Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership: Recent Episodes
Jeff Smith
Great leaders multiply their vision into results that far exceed the resources they start with. Through interviews and discussions, Jeff Smith explores leadership issues and illuminates action points and perspectives to help teams in any industry. Jeff talks with experts who study these issues and shares some of his own wisdom from years as an executive leader and executive coach. The show covers issues that are impacting real teams right now. These include mindfulness in leadership, shaping the right corporate culture and other tips and tools for leaders and teams.
When you think of a high performing team, what are the qualities you think this team possesses? We are excited to welcome back Joanne Loce on VoltCast to discuss with CEO, Jeff Smith, on how a group of people differentiate from a team of people. There are common qualities that we often see within great teams that range from trust and accountability to the ability to take feedback and to settle conflicts. Join our discussion on VoltCast to learn more about creating synergy within teams and to hear more about our new book on this important topic!
Are you trying to help your employee’s move from surviving to thriving? Do you want to have a culture that has a motivated and engaged workforce? Do you know how to get your team to give you feedback so that they can perform their best? Please join host, Jeff Smith, and his guest Dr. Mark Greenawald as they discuss culture, feedback and cases of organizations with a strong culture. We will share best practices, tips and tools to help you design the culture you are looking for while also helping you improve your leadership.
We have all heard the saying, “People are our greatest asset”. If so, then why do many organizations drop the ball with regard to their on-boarding? By the time we find them, tell them, sell them on joining our organization and ramp them to productivity, we have a small fortune invested! Done well, on-boarding positively impacts culture and reduces bad turnover. Yet some think it’s acceptable to pay lip services to this crucial function. A good hire can be turned into a bad hire if proper on-boarding is practiced. And the worst of it is that this is self-inflicted! Phrases like, “we were just too busy”, or “they have x number of years of experience and should know what to do” are offered up as after the fact excuses for not understanding the importance of getting new stakeholders properly integrated with their new work family. If you have had challenges with this in the past, or are evaluation your on-boarding processes, you won’t want to miss Illuminating Leadership!
Are you thinking about taking a global assignment for your organization? Is your organization thinking about expanding internationally? Are you hiring people from other companies and bringing them to your headquarters? We are working in an ever more connected world where we might be in Missouri one day, Malaysia later that week, and Monaco to wrap up the week. We are going to have a conversation about our experiences on global assignments, ideas for expanding globally and things you might want to consider when working with your global team. Please join your host, Jeff Smith and his guest, Susan Ward next Tuesday at 1PM EDT on Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership. Susan has worked for global companies and global assignments for the past 25 years. She recently was working with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and is currently coaching clients around the world. Please join us to learn best practices, great tips and some funny stories from working in places around the globe.
In a disrupted world, what does effective change leadership look like today? How do you take the lessons learned from your change experiences and apply them quickly and effectively to the next change you lead? What do our teams and organizations need from us to successfully navigate change? And how do we manage our own mindset in the process? Join the conversation as Jennifer Owen-O’Quill welcome Amy Robertson to our show. Amy is in the midst of preparing her team for a significant regional merger. We will share stories, lessons learned, and challenges that are arising in her day right now. Bring your questions for this real-time conversation.
For the first time in history we may have 5 Generations at work, working side by side. What do generations at work really think of reach other? What part of that is mythology based on assumptions vs actual experience? What guidance is available for Managers and Employee of different generations? How can we all interface at work to tap each other's strengths and minimize misunderstanding? What are some of the false assumptions made about Generations X, Y, Z, B and T? Please join us Voltage Leadership CEO Jeff Smith (Gen-X) and Principal Consultant Lee Hubert (Boomer) as they discuss “Generational Reality vs Generational Mythology”.
Studies have found that people who live, lead and work with purpose live up to 7 years longer, are 42% more likely to experience contentment in life and at work, and are four times more likely to be engaged in their jobs (Gallup, 2013; National Institutes of Health, 1998; New York University, 2015). In addition, organizations who have a strong sense of purpose are more profitable and outperform the market 6:1 (Deloitte, 2014). Please join Jeff Smith and Zach Mercurio at 1pm EST on 10/24/17 as we discuss defining your organization’s purpose, creating meaningful work experiences and creating a leadership style that allows others to find purpose and meaning in your organization. We will discuss practical tools, tips and case studies on how to build an authentically purpose driven organization. We look forward a great conversation and we hope you can join us.
Should we focus on innovation or stability? Do I need to focus on getting more tasks done or building relationships with my team? Should we centralize functions or decentralize? Should I exercise at 5am or get more rest? Do you find yourself asking these questions on a daily basis? If so, then please join Jeff Smith and Cara Wilson as we host Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership on Tuesday at 1pm EDT on VoiceAmerica. We will be discussing Polarities which are interdependent pairs that need each other over time to maintain and gain performance. Since polarities are unavoidable, they are present in every individual, team, and organization. We will be talking about how to recognize polarities, how to change your either/or thinking to and thinking and how to implement changes in your mindset. We look forward to a fast-moving, entertaining show that will highlight case studies of using polarity management. We hope you can join us on Tuesday.
When US Airways Flight 1549, or “The Miracle on the Hudson,” ditched into the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, Dave Sanderson knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be. The last passenger off the back of the plane on that fateful day, he was largely responsible for the well-being and safety of others, risking his own life in frigid water to help other passengers off the plane. Despite the hazards to himself, Sanderson thought only of helping others and emerged from the wreckage with a mission: to encourage others to do the right thing. Do you feel like you are swimming all day and are just trying to keep your head above water? Jeff and Dave will be talking about what leaders can learn about themselves during chaos. We will also explore how Dave has used his experience to influence and teach others. We will give lots of tips and suggestions for our listeners while providing an inspiration story on Tuesday at 1PM EDT.
You are in a meeting with the Team, the boss, a client or maybe colleague and want to make sure you don’t miss anything important. Later, as you review notes from the meeting, you struggle to understand what they say, (let alone what they mean.) How can that be? After all, you were the one taking the notes, right? Are there better ways to handle meeting notes? What do others do and how does that work for them? Should I even be in this meeting at all? If you have ever had this experience you won’t want to miss our next VoltCast. Voltage CEO Jeff Smith and Principal Consultant Lee Hubert will share tips and tools on How to Take Great Notes and Get the Most out of Your Meetings
Do you ever feel like an imposter, posing as a leader? Do you have a lot of intentions for something you plan on doing but not as many results as you had hoped? Do you think in a couple of years, you will have more self-confidence and be a better leader, spouse, parent, friend, etc. Please join Jeff Smith and April Armstrong, Founder of AHA Insight as we tackle these types of questions. We will explain our philosophy, share our coaching cases and tips for you to design the life you are looking to live.
What do you think other generations, like Boomers, think of Millennials? What part of that is mythology based on assumptions vs experience? What guidance is available for Boomers who work for Millennial managers? How can we all interface at work to tap each other's strengths and minimize misunderstanding? What are some of the false assumptions about Boomers as older people? Please join us Principal Consultant Lee Hubert (Boomer) and Voltage Office Manager Diane Nguyen (Millennial) as they discuss “Millennial Mythology”.
It is said that trust is a lot like oxygen. Everybody knows when its present and everybody seems to feel it when it’s not. It is also the main reason professional (and some personal) relationships fail. Trust is reciprocal like a two-way street. It is also like a seed planted that, over time, builds stable and predictable relationships. Conversely, Trust or lack of it, often shows up in increased “bad” turn-over statistics, low engagement survey scores and lots of gossip driven “noise” in the system. So how can Leaders help build up Trust on their Teams and in their organizations? What are the behaviors they can model that engender Trust? Please join us on the next Voltcast as Voltage CEO Jeff Smith and Principal Consultant Lee Hubert as they discuss Leadership Behaviors That Build Employee Trust across the organization.
What makes a great team? What are the factors that play into the recipe for a successful team? Why do some Teams gel and seem to have fun with the work they are tasked with while other do not? If you have contemplated these questions or have current challenges with building a successful Team, then you wont want to miss our next Voltcast. Please join us as Voltage Principal Consultant Lee Hubert and Special Guest Van Garnett, Training Program Specialist from Community Housing Partners (CHP) discuss practical tips and tools for building great Teams.
You work hard to get to know what your customers want and how much they are willing to pay for it. You define the right strategies for your business’ future. However, when you look around at your team, you do not always have enough of the right talent to fully implement and lead your strategies. Businesses in every industry face this growing challenge, especially as your organizational chart has holes caused by Baby Boomers retiring in greater numbers, and Gen X’ers and Millennials not quite ready to step into senior roles. Please join Jeff Smith and his guest Joanne Loce, as they discuss demographic trends and their impact on succession planning and talent development in the workplace. Joanne is Managing Partner of Fortify Leadership Group and a leading expert on Talent Development who has hosted numerous conferences on this important topic. Please join us for this informative and critical conversation at 1pm EDT on Tuesday, August 15th for Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership.
Do you ever feel like your days are flying by and running into one another? Do you have good intentions about planning for your work but end up being consumed by e-mail and the crisis of the day? Have you wanted to start a work-out regimen but somehow never seem to get around to it? If you are curious about these type of questions, then please join us on Tuesday, August 8th at 1pm EDT for our next Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership. Host, Jeff Smith, will be talking with Dr. Alan Schlechter, who is the co-author of the book UThrive: How to Succeed in College and Life. He and co-author, Daniel Lerner, teach the most popular elective class at New York University, The Science of Happiness. We will discuss best practices around well-being, ways to grow your effectiveness and share case studies of leaders who have grown their skills while also enjoying their role more. This will be a fun conversation full of tips and ideas for leaders to implement right after the show!
What does it take to get people to bring their best new ideas to the table? How can leaders foster creativity and innovation in ways that deliver results? We hear all the catch phrases and buzz words: Design Thinking, Creativity and Innovation Spaces, being a Great Place to Work, but the question I hear from leaders most often is simply,
“How can I get started?”
After being the opening speaker for the Valley Business Keynote, Jennifer Owen-O’Quill continues the conversation about the ingredients that drive creativity and innovation at work. (And no, it doesn’t take big capital investment and a lot of infrastructure.) Tune in to hear about the two key ingredients that innovative teams have, and three simple steps that will get you started on the path to your own version of Creativity INC. Jeff and Jennifer look forward to taking your questions during this timely conversation.
Are you looking for a way to have motivated and engaged employees? Are you looking for the next leader of your organization? Department? Project? If so, feedback and development are two tools to help ensure you will the person ready when you need them. However, so many of are so focused on our day to day tasks, we never seem to have time for relationships and growing the people on our team. Please join host Jeff Smith and his guest, Tiffany Quivers who is a thought leader on feedback, development and growing talent in organizations. We will cover a model on feedback, share ideas from organizations we have worked with and practical tips to help you grow your skillset. This fast moving show will inspire and provide you steps on how to grow others on your team.
Which comes first, employee retention strategy or recognition? What do employees want and why do they leave? What are the drivers of employee retention and engagement? Does the employee or new hire” Fit” with the Team? How frequently are they given meaningful coaching and feedback? How often are the recognized for their contributions to organizational success and how are they recognized? Are “problems” known to the staff and largely unknown to managers and executives? Is the culture in “denial” of the realities being faced by the people that make the organization go? It is the wise organization indeed that knows the answers to these questions. Please join us on the next Voltcast as Voltage CEO Jeff Smith and Principal Consultant Lee Hubert as they discuss retention and recognition strategies that all organizations can benefit for immediately.
Have you ever felt frustration at work and thought to yourself, how do I do better and make an impact? Jon Hagmaier certainly felt troubled as an educator who was trying to academically inspire “at-risk” students. However, what Hagmaier has always been passionate about is recognizing life’s Aha moments and going All-In to achieve a goal. From the newly released book ‘Aha! To All-In’, please join co-author, Jeff Smith, and author, Jon Hagmaier, as they discuss their experiences developing Interactive Achievement from a three-person startup into a multi-million dollar company. Tune in to hear tips, tools, and stories from their journey.
Diversity and Inclusion, what does that mean? How is it defined – is it Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual orientation, Religious affiliation, Generation, Disability, Personality type, Thinking style? What does it mean for leaders? How is diversity turned into organizational strength? What are the economic and demographic implications? How is embracing diversity and inclusion a powerful catalyst for success? If you have ever asked these questions, you won’t want to miss our next Voltcast – Illuminating Leadership, as hosted by Voltage Principal Consultant Lee Hubert. Our guest will be Gloria Witt, Founder and CEO of Define Success Coaching and Facilitation Services, LLC
We sometimes encounter challenging or difficult personalities in our professional or personal lives. Our 16th President was no exception. Abraham Lincoln had lots on his plate and was masterful at working through all kinds on people to meet the challenges of his day. How do we tap into and apply an individual’s strengths while navigating their weaknesses? What are the best ways to handle an emotionally upset person? How best to offer constructive criticism without it being perceived as persecution? When should we be willing to apologize? How to address poor judgment and maintain a solid leadership reputation? What to do with the “loose cannon” type personality? If your organization or team is looking for sound, practical management tips and tools that can be applied immediately, you won’t want to miss this VoltCast Letters from Lincoln - (George Meade & Joe Hooker) hosted by Voltage Principal Consultant Lee Hubert with Special Guest Steve K. Rogstad.
Remember when you were kids and anticipated summer vacation? The feeling of sheer joy, being “free” to do whatever and having the time to do! That kid is still very much alive and well, although with years of work – life conditioning, may need a refresher on how to really unplug. This means managing what we will not do on our summer family vacations and planning well to hold to that. Easier said than done? Should I take calls? Should I beavailable by email or Text? The challenge is to “Manage Out!” This means planning what we will NOT do on our summer vacation. Please join us on our next VoltCast as Voltage CEO Jeff Smith and Principal Consultant Lee Hubert will share some tips and practical guidance on how to make this summer’s vacation the best and most memorable for everybody.
Change is both a constant and a challenging part of our professional lives. Leading change and managing change are different skills, and learning to navigate both processes successfully is essential to long term leadership success. Tune in to hear Jeff and Jennifer’s Top 5 Lessons Learned. With both Success Stories and Pitfalls to Avoid, these lessons in change are gleaned from Voltage Leadership’s most successful and challenging client engagements.
“Alla Breve” is Italian musical term for “cut the playing time” or play faster. There is some wisdom here to share as we are often faced the reality of “doing less”, ie cutting the time or “doing more” aka playing faster. How to apply Alla Breve in our professional and personal lives goes a long way to determining if the sounds we fill the air with are melodic and harmonious vs off pitch and in the wrong key. Are we habitually “out of time” running from one meeting to another? Is there an on-going sense of frustration that that the task doesn’t fit the time? How can we shorten the time needed to do what we need to do? When orchestrating plans, are we being realistic? When was the last time we intentionally gave back time to somebody else? When was the last time we actually had time “given back”? Don’t miss our next VoltCast if you’d like to learn the answers to these questions. Voltage CEO Jeff Smith and Principal Consultant Lee Hubert will share tips and tools on giving back time!
Congratulations! You have just been promoted and you will now be leading the people that were just your friends and peers! Or, maybe you are a 1st time manager in a new culture, company or department. This type of transition is one of the most challenging you will face in your career. Please join Jeff Smith and Maged Khalef as we discuss our experiences both as leaders that have gone through this transition and as coaches that support clients through this challenge. We will offer tips, tools, case studies and resources to help you grow your leadership.
Who had the greatest influence in your life? What leader saw something in you that you may not have seen in yourself? What would you team say about your influence skills? Are you trying to leading change in your organization that requires influence skills? Please join Jeff Smith and Jennifer Owen-O’Quill in a conversation about influence and the impact of your leadership. We will offer tools and tips to grow your influence and help you become a better leader and achieve more success.
What separates our best days at work from the most challenging ones? What do they have in common? What might we have done differently? How can we improve next time? How do we make every day at work the best it can possibly be for everybody, including the end users of our work product? If you have ever asked yourself these questions, you won’t want to miss our next VoltCast: Illuminating Leadership, Time, Energy, People & Communication. We will explore practical tips, tools and lesson learned with Ms Kari Lightner, Director – Regional Health Clinics at Bath Community Hospital, Hot Springs, Virginia.
What type of experience do you want people to have? How you show up and perform matters. Your entrance, tone of voice, and even choice of words design an experience for others. As a leader, your presence carries the weight of cultivating a certain experience for employees and clients. How do you facilitate the type of experience you intend for them? Join Jennifer Owen-O'Quill today on Voltcast as she talks about designing an executive presence that will maximize results in challenging environments. Jennifer, along with her colleague, Jeff Smith, coaches CEOs and leaders on their executive presence.
We sometimes think we have things so rough. Our 16th President was probably one of the most revered and the most hated figures by his contemporaries. Abraham Lincoln was elected by what was then the lowest plurality in an American election to date. The country was disintegrating, military leaders and cabinet members questioned his leadership, and there were numerous threats on his life. In spite of it all, Lincoln’s approach to managing people and circumstances fostered innovation and engagement. Lincoln developed and used his amazing talent for Coaching and public Speaking. He kept people in his organization engaged while delivering at the most challenging news at often the most challenging of times. His methods for providing feedback to wayward subordinates would be the envy of any leader anywhere. We would do well to learn from his experiences the next time we are frustrated because something that was supposed to happen didn’t or a colleague let us down.
It seems like we are surrounded by the need for speed. We want it and we want it now. Speed seems to be reinforced at every turn. We want that red traffic light to turn green, now, (What are they waiting for?) We want business results to come fast, (especially in Q1) and without much hassle. We want everything from our computers to our toasters to run fast, fast, fast. As we look at the world around us, we see people moving at a frantic pace. With smart phones and email everywhere, it seems as if all of us are addicted to instant gratification and find it hard to slow down or wait for anything. Maybe it's time to slow down a little. We tend to see more details when we slow down and really look at our surroundings, including relationships. If you can identify with “living at the speed of life” you won’t want to miss the next Voltcast when Voltage CEO, Jeff Smith and Principal Consultant Lee Hubert how to WIN the human race by focusing on “What’s Important Now” practical tips.
The attitude indicator on an airplane is very important. It informs the pilot of the orientation of the aircraft relative to the horizon, so it must be correct at all times regardless of the plane's movements. This means that the attitude indicator needs to be continually monitored to ensure a smooth flight and level glide path. It is likewise with us. As Chuck Swindoll points out, “Attitude can make or break a company, an organization a church or even a family.” Are we aware of what our attitude indicators really are? Have we checked our attitude indicator recently? Are we monitoring our attitude indicator periodically? How are our attitude indicators kept from drifting? Are we continuously on Auto-Pilot? The answers to these questions above go a long way to determining our personal and profession flight path. We have heard it said that Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it. This means turning off our personal auto-pilot about what we thought we knew.
We all have assignments that are better off shared. They may be too large for us to successfully accomplish alone, or they may carry the opportunity to develop our team. Perhaps we have a project or task perfectly suited for the talents of someone else. Delegation is the dance of prioritization, productivity, pressure, and people development: the art of developing both others and ourselves. Join Jeff Smith and his co-host and colleague Jennifer Owen-O’Quill, Leadership and Strategy Consultant at Voltage Leadership Consulting, as they explore the art of Deliberate Delegation. What assignments will you share today? Listen in for some fresh insights and discover how to find the sweet spot where time and talents intersect.
Many leaders were brought up to believe they had to have all the answers and rescue their employees when they were stuck. We often call this “heroic” leadership and it sets up the leader as the rescuer. This scenario can create resentment for both the leader and the followers. It can also lead to burn-out for leaders and disengagement for followers. Please join Jeff Smith and Petra Platzer as we the journey from expert leader to strategic facilitator. We will outline the new mindset for leadership in today’s organizations, highlight case studies from our clients and close with tools and tips for implementation. We hope to talk to you at 1pm EDT on Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel.
Studies have found that people who live, lead and work with purpose live up to 7 years longer, are 42% more likely to experience contentment in life and at work, and are four times more likely to be engaged in their jobs (Gallup, 2013; National Institutes of Health, 1998; New York University, 2015). In addition, organizations who have a strong sense of purpose are more profitable and outperform the market 6:1 (Deloitte, 2014). But what is purpose and how do we awaken it in both life and work? Please join Jeff Smith and Zach Mercurio at 1pm EDT on 3/21 as they discuss defining your purpose, creating meaningful work experiences and creating a leadership style that allows others to find purpose and meaning in your organization.
As a leader, you set a vision and develop strategies to achieve goals, drive change, and create a successful organization. But what happens when those well-developed plans fail to come to life due to employee indifference or inaction. Dynamic leaders paint the picture of where the organization is heading, share why it matters, and then allow its members to write themselves into the organization’s success story. During Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership, Joanne M. Loce, Managing Partner of Fortify Leadership Group, will share storytelling techniques that will enable leaders convey strategy in a compelling, memorable way. We will discuss how leaders can tell stories and draw images to drive change, inspire action, and deliver business results. Please join us for this entertaining and thought provoking show.
When tensions run high because of high workloads, looming deadlines, or un-addressed conflict, people’s relationships suffer. And when relationships suffer, your productivity takes a hit. Join us for this week’s VoltCast Illuminating Leadership as Jennifer Owen-O’Quill, a certified Conversational Intelligence™ Coach, joins us to address the intersection between anxiety, civility and performance capacity. You can anticipate a lively conversation as Jeff and Jennifer share strategies for alleviating anxiety, and tips and tactics that build trust, resilience, and creativity on your teams. Candor, civility and creativity are linked. Tune in to learn how those three elements drive the capacity of your team.
Who are your Trusted Advisors? What do you intend them to do for your organization? Do you need a Coach, Trainer, Facilitator, Speaker, Onboarder, Mentor, Board Interfacer or some other type of resource? What are the best ways to use them? We know and understand the challenges in finding the role for the right fit” for your organization. Clarity about roles, goals and expectations are a large part of the process. If you have ever been tasked with engaging with outside resources, you won’t want to miss our next VoltCast. Voltage CEO Jeff Smith and Principal Consultant Lee Hubert will share practical tip and best practices to get clarity on “How to Use Outside Resources.”
Can you believe what Ted said to me? Did you see what Janet did at our last meeting? What is your attitude when you walk into a meeting? What is your intention for your next 1:1 with your direct report? Please join us for our next Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership Radio show where we will be tackling these questions with our guests Nancy Smyth and Sharon Eakes. These authors wrote “Chocolate or Lunch—How Choices Impact Relationships.” We will be covering case studies from our professional experience and coaching clients to share how to get the most out of your relationships in all areas of life. We will provide tools and tips on how to achieve greater results and help you hit your goals while also increasing your satisfaction.
Join us for a conversation with Cynthia Rancourt, CEO of Polymer Solutions Incorporated (PSI), named one of Virginia’s Best Places to Work. PSI is an independent materials testing lab and strategic resource for the testing of polymers, plastics, metals, gases, and much more. The PSI team shares a passion for great science! The team is one that loves a great challenge and is curious in nature. The PSI company culture is fun and quirky—for example they recently had a Company BBQ where they raced remote control cars around a track designed to emulate the chemical structure of caffeine. The scientists at PSI know how to work hard but they also know how to play hard. Join Voltage Leadership’s Jeff Smith and Jennifer Owen-O’Quill for a lively roundtable with Polymer Solutions CEO Cynthia Rancourt and their Chief Growth Officer, Caitlyn Scaggs, about building great culture while driving exceptional results. This is an hour you won’t want to miss!
A fresh new year is well underway and we are into an intense time known as “Q1”. Are things unfolding as you had planned during strategy sessions at the end of 2016? If so, great and congratulations. If not, what actions should be taken and how should they be communicated? In other words, how hard should leadership push for results and how should they go about it? This is a question that all leaders face at different times. The answer to it often determines how culturally engaged the workforce is. Are leaders “pushing” on the right things? Are these things fully understood before actions are taken? Are the right actions being taken at the right time vs prematurely? What are the leadership skills necessary to rally the troops during these trying times? If you have been there, or are there now, you will not want to miss our next Voltcast as we explore the use of an excellent management tool called iPUSH® to hit the finish line strong and move the needle. iPUSH®, how about you?
Have you ever thought of starting your own company? Are you already there and need some inspiration and motivation? Are you a leader in an organization that needs to think more entrepreneurial? Host Jeff Smith and Jay Markiewicz, Executive Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at Virginia Commonwealth University will be talking about their leadership journey and sharing lessons learned from their journey. They will also be sharing best practices from coaching, teaching and working with entrepreneurs.
Jay will be sharing a model called the Entrepreneurship Journey during the show. Success in the entrepreneurship journey is driven by three domains; Human Story, Mindset, and Set of Activities. Where these three domains intersect is the entrepreneur's (Leader's) unique value contribution (UVC). The job of the entrepreneur (leader) is to navigate and align these domains in order to live their very own Unique Value Contribution (UVC). Please join on Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership.
Today’s business world has us working in groups and teams more often every day. Some of you love this collaboration and get excited to learn from others, brainstorm and find creative solutions. Others dread going to team socials, team-building and the dreaded team meeting. Jennifer Owen-O’Quill and Jeff Smith will be sharing best practices for leaders of teams and groups to help get the most out of their team. We will share case studies, review several models and offer suggestions on how to handle challenging situations. We will give the listeners ways to help with decision making, roles and responsibilities and conflicts on teams. Please join us at 1:00pm EST on Tuesday, January 24th for Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership.
Time, the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in an irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future. How many times have you been asked, Got a minute…?” We can think of 10,080 reasons why this is an important question to answer. We all have 168 hours in a week (10,080 minutes.) How we spend them and who we spend them with often defines our success and quality of life. Is your calendar out of control? Do you find the time for the things that are really important? Do you often feel drained of energy due to competing time demands? Are there too many distractions? Would you like helpful ideas and practical tips for “creating” time? As with many things, Time can either be a terrible task master or a great servant. Please join Jeff Smith and Lee Hubert for the answers to these and other important questions. Got a minute…?
How do we create a Coaching Culture inside our organization? Culture can be loosely defined as the connecting rod that makes things happen. In other words it's, the way we do things around here. It has a direct impact on a company's ability to deliver on its mission over the longer term. What is a coaching culture? A coaching culture is one that allows people to: take responsibility for their own actions, to take risks and contribute their own creative ideas, treats mistakes and set-backs as valuable learning experiences, people speak up, challenge and express conflicting views, offer constructive and motivating feedback, feel appreciated and know that their contributions matter, raises motivation and performance to achieve better results and forms highly cohesive teams. If we accept that coaching cultures are desirable, what should we do implement one? Please join Jeff Smith and Lee Hubert for the answers to these important questions.
It is that time of year where we set goals, make resolutions, assess our life and profess our need for change. Yet, most of us revert back to our old ways by mid-January to early February. Are we just fooling ourselves into thinking we need to change? Is our will power just terrible? Is change really even possible?
These are all good questions. I believe many of us have good intentions to change but we do not really have a path that will lead us to change. Additionally, many of us try to change too much or too quickly to be successful. Okay, should I just give up now? No way! Please join Jennifer Owen-O’Quill and Jeff Smith as we will share some of our best practices about goal setting and provide inspiration for you from our client’s stories. We are looking forward to you joining us at our next Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership and hearing some of your best practices around goal setting.
Wow, 2016 was a fast-paced, full of change and interesting year. We will be reviewing lessons learned from our own business and from our client’s experiences. We will be sharing thoughts on acquisitions, new product launches, hiring new talent, firing some talent, moving to new locations and other case studies that we worked with in 2016. Please join Jeff Smith on Voltcast Illuminating Leadership as he will also share his own learning's from launching a radio show, writing a book and other thoughts from a successful year.
We are blessed to work with amazing leaders all over the globe, and we are going to share some of the tools, tips and best practices from leaders we work with. These tips from CEO’s, CFO’s, Directors, Front Line Managers, Team Leads and Project Managers. This fast-moving dialogue will include stories, successes and challenges that our leaders have experienced. Join us as Jeff Smith, Jennifer Owen-O’Quill, and Lee Hubert share our stories and ideas. We believe this will help give you ideas to continue to grow to your next level of leadership and performance in the coming year.
Are you ready to Compete for Talent? As our economy cycles things change and people move. According to recent job satisfaction surveys, about 1 in 3 workers will change jobs in the next 6 months, (Saba), 49.5% of employees are not engaged and another 16.5% are “actively disengaged. (Gallup) Significant numbers of people have stayed in jobs that are less than optimal for various reasons waiting for their “window of opportunity.” Many organizations are now taking a fresh look at making Winning Cultural Moves in order to foster better workforce engagement and retention. As the economy creates better jobs, employers who are unprepared will pay a high price in turn over. There is an old business saying that says, “Culture beats strategy every time. What then should forward looking leaders be thinking about? Please join Voltage CEO Jeff Smith, and his guest Principal Consultant Lee Hubert on the next Voltcast to explore the answers to these and other questions. Are you ready to Compete?
To perform with excellence leaders must be both prepared themselves and capable coaches of others. As the year comes to a close and we turn to the New Year, what new ideas and skills will you and your team need to add to succeed? Join us as Jeff and Jennifer share best practices for creating and shepherding Individual Development Plans, and the top resources they use personally and with their clients to ensure that all of us continue to grow to our next level of leadership and performance in the coming year.
How often do you work on your strategy? Are you like most companies that do it once a year and then revisit at the next strategic planning offsite? How do you balance the need for fantastic results while trying to maintain an awesome culture? Is it possible to talk strategy monthly and not be in meetings all the time? What happens to culture when you try to get more aggressive in your market? If you are curious about any of these questions, please join us for our next Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership. Host Jeff Smith will be talking with Amy Ankrum, President of Qualtrax, which is a compliance software company. We will learn about Amy and her team’s unique approaches to strategy, culture and achieving fantastic results while still having a good life. Amy is based in Blacksburg, VA and will share her best practices and tips with our listeners.
Have you heard the term Serving Leader and wondered what that means? Have you wondered if you are engaging enough with your team? Would you like to learn more about how to increase engagement and motivation of your leaders and staff? What models and tips could I use to help co-create ideas with my team? If you are curious about any of these questions, please join us for our next Voltcast: Illuminating Leadership. Jeff Smith will host Cara Wilson for a discussion about how to develop and coach serving leaders. Cara and Jeff both led leadership programs for Cleveland Clinic across the globe and they will be sharing their insights. Cara is now a facilitator and coach at Tableau in Seattle, WA and will share her current thinking on leadership trends and how to apply them to your organization.
Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to be an Executive or even the CEO? Do you wonder if your organization can achieve amazing growth? Who are your key relationships and how are they helping you grow? Are you curious about a CEO’s leadership lessons? This week on Voltcast Illuminating Leadership we will be interviewing Jonathan Hagmaier who went from being a teacher to starting a software company that provided educational solutions. He grew the company to almost 100 employees before selling the company in February of 2016. We will be discussing his journey, how he created the Small Business of the Year in Virginia, why values and relationships matter so much to him and leadership lessons he learned along the way. Jon was also named Entrepreneur of the year and his story will be sure to inspire you and others. We look forward to sharing his story and leadership thoughts with you on Illuminating Leadership.
Are you achieving important desired outcomes for the day, the week, month or year? Are you managing your time or is it managing you? Does it feel like there is never enough time to focus on what is really important to you? How would those around you, your boss, your direct reports, your family describe your ability to be present with them? If you have pondered those or other questions about how to best manage your time in order to be the best you can be at what you do, please join us for our next VoltCast ‘Taking Time to be Present.’ Jeff Smith will explore these and other questions about managing time with Lee Hubert, Principal Consultant with Voltage Leadership. This promises to be a fast-moving practical discussion on time management with insights on how to design your time for the highest levels of personal and team effectiveness.
Do you ever wonder what happens behind the closed door? Are you curious if you are having the right types of conversations with your employees? Do you wonder if you are the only one that leaves some of the conversations with headaches? Are you curious if there are better ways to structure tough conversations with employees? If these questions intrigue you, then please join us for our next Voltcast. Jeff Smith will explore these and other critical questions that manager’s must address with Lee Hubert, Principal Consultant with Voltage Leadership.
We will discuss best practices for 1:1 meetings, how to deal with a challenging employee, motivational ideas, disciplinary conversations, giving recognition and even effective team meetings. This practical conversation will help leaders become better at the challenging conversations and help them enter these conversations with more confidence.
Are you a Victim of Drama?
Ever wonder why there seems to be so much drama on your Team or at your company? How much does drama cost your organization in lost productivity, turnover, absenteeism and low morale? On our next Voltcast, Jeff Smith will explore these and other questions surrounding the impact of 'drama' in the workplace with Lee Hubert, Principal Consultant with Voltage Leadership.
When colleagues adopt one of three primary dysfunctional roles at work, the result is often what we term a 'Cultural Bermuda Triangle.' This can be a place where the company or Team's vision, mission, and productivity can be 'lost.'
As David Emerald points this out in his book 'The Power of TED, The Empowerment Dynamic' the antidote to the Dreaded Drama Triangle starts with understanding what role a person may be in and then taking steps to move into healthy roles by focusing on what we want -vs what we don't want.-
Tune in to this week's Voltcast and Make'Shift' Happen...!
How do we develop and retain high performing talent? By paying attention to our people. But how? This week Jeff and Jennifer will discuss ways to develop your skill at developing others so that you have successful employees and a winning team. From defining roles and setting expectations, to spotting success and sharing appreciation, they will share best practices for communicating, coaching, encouraging and correcting your team.
Learn about the High Potential Zone, a playing field where, with the right moves our teams can cross home plate again and again by hitting the bases of Roles, Recognition, Review and Refine. This week, Jeff and Jennifer take you from the pitcher’s mound and around all 4 bases, with the tips and tools to get your people off the bench, and from hitting the first pitch to rounding home plate. It is our people that win the game for us, and for our businesses to grow and thrive our people need to be growing too.
Hello leaders, yes I am talking to you! Engagement can't just be a buzz word you throw around. You can't just want your 'employees to be engaged' or 'your customers to be engaged'. It has to be a strategy that is embedded throughout your entire organization and this requires dedication, commitment and an understanding of what engagement really is -an emotion-. It also requires that you have the right resources to help them take your vision of engagement and make it a reality in every corner of the company.
If you care about creating a company where your employees and customer are so engaged that they become brand champions you have to be intentional and focused on processes that lead to emotional outcomes. Please join us as we cover best practices and tips on creating an engagement culture.
Joining Jeff on the show will be Marisa Keegan who is the host of the engagement focused podcast Utter Brilliance and wrote the book Culture: More than Jeans and Margarita Machines.
CALM. CLEAR. CONFIDENT.
A hyper-connected, do-more-with-less approach to work and life leaves too many leaders feeling overworked and overwhelmed. The solution? Mindful leadership.
Drawing on the research behind two best-selling books and the experience of working with thousands of clients in dozens of the world’s best-known organizations, Scott Eblin helps his clients arrive calm, clear, and confident.
Jeff will be discussing with Scott best practices, tips and solutions for helping leaders achieve greater productivity while still living a good life. We will share stories from working with our clients and provide actionable ideas for our listeners to implement today.
Change the Culture Change the Game
Every organization has a culture, which either works for them or against them. Sounds obvious right? That being the case, why do so many organizations at times tend to ignore its impact on their results? In their excellent book Change the Culture Change the Game, Roger Connors and Tom Smith illustrate the foundational steps productive cultures are built on. We will be accepting live calls during the program to help your culture, its impact and ways to shape it to help your business.
On today's Voltcast, we are going to be talking with Lee Hubert from Voltage Leadership about Culture, what it is, how it works and how to change it if needed to achieve the results you are looking for.
Trust is an essential element for teams. It takes times to build it but can be destroyed in an instant. When you have trust, a whole new level of performance, pace, creativity and innovation can occur. We will be talking to Jennifer Owen-O’Quill of Voltage Leadership Consulting about how to create and build trust on teams. We will be learning about a new field called Conversational Intelligence that was created by Judith E. Glaser. It is the intersection of neuroscience, coaching and leadership. Please join us for this thought-provoking conversation and learn some practical tips about building and leading teams.
We all fall victim to communication mishaps.We think we are on the same page until we realize that the results that we are getting do not match our expectations. We will explore the DISC assessment tool, ways to use DISC for you, your team and your organization. We will also cover how to build trust on your teams and ways to set clear expectations. You will learn about activities that build trust in the workplace, identity what is keeping you from reaching your full potential and ideas on improving your key relationships. This is the first show in the series and you will also learn about Jeff Smith and his leadership journey while also learning about clients he has worked and their best practices.