The Ron Kitchens Always Forward Leadership Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ron Kitchens
Do you have the desire to lead big? The Always Forward Leadership Podcast is designed to encourage and inspire emerging and existing leaders to greatness. Listen in as Ron Kitchens and Shannon Allen explore topics like innovation, talent and engagement in these weekly conversations. Ron and Shannon also bring in a variety of thought leaders to give you new perspectives on the world of business, leadership and life.
What does it mean to have a GREATNESS mentality? What does it look like when we embrace a mindset that refuses to settle or accept defeat? Listen as Ron and Shannon discuss achieving and sustaining greatness by winning your mental battles.
In Today's Episode:
- What does a greatness mentality look like for business leaders?
- What habits must leaders ABANDON in order to develop a greatness mentality?
- How do greatness-minded leaders use FAILURE to move forward in sustaining greatness?
- How do leaders with a greatness mentality handle SUCCESS in a healthy way?
- How do leaders cultivate a greatness mentality within their teams and organizations?
- What type of transformation should leaders expect to see in themselves when they develop a greatness mentality?
Achieving and sustaining greatness is difficult to do if you don’t have the right standards and benchmarks. Greatness shows up in our lives when we push to go further than we thought was possible. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss setting standards and benchmarks that keep you reaching higher and pushing further.
In Today's Episode:
- As a leader, how do you know when you’ve reached a plateau and moved from “sustaining greatness” to “maintaining the status quo?”
- How do leaders assess and decide what standards and benchmarks they should be aiming for–personally or in their organizations?
- How do leaders discern when the standards and benchmarks they’ve used previously are now set TOO LOW?
- How do leaders resist the urge to “settle” for external standards when they know that their own potential and talent demands higher standards?
- What are the dangers of leaders setting standards and benchmarks that are unrealistically high for themselves or their teams? How do we avoid doing this?
- How do leaders effectively keep a “pulse” on where they are personally or with their teams when it comes to meeting their standards and benchmarks?
All year long in 2022, we are focusing on SUSTAINED GREATNESS. What does it take to become and remain great? In today's episode, we’ve assembled an all-star group of leaders who have worked with Ron in the past and who actually have even co-hosted this podcast! Lean in as we discuss leading YOURSELF and leading others.
In Today's Episode:
- The difference between management and leadership
- The most important aspect for leaders to be focusing on
- Identifying and developing other leaders around you
- Coaching up and coming leaders through failure
- How great leaders effectively cast vision
- Realigning team members with the vision
- Leading YOURSELF and developing your own leadership
- Maximizing your strengths and weaknesses
All year long in 2022, we are focusing on SUSTAINED GREATNESS. What does it take to become and remain great? In today's episode, we’ve assembled an all-star group of leaders who have worked with Ron in the past and who actually have even co-hosted this podcast! Lean in as we discuss leading YOURSELF and leading others.
In Today's Episode:
- The difference between management and leadership
- The most important aspect for leaders to be focusing on
- Identifying and developing other leaders around you
- Coaching up and coming leaders through failure
- How great leaders effectively cast vision
- Realigning team members with the vision
- Leading YOURSELF and developing your own leadership
- Maximizing your strengths and weaknesses
If you’ve been listening to Always Forward for any length of time, you’ve heard Ron reference what he calls “The Olivia Pope Question”–WHAT DO YOU WANT? Understanding your WHY and the results you’re trying to achieve is incredibly important to any strategy for greatness. On today’s episode, we’ll dig deep to understand how to uncover your purpose, your passion and what you really WANT.
In Today's Episode:
1. What do we mean when we ask this question “What do you want?”
2. Why do people struggle to answer this question?
3. How to get to the heart of figuring out what you want.
4. How do we uncover our PURPOSE and understand what we’re really created to do?
5. How would we advise our listeners to figure out their PASSION?
Sustaining greatness is not possible if we become too comfortable with where we are to see areas for improvement. In today's conversation, Ron and Shannon discuss DISSONANCE and how the "unhappy voice" can drive you to greatness.
In Today's Episode:
- Where should leaders look to seek out the dissonant or "unhappy voice" within their organizations?
- How do leaders create a safe place for dissonance on their teams?
- What does a do with dissonance once he finds it?
- A personal example of how dissonance helped Ron to grow.
- Overcoming insecurity to embrace dissonance.
- Differentiating between an "unhappy voice" that is healthy and one that is detrimental.
Sustaining greatness begins with drawing on what we’ve learned in the past to propel us into our future. 2020 and 2021 have both been very unique years, and we want to speak today to leaders who are still working through dreaming and developing vision for this year. Looking forward to 2022’s possibilities means looking back to what we can learn from 2021. Taking in and applying these lessons for this year can set us up for success and greatness. Check out today's episode to hear more!
In Today's Episode:
1. What questions should leaders be asking when evaluating 2021?
2. What was most surprising about 2021, and how can we apply that moving forward?
3. How will 2021 be remembered from a business standpoint?
4. How, if at all, did leadership change in 2021? Was there any type of evolution required?
5. What BIG IDEAS from 2021 will carry over to 2022?
6. What advice would Ron give to a leader who is struggling to find vision for 2022?
We all have times of feeling “stuck” and battling a deep sense of not being able to move forward. The great news is that we DON’T have to stay there. Listen today as Ron and Shannon discuss how to move past a place of immobility and create traction to become productive again.
In Today's Episode:
- Identifying a Rut
- Identifying the Source
- Identifying Solutions
- Looking Beyond the Rut
Mental Health Resource
In today's episode, Shannon and Ron discussed the importance of taking care of your mental health. If you are looking for a counselor or mental health resources, www.psychologytoday.com is a great place to start.
A strong network is more than a list of connections that will help you to further your career. It is a treasure trove of meaningful relationships that not only help you, but create opportunities for you to add value to others. Listen today as Ron and Shannon discuss how to build your tribe and strengthen your network.
In Today's Episode:
- Focusing on the right people
- Creating value for those in your network
- Practical networking steps
- Utilizing social media to strengthen your network
- Staying connected and following up
Creativity is often seen an inherited gift reserved only for artists and musicians. The truth is that creativity is a skill that can be honed, cultivated and leveraged to make us more dynamic leaders—regardless of our industries. Listen as Ron and Shannon discuss how to tap into creative leadership.In Today's Episode:1. Defining creativity 2. Practicing divergent thinking 3. Routines that promote creativity 4. Creative collaboration 5. Small, daily steps to creativity
In this episode, Ron draws on the lessons he's learned from starting businesses over the years. Check it out as Ron and Shannon discuss tips and hacks for startup businesses.In Today's Episode1. Developing a solid business plan 2. Establishing the culture you want from the very beginning 3. Learning from Ron's successes (and failures!)
What are the "bread crumbs" that a successful leader leaves behind them? The answer is OTHER LEADERS. Successful leaders are evidenced by the leaders that they've raised up. In today's episode, Ron and Shannon discuss how to identify potential leaders and best practices to cultivate their talent.In Today's Episode1. What to look for when identifying potential leaders 2. How to discern someone's areas of strengths 3. Assessing readiness for leadership development 4. Steps to take when developing a rising leader 5. Barriers that can hinder the development of a leader 6. How to know when a rising leader is ready to be fully trusted and released 7. Coaching rising leaders through failures and setbacks
When there's work to be done, and a goal to be achieved, it can be easy to get distracted by different voices and circumstances. Tune in today as Ron and Shannon discuss maintaining perseverance and determination to STAY ON THE WALL.In Today's Episode 1) Discerning RIGHT voices from WRONG voices 2) Safeguarding from "good" distractions 3) Leading and achieving from a place of humility