Labrador Leadership Podcast With Bob Nolley: Recent Episodes
Bob Nolley
Labrador Leadership presents valuable, actionable, and engaging discussions and interviews on leadership skills that improve effectiveness of leaders for the sake of their businesses, their teams, and themselves.
Bob talks about research that shows the Corona Virus shutdown may have months remaining rather than weeks. He also shares a story of a pharmacist who is committed to do his duty
Bob updates a directive from the CDC for protecting infrastructure workers who may not have been able to avoid contact. He also reports on ATI Decorative Laminates President Tara Burgio moving production to serve hospitals and law enforcement.
Bob updates the state of the Eastern U.S and talks about opportunities when using power during COVID-19.
Molly Snider of the Coolest Women in the RVA chats about the expansion and hip factor of Scotts Addition. She talks about what it takes to manage one of the premier properties in midtown.
Bob discusses considerations that leaders must have when framing their communications strategy in the time of COVID-19.
Bob recaps today's message from the Surgeons General and looks at folks whose jbs do not allow working from home.
Bob kicks off a daily series on leadership during tough times. The pandemic that is raving the world is changing the nature of work, relationships, and communication.
Bob welcomes Suzanne Rosenhammer to Labrador Leadership where she talks leadership, career, and growth in the tech world in the RVA. She kicks off the Coolest Women in the RVA series.
Bob talks about the importance snd place of critical thinking in the leadership toolbox.
Bob welcomes Megan Morris to the program and they discuss the concept of Humble Leadership and the possibilities that it can create for the performance of your team.
Bob talks about how leadership looks a bit different through the lens of an entrepreneur taking on a startup.
Bob kicks of the second season of the podcast with a welcome and a tribute to the leadership of Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt who passed away this summer.
Summit was the winningest coach man or woman at the division one level. She took over the team in 1976 at the age of 22. She went on to win eight national titles, appear in 18 Final Fours, and 1,098 games.
Bob chats with Talmar Anderson, host of the Business Side of Business podcast, about the leadership challenges folks face in getting their new initiatives launched.
Bob and Alex talk about the wildly popular photoblog Humans of New York and the leadership lessons to be learned from Brandon Stanton. His Facebook page has well over 15 million likes, but there are leadership lessons to be learned from his art and his approach.
Bob talks today about the leadership and the concept of plausible deniability. This is in light of the recent news out of the University of Louisville that recruits and players attended parties at which girls were available for sex that had been paid for by a team graduate assistance coach.
Bob and Alex review a list of the ten worst leadership lies. It is important to be aware of them and sensitive to them showing up in interactions on your team.
Bob wraps up the discussion of project management and leadership be reviewing symptoms that may indicate you really don't want to work in this role.
Bob continues the leadership discussion in the context of project management with a look at the qualities of communication that are needed.
Bob talks about the comparison of core leadership skills and those that are needed in the realm of project management.
Having spent time discussing getting yourself through finding yourself on the street and working through a job search, Bob talks today about the things you as a leader absolutely don't want to do your first few days on the job.
Many folks that want to move up to the next level in the leadership game continue doing a great job but never get the call. Bob talks about actions you can take to get noticed. Liz Ryan in Forbes wrote about about some tactics here that can show you can be a leader.
The biggest mistake can be hiding behind the precept that if they wanted you they would ask you, that it is nice to be asked. Well, indeed it is nice to be asked, but a leader will be more quickly seen when they step out of the box to take action that exhibits the core leadership skills. Don't wait until you become aware that there is an imminent opening. Start well before that.
Bob talks with an entrepreneur who has realized that the key is hard work, networking, and taking action. Samuel Anderson joins Labrador Leadership to talk about his journey from sleeping in an insurance office to running three successful businesses, including his own consulting firm.
Recovering from acts of dishonesty from the previous administration and leadership team calls for special tactics and communication. Bob and Alex talk about these and the challenges that you face.
Bob suggests that if the sum total of your power comes from external sources previously discussed like your position (your box on the org chart) rather than from internal sources (such as your referential power), and you seek more wealth and more power, your team and employees see this as dishonest. The leader that follows a predecessor that has failed in this way needs to work in a way to slowly rebuild the trust. You cannot expect employees to take you at your word.
In the aftermath of the New York Times article on the work culture at retailing giant Amazon, Bob talks bout the details of the article, Amazon's Fourteen Leadership Points, and CEO Jeff Bezos' response to the article. There is also a rebuttal post to the NYT article from a current employee.
The article paints a picture of a work culture that attempts and accomplishes great things. Hiring the best and the brightest and remaining customer focussed has allowed them to accomplish or pursue the Kindle launch, drone delivery, and fulfillment in urban areas within a matter of hours.
The cost though is severe. The work culture calls for 80 hours a week as the norm, according to the article. There are also former employees who suffered cancer, miscarriages, and bereavements, and who generally felt they were penalized for not being able to work during those times.
Bezos emailed the Amazonians the day after publication saying that the article did not sound like the Amazon he knew and encouraging employees with issues to contact him or Human Resources. There is also a LinkedIn post from an employee refuting the New York Times article.
Bob summarizes his thoughts my citing the call for secret feedback and the annual 360 evaluations as symptoms of a counter-productive culture. He also mentions that an organization of Amazon's size growing at the pace at which it is places a stress on the ability to develop qualified leaders. Not being able to accomplish this can create these symptoms.
Having established that leaders need to make sure they upgrade the quality of their communication, Bob and Alex acknowledge that sometimes a leader can do this to the point of sacrificing their approachability and authenticity.
In episode 59 Bob and Alex talked about how leaders could serve their teams well by giving a long hard look at liberal arts majors. The source of that discussion was an article written by Dell intern Audrey Lecker. Today she and Bob talk about this, China, and The Hustle.
As the summer wraps up, she has completed her internship at Dell and is returning to College Station and Texas A&M for her senior year. She worked for the digital marketing technology department.
Audrey also discusses:
- Working at Columbia Records for three years in music video talent management;
- Traveling to China to study abroad as her first experience in a foreign country;
- Majoring in film with a minor in photography;
- Networking and exhibiting leadership by being able to connect in the moment; and
- Hustle, as in always being working.
She also shares her strategy for hitting the wall, of The Dip. You have to take time to stop and reconnect for the sake of yourself and your key relationship.
Her advice to undergrads coming into the market is to not follow your dreams but follow your skill set. Following the skill set will create successes for you and allow you to feel good, and empower you to feel some success. Chase your dreams on the weekend.
Communication is always noted as a key trait of successful leaders, but it is important to remember that there are often important conversations we need to have within our more intimate relationships. Bob and Alex talk about advice for dealing with your entrepreneurial partner.
Those of us with senior leadership responsibilities have our heads down every day executing tactics to pursue a strategy. Michael Wieser reminds us that sometimes we need the advice of counsel.
Michael Wieser practices law that focuses on entrepreneurs and start ups as an outside general counsel. He likes to work with technology firms. He helps his clients define the relationships with the breadth of their stakeholders and protect their assets whether they be physical capital or intellectual property.
Even smaller entrepreneurs should find counsel as well. He feels that in this society when we are creating content for the sake of creating a revenue stream, wheter it be a book, a blog, a podcast, or a course, we need to keep in mind the fact that we own our intellectual property and can increase revenue by licensing their intellectual property.
The usual hourly rate concept charged by an attorney often makes counsel out of reach for the smallest business or solopreneur. Michael has created a managed services relationship where for a flat monthly fee you can avail yourself of the services you might need. Bob suggests that there is also a need for accounting support, particularly for tax purposes. A good lawyer will walk you through a list of issues you should consider.
Michael says that when you create content you are vested in it as intellectual property. You need to be mindful that if you did not create the content you publish, you need to make sure you have the licensing in place.
Trademarks are also an issue. They are an identifier with a product, not only from the perspective of your own work, but any infringement you might inadvertently commit.
Michael also works with the Kauffman Foundation courses called FastTrac which is a kind of boot camp for emerging CEOs. Bob mentions 1 Million Cups as another Kauffman program that is a great networking resource for entrepreneurs.
Michael also does work in cybersecurity. He mentions that the law moves slowly in this area. Most of the focus is on protecting the IT perimeter, but he says a greater risk is in the employee's use of social media. He has created a program to help companies use social media while moderating the risk.
Leadership is in part all about being productive with a high level of efficiency. Doing the important things early in the day is generally a key. This is a big part of getting off to a good start. "Eating the frog first" is the addressing of the most urgent or the most difficult item you have to face.
Checking your email first thing in the morning is generally not recommended. Bob says that he has to just quickly scan through his to get a feel with what needs to be addressed and more importantly just to check and see if there is an emergency on fire there.
Alex shares her strategy and what her new start looks like. She is now only a five minute walk from her apartment to her job right on the East River. She checks in with her office, takes care of any early tasks, then hits the street. She works with a small term that are very dependent with one another. She realized it was important where she could find WiFi and grab coffee while getting updated on clients.
Bob says that when you are in the home office, it is important to take a twenty minute break every ninety minutes of work. If you don;t you can generate more and more stress to the point you will make yourself sick. The leads directly top the point that you must get enough sleep.
[box] The basic idea is that every hour and a half or so you need to take a rest break – if you don’t you may be well on your way to the Ultradian Stress Syndrome: you get tired and lose your mental focus, you tend to make mistakes, get irritable and have accidents – If you continue to ignore your need to take a break you can experience more and more stress until you actually get sick.– The 20 Minute Ultradian Healing Response, An Interview with Ernest Lawrence Rossi, Ph.D[/box]
Both Bob and Alex are huge fans of Moleskine notebooks. Bob suggests that writing down a task is OK just for the sake of remembering it, but you really should write it on a calendar.
It is important to know what the best time of day is for you. If indeed it is the morning and there is a flex time option available for you, get to work early and take advantage of that prime time.
Take time for self reflection is an important part of the refresh cycle.
The fact that leadership skills are needed not just on the job but in every part of our lives is evident this time of year as children and adults alike head back to school. Bob talks about what it takes to be successful both for the high school student heading to college and the working adult heading to school, perhaps for the first time.
The jump off to the discussion is an article in the New York Times found here. This is the advice that recent college students give to incoming freshman attending college straight from high school.
The strategies for working adult students are a bit different. Bob talks about the factors that differentiate a student that successfully graduates and one that doesn't quite do as well as they want.
Five Success Factor For Adult Students * Go to class. Even after the worst day at the office ever, go to class. * Connect with your professor. Make sure they know who you are. Participate and contribute. * Your education is a Big Rock. Listen to Episode 4 to hear what this means...it's important. * Have a conversation with your support group. Most importantly these are your friends and family. * Come up with a cinematic answer to the question "Where will I work?"
Bob welcomes Thomas O'Grady, Host of the Life Unsettled podcast, a self professed entrepreneur at heart, tells his story from being a child chewing gum tycoon to understanding just why there is so much individual struggle in the current economy.
Effective leadership can be undermined by the presence of toxic people within their organization and on their team. Leaders have to be able to recognize these folks and keep them away. Bob and Alex talk about what these people look like.
Bob and Alex discuss an article from Travis Bradberry on office policies that can kill the momentum of a team if not the organization.
Bob and Alex talk about the worst type of leadership, the type that is so bad that people actually quit them, rather than quitting the job itself.
Co host Alex Mossa gives a frank interview on her thoughts on making the decision to leave her current full time job and free-lance in her passion.
Bob and Alex talk about what a liberal arts degree brings to your team and how leaders should expect them to be key contributors.
Bob talks about the circumstances surrounding folks that have just lost their jobs and are out on the street. They will hopefully have support from may areas, but their are some key things they need to be doing as well.
Bob and Alex talk about the proposition that being late shouldn't be seen as a fault, but rather as a sign of innate optimism.
Bob and Alex celebrate the Fourth of July by talking about the courage it takes to get your team out of the mire and inspire them. Times that are characterized by businesses sacrificing customer service for the sake of reducing costs call for leaders to transform their teams.
Bob takes the opportunity today to answer questions he has received about the show! And, for the first time, the actual recording of the Labrador Leadership Podcast is being broadcast live on Periscope!
Bob and Alex review some research during which executives are put in front of the choir with a baton and told to lead them. What they learned was that there is often a simultaneous need for leading like an introvert and an extrovert. There is the creation of a kind of ambidextrous leadership.
Kate Erickson of Entrepreneur on Fire talks with Bob about her leadership journey from college life to retail banking to running one of the most successful online communities with the Future Nation and Entrepreneur On Fire.
Bob and Alex review an off-beat list of executives', entrepreneurs', and business leaders' offerings of their most important habits.
Bob shares a list of fourteen steps to follow in life and work that will help leaders keep their bearings on true north.
Bob and Alex finish up the First Fifty by focusing on the important of mood. They recall the dumps they put themselves in when talking about stress and realize that the start of the day has a lot to do with the mood you take forward.
Bob welcomes Todd Uterstaedt of the From Founder to CEO podcast to talk about executive coaching. Leadership is not a one flavor concept and shift from being the founder of a business to becoming that business's CEO is a matter of degrees. Todd sees this as a matter of degrees and a journey for that person.
Bob and Alex talk about engaging your employees. Alex contends that a man's voice can be very soothing, but a woman's voice can be very nurturing. Bob says that the best bosses he has had through his career may have been women. Survey results from Gallup say that women managers are more engaged at work. Female employees prefer female bosses.
Bob takes a timeout to talk about how we as leaders can frame our thoughts as they relate to the church shootings in Charleston, SC last week.
Bob and Alex work through a list of suggested leadership tips for young entrepreneurs. There is no surprise that hard work is at the top of the list, but it is the second one that is grist for the mill.
Bob is pleased to welcome his son Robert to the program! Bob and Robert talk a bit about what it's like for a Millennial to emerge from college and hit the job market today.
Bob sits down with his Dad, Bob Nolley Jr., live from Surf City to talk about the path of his career through the corporate world path and what he learned that he wants to share with those walking the path today.
Alex takes the opportunity to introduce us to her Dad Sylvio Mossa to celebrate Fathers Day! For listeners who want to get to know our cohost a little bit better, listen to Alex and her Dad talk reminisce about life in Greensboro, NC, and what it took to successfully start and build Mossa Construction.
Bob discusses the results of a new study from McKinsey & Company on the behaviors that different the big companies that are successful in the major transformations and those that are not. The details can be over whelming, but they boil down to a few general strategies that we have talked about before.
As the HBO series "Game of Thrones" wraps up its most recent season this past weekend, there is a lot being written about leadership lessons that can be learned from these tales. Bob and Alex raise their eyebrows at that contention but then enjoy a welcome "entertainment break" to talk about just how this popular tale may apply.
Bob and Alex review the traits that make the difference between a good manager and a great leader.
Bob and Alex talk about the five sources of power. The biggest lesson to take away os the realization that some power comes from your position, but more important power comes personally from you.
Bob and Alex talk about the fact that in spite of all of our intentions and efforts focussed on becoming a better leader, sometimes we want to improve our financial gains. The path to that goal is simpler and less daunting than you may think.
Bob talks about Quora and his venture through what he calls "Facebook for the intelligentsia". The discussion centers around things he saw there included a discussion around the best things you can do on the first ninety days on the job. First impressions are important, but there are strategies you can take before you ever get to day one.
Leaders need to not only aware of the message they send with their own body language but how to read the body language nuances of others. Bob and Alex start with the often discussed crossed arms and the message that they send.
Bob and Alex have talked a few times about fielding tough interview questions. They have heard from many folks who are unexpectedly starting a new search. In this episode, the conversation takes the perspective of points you want to make sure to touch on during your interview.
Having covered the problems with stress in the office, Bob and Alex talk abut the toxic behavior that some people bring to the workplace. Alex suggests that we need strategies to not let them effect your motivation and to go to work happy.
Bob talks with Brad Wachter about the challenges leaders face in the senior living industry. As the population ages and many os us look for the next place for our parents, Brad's perspective on the complexities of good leadership show us just how difficult this can be.
Bob and Alex hangout over the weekend with family and friends on an analog basis. Back on the airwaves, they bring up what the top leadership traits might be like in the world of project management. Bob says that it is one of the hottest job skill sets now. He has worked in that role in financial institutions, information technology, and education. The list of traits looks similar to the more general list of desirable leadership traits we have discussed.
Bob talks about the three books has read that impacted his leadership skills and what you can learn from them. He also invites listeners to join him in the lab to talk about what is coming soon!
Bob and Alex talk about how leaders need to be ready to handle the behaviors that are just totally unexpected. Alex talks about her experience as a bartender and Bob says that instances of this can be demonstrations of a lack of self awareness which is part of emotional intelligence.
Bob is proud to welcome Entrepreneur On Fire's John Lee Dumas! John takes time out from his hugely successful Fire Nation to share his thoughts on leadership in the service, in the corporate world, and as an entrepreneur. Are you Labsters ready to ignite?
If a leader has to have a conversation that escalates into an argument, they need to know how to make it a productive one. Bob and Alex talk about approaches to be for effective at making that happen.
Bob opens the box on a leader's perspective on emotional intelligence (EI of EQ). He shares the four components of EI and why it is so important.
The conversation on stress continues as Bob and Alex talk about how to handle the conflict with the people around us. One report says that workers spend over three hours a week dealing with it. This does not sound alike a lot perhaps, but it does put a real damper on your productivity and your success.
Bob talks about the concept of Servant Leadership and what the traits of good servant leaders are. He points out that many of these traits are among those considered important for all types of leaders, and how servant leadership can create the relationships that a great leader needs to foster.
Spring has sprung. Alex, thinking seasonally, sees a lot of people moving into new positions for the next challenges in their lives. As they negotiate new opportunities, Bob and Alex talk about the basis of negotiation.
Frank Gustafson, recently named one of the top influencers among business podcasts and host of Lead Like a Marine and The Leader's Bookshelf sits down with Bob to share his experiences and compare notes on leadership.
Bob and Alex hit the road to recovery after talking in episode 20 about how debilitating stress can be. Managing stress is a key skill in the leadership portfolio. Bob makes the case that a little stress is needed and very productive in the workplace. A goal or a deadline does start your drive and your creativity to working to meet your goal. If it gets too high, you get tired, and if it gets really high to just totally burn out.
The impact that stress can have on leaders, entrepreneurs, and their teams can be so great that it can let all the air out of the balloon. A recent survey showed that 40% of all workers say that their job is very stressful, 26% say they are very burned out. A quarter of people see their job as the number one stressor in their lives. Has life gotten more stressful? What can this mean for you in all the critical roles of your life?
Maren Hogan, CEO of Red Branch Media and publisher of Marenated, the blog at Red Branch, comes to Labrador Leadership to talk with Bob about leadership and her own leadership journey. Her own experiences as a chief marketing officer highlight her emerging leadership skills that have brought her to the top of Red Branch.
Bob and Alex talk about the traditional aspects of listening and how that is critical for leadership communication skills. Leaders consider this a Top Three competency. Following up on listening in the digital age of the 21st century, they discuss a post from John Keyser on a framework for this skill.
The discussion of communication continues with the topic of listening in the 21st century. There are tactics we need to consider writing and emailing in the current day. The foremost of these is to seek brevity, but this runs counter to the idea that you would take more time in an effort to be clear.
A big event in the form of a simulcast with Thom Singer of The Conference Catalyst and Cool Thing Entrepreneurs Do. Bob and Thom met through working in a couple of mastermind groups. Labrador Leadership and Cool Thing Entrepreneurs Do are both broadcasting this episode today.
After looking at the challenges that Boomers face when communicating with Millennials, Bob and Alex discuss an article from Lindsey Pollak about Millennials who are leaders that manage boomers. Her first suggestion is to try and keep away from terms and phrases that will keep tagged as being young Awesome is a little prevalent for Bob. Absolutely is the word for Alex. Spiffy? They both are lost.
Dr. Pei Kang cohost of The Relaunch Show has been very open to working with coaches to help her move forward throughout her life and career. She has worked with many. She encourages leaders to consider taking on coaches or a mentor to be with you along a part of your journey to provide encouragement and feedback. It is very valuable to have people around you that see things from a different perspective.
Bob welcomes Charlie Poznek of The Boomer Business Owner. In the online space since 2005, when he started selling silver with his girlfriend, he then he worked on monetizing websites in the health and fitness niche.
Charlie stresses the point that folks in the Boomer age range are Digital Immigrants rather than Generation Y and Millennials that are Digital Natives. Younger folks understand the technology because they have always been in it. The immigration is not rocket science, but it often seems that way due to things like the lingo.
He wanted to help people start out in the business landscape. He has a mastermind group and interviews successful entrepreneurs who are proofs of success. Bob discusses his experience in getting started with there always seeming to be a piece of the puzzle missing. Charlie agrees saying that while he'll tell people the right answer if he knows, he more often is like a sherpa or a tour guide who can point them to the answer.
Bob Nolley welcomes Richard Rierson from the Dose of Leadership Podcast. Richard looks at leadership from the perspectives of his careers in the corporate world and as a commercial airline pilot and a Marine. The two talk passionately about the "Four C's of Leadership" and how they permeate every aspect of our lives.
Bob recounts to Alex his prescription for the five things that students have to remember to do as well as they can in school. One of them is the late Stephen Covey's concept of the Big Rocks. Bob describes a great demonstration of the Big Rocks and ties it into the importance of the priorities you set daily.
Bob and Alex talk about the nature of setting goals at the first of the year when we are also setting New Years resolutions. At the root of the discussion is SMART Goals. Smart goals are those which are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound. During this chat, they share what they each consider is a special goal to them.
Bob welcomes Michael O'Neal of The Solopreneur Hour to talk about his journey to the levels of success in the online world that we find is much broader than podcasting! Michael talks about the best boss he worked for before becoming "proudly unemployable" and about why entrepreneurs, particular those in affiliate marketing, need to consider their leadership skills very carefully.
Hosts Bob Nolley and Alex Mossa rollout the introductory episode of the Labrador Leadership Podcast. They discuss the goal of the show is to delivery informative discussions and interviews on simple leadership topics that will help people be the best leader they can be for their businesses, their teams, and for themselves.
In today's episode, they discuss the critical skill of managing expectations. This includes how to commit to doing something, the importance of committing to when it will be done, and how you will let your customer know that it is done.