churches over the years when things aren’t.

On today’s podcast, I am joined by Chris Sonksen. Chris is a best-selling author, pastor, sought-after speaker, and the founder of Church Boom. He has spent decades of his life assisting and mentoring pastors and now has a new initiative that seems to be right on time. Please welcome Chris Sonksen to the podcast.

Chris shared a valuable concept that every leader needs to identify the things in our lives and organizations that are “mission critical”. Are you able to identify where your pressure is coming from that is trying to influence you? External Pressures. I know that I feel this every day. Then he described several levels of priority, with the bullseye being noted as MISSION CRITICAL. Mission Critical can be defined in this statement…If YOU don’t do this…we are in trouble. Take the bucket exercise that Chris shared, and feel free to drop your feedback in our group forum on our Level Up Leader Facebook page. Also, drop Chris some questions while you are there!

A special thank you to our featured Artist, Names Without Numbers, for allowing us to use their music. We decided we wanted to feature music that I produced on the podcast..so that’s pretty cool.

To find out more about everything we're up to, check us out at https://teams.coach, and don't forget to join our Facebook group at teams.coach/levelupleaders/.

Source:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/may/lifeway-church-close-open-2019-planting-revitalization.html

Where to find Chris:

https://www.chrissonksen.com/

The Level Up Leader with Michael King: Recent Episodes

Michael King