EntreAnswers's podcast: Recent Episodes
Mike Sizemore
The reason this podcast exists is simple, you have questions...we have the answers and solutions you need. Entre-Answers offers tips, tricks and hacks for entrepreneurs, solo-preneurs and small business owners on a variety of topics from leadership, management, customer experience and employee engagement.
Both golf and business present us with some very unique opportunities. And when they do...we need to make not good, but great decisions.
In sports and life there are winners and losers. But when it comes to your organization and your staff...do you want winners and losers or do you want a culture that focuses on resolution
TRIGGER ALERT!!! Today we're using politics for our example.
We're talking leadership and leadership optics with examples from Senator Ted Cruise and President Joe Biden.
A shout out this week to two businesses in my area that absolutely owned the moment in both customer service and experience!
Hello and thank you Gaana for allowing the Entre-Answers Podcast to become part of you platform.
We offer business and motivational information on Leadership, Management, Customer Service and much more, along with guests who discuss those topics and Entrepreneurship.
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Sometimes forward thinking can get you into trouble. When you take time to make time for planning, re-charging or making key decisions...live in that moment. Don't get too far ahead.
All that stuff...it will be there when you get back. Focus on the fix!
You probably know Chip Gaines as one half and Waco's #1 power couple and star of the hit show Fixer Upper. But do you know Chip Gaines the runner?
These are some of my takeaways from an episode on the Magnolia Network called, "The Courage To Run". I hope you enjoy it.
Let's face it...2020 absolutely tested our heart as a business owner or entrepreneur. So, how's your heart?
Not from a physical standpoint, but what did it do for your personal and business values? Did you find out who you really are?
There are several ways for us to become peacemakers. First and foremost, make peace with God.
And after that, make sure you make peace with yourself, then with family and finally with those you are around every day.
If we know anything today, it's this...we really don't know what tomorrow may bring. So, as much as it is in your power to do so...be a peacemaker today.
Today, I am grateful for several groups of real hero's in our country. Our Military, Police and Sheriff's Deputies, EMS, Fire Fighters and our Front Line Healthcare Workers. God Bless You!!!
I believe there are seven different life lessons we can learn from watching the 2020 Masters Champion. They are:
Dreams can create Passion. For those to become reality, it takes Sacrifice and Hard Work. But not just hard work, the right kind of hard work. Then there will be Success and Failures; and knowing how to deal with each. Next there must be a No Quit attitude in life. And finally when the time comes Seize the opportunity and Focus to make it a reality
Today we discuss the importance of not just running your race, but doing so with endurance.
There will be hardships, stress, pain and other adverse conditions as you navigate your race in life. So where do we focus? Let's talk about it!
If you really want to run our race...follow our dreams...the one that is uniquely ours, we must lay aside the things that slow us down and take us out.
Today, we discuss laying aside the weight, sin, bad habits and frankly stupid stuff that can kill our dreams.
Most of us have at least one ghost that haunts us as we try to move forward in life. Take a few minutes today and see which one is taunting you and how to rid yourself of this foul specter.
As we run our race, it's so important to define who our witnesses are and how they help us achieve success in life.
Each is critical to your success in very unique and specific ways.
Covid has taught us one thing...we can't depend on anything like we did before.
So, if you've decided to set your sights on a new venture, a new calling, that dream you want to aspire to...this is the series for you.
You have people watching, cheering you on. So what do you do? Listen and find out!
What seems like a simple, easy weekend project turns in to more than you bargained for...why?? Simple. To bring in the new, you have to get rid of the old. You have to get rid of your stuff.
My PSA for today is simple...your spouse, your kids really don't want most of your old stuff. So junk it, give it away or better yet sell it. Make this the best project of COVID 19...and lay aside the weight of your stuff.
Every dreamer...every visionary...every "Walt Disney" in this world, needs a Roy.
So many of us have these big dreams and aspirations about what we want to do in life. But we need a Roy Disney along side, to challenge, to help keep our feet on the ground, and find the capital to make it all happen.
Dreamers need doers. Who's yours???
A wise man once said, "At some point you have to stop dreaming and start doing". So...are you? Are you doing or have your dreams become paralyzed due to over analysis?
Today we talk about knowing when it's time to launch and went it's time to let go.
One of the first things Walt Disney did as he built Disneyland, was to surround it with a high dirt wall called "The Berm". The reason...to keep the magic in and the distractions out.
The same is true with your schedule. There's very important magic that needs to be on or in your schedule, while keeping the distractions out.
Is it true that all we have to do is simply dream it and then do it? Mom and dad told us we could become anything we wanted when we grew up...how did that work out for you?
Let's take a few minutes and separate fact from fiction so that our dreams can have a much better chance of coming true!
So what do you do when you're so close to the finish line...you push through and get it done.
Muster the troops, explain the plan...and go!
It all started with a small crack...and the rest is history. If your home isn't built on a solid foundation, you're destined for trouble. And if your business or organization is not built on a solid foundation, it too can be destroyed.
It is possible to turn why into why not...from why not into now what...and from now what into what if...and what if into that Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.
Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight ahead. Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure. Proverbs 4: 25-26
Reverence is defined as a deep respect for someone or something. But in todays episode, I'm flipping the script and looking at how others have revered Walt over the years.
Thanks for being part of this bonus series...Words About Walt!
As we continue to adapt, adjust and overcome through COVID 19, are you asking yourself this question...How can I use this time to get better at something in life?
Well todays guess is a leading voice in helping us understand that now is the time to not just think about it, but it's time to do it!
Last week I was back on the road for the first time in over 4 months. This gave me the opportunity to see first hand Customer Experience during COVID 19, and examples of service recovery when things didn't go quite right.
In our final episode on Culture Matters we discuss two organizations that understand the value of virus proofing their culture.
Faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something. But, it can also be a pretty curious partner when broken.
Still in all, he had faith in us...the public, and he stayed faithful to the vision and culture that is the Walt Disney Company.
In our final episode on SHOTS, we look at the last two vaccines...Take Time To Praise and Stay On Purpose.
Praise means to express warm appreciation or admiration to and about someone.
Staying on Purpose is all about being intentional with nurturing and protecting the vision and culture you've worked so hard to infuse into the organization.
Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. But you can't just hope for hope.
It must be intentional. For Walt to believe those things would happen, he took time to instill in his leaders the values and vision he had for the company and Disneyland. That's why it lived on...long after Disney.
Have you been to the doctor lately? If so, I bet part of the exam had to do with prevention. And just like our personal health, the health of our business requires a dose of prevention...those shots that help our culture survive. So lets begin taking a look at:
S standardize the experience
H hold leaders accountable
O obsess about the details
T take time to praise
S stay on purpose
Two words that have captured the headlines for 2020, have been fear and failure. But, could 2020, also be a year of unusual opportunity?
Brand strategist Jack Fussell helps lay out the fact that fear can lead to clarity of next steps, and failure becomes opportunity.
There are so many ways to describe excellence in the life of Walt Disney, but one of the best is their development of the multiplane camera. The ability to shoot up to 7 frames of artwork under one vertical moving camera changed animated films for ever.
The next word that best describes the man Walt Disney is, perseverance. It's the act of doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
And all we need do is look at the example of "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" to see this lived out in Walt.
Boldness is the characteristic of a willingness to take risks and act with innovation. To show confidence and courage.
And there is no better example of this in Walt's life than his first full length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
We're half way home! Today is number 6 and it's all about courage.
Courage is defined as the ability to do something, even when that thing is scaring you to death! And Walt Disney knew a thing or two about courage.
So...is there something in your life that is absolutely scaring you to death? Great!! Why? Because your greatest success, your Disneyland story, may well be just on the other side of your greatest fear. Today...Be Courageous!!!
In our Culture Matters series we discussed the concept of careless leadership in the last episode. Today, we're expanding this idea and looking at two types of careless leaders, and the importance of culture.
Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.
It is impossible to separate your moral compass from that of your organization. In times or crisis or big decisions, the "real" you, will alway emerge.
Always be the leader they follow because what you say and what you do never change!
For a virus to survive, to grow and multiply, it must have a living host. So, how about it business leader, are you a living host providing space for one of these to invade your organization?
Are you expressing CARELESS communication?
Are you COMFORTABLE with the status quo?
Are you simply a CARELESS leader?
Well just like any good physician, we are Entre-Answers and Mike Sizemore Consulting have a great Rx for that problem. Contact me at www.mikesizemorellc.com or email mike@mikesizemorellc.com
It's best to define leadership as a verb. It means action. In fact the most accurate definition goes like this...Leadership is not a title or position you hold...it's the sum total of the actions you take.
So are you a leader defined by action?
Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas especially in the production of an artistic idea.
How did we get the term "audio-animatronics"? It started in a New Orleans shop when Walt Disney purchased a couple of mechanical birds. And the rest....is history
Was there ever a more imaginative mind than that of Walt Disney? For Snow White to EPCOT, he was never afraid to chase an idea from concept to reality.
All the way to his last day on planet Earth, he never stopped imagining. How about you?
It's 1928, and sitting in an office in New York City, Walt Disney discovers he has lost his most profitable cartoon character and most of his best animators. Once again he's facing the possibility of bankruptcy.
I takes 3 days and one simple drawing...now Walt is on his way to the most recognizable, successful and iconic brand on the planet.
It doesn't have to be complicated to be great!
In Pat Williams best seller, "How To Be Like Walt", he describes 12 attributes that personify the life of Walt Disney. And over the next couple of weeks, we'll be taking a look at each one and how they apply to his life and ours.
Today's word...Optimism. It describes the quality of hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.
What about you? What are you optimistic about in your life?
I know you want to hear this coming from your customers...."I always do business with them, because I can't get service like this anywhere else."
30 year Disney Veteran and the most sought after Disney Institute Keynote Speaker Jeff Noel and I sit down for a conversation today on excellence in the area of customer experience.
If you're in the consulting arena, this is the expert you need to be listening to. Paul Klein knows how to help position your organization for maximum success.
Today we discuss his concept call, "The Three Pillars of Revenue". Enjoy!!!
My guest, Penn State Professor and Cyber Security expert Fred Aebli shares some important tips on Internet safety every parent or adult raising kids needs to know.
Jeff Barnes shared with me 7 significant character traits for the life of Walt Disney. And in these bonus episodes we're going to explore each one over the next few days.
Walt faced a lot of adversity, but it never let him stop dreaming or doing. What about you?
I hope you'll take a few minutes today and let me share with you Chapter 1 of my first e-book on time management titled, "We All Live in the 168. Enjoy!!
Thank you so very much to the over 1000 plus who have listened, downloaded and subscribed to the podcast. I am so very humbled by the support.
Looking forward to the days ahead with new episodes, guests and more!
On today's episode we hear a story of inspiration and encouragement as Lisa describes her pivot from big law to living at the back gate of Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL.
Please enjoy my conversation with The Castle Runner..Lisa DiNoto Glassner.
Today, we'll take a walk down Main Street USA and observe the science behind forced perspective.
Then make the pivot and see just how to apply it in our lives today.
So, grab some popcorn or a Mickey Bar and join me for this amazing episode.
No matter where you are on the planet, or what you do....remember this...we all live in the 168!
How you use the 168 makes all the difference in the world.
The retired and inspiring Executive VP of Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts, Lee Cockerell stops by for a visit and we get to discuss the topic, "It's Never Too Late To Get Better".
And I think when the person who led and managed over 40,000 cast members, 4 Theme Parks, resort hotels, food, beverage and more begins sharing some wisdom...we all need to stop and listen.
Plus, at the end, I share some exciting news about a new on-line course Lee just announced.
Dan Cockerell, the retired VP of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World stops by to share some of his favorite memories with cast members and guests during his 26 years with The Disney Organization. Enjoy!
Focus means the center of interest or activity. The quality of having clear visual definition.
So where is your focus? Where is the center of your interest or activity? Do you have a clear visual definition of your tomorrow?
Remember to look...to glance at your current situation or circumstance. But let your gaze....your focus be forward...set your gaze straight before you. Proverbs 4:25
We can look at safety in two ways. One is being protected from danger, risk or injury. The other means guarded, not likely to be harmed or lost...a place of safety and protection.
Are you being reactive...focused on what can harm you....or proactive...looking instead at activities to keep you safe and free from harm.
The choice is mine and yours.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. Quite the opposite of sympathy which describes a person absorbed with feelings of pity and sorrow.
People who are empathetic are not only able to understand a person in the throws of sorrow, but can help them rise above their situation or circumstance....and help them move forward.
Honesty in the Latin text means a person of honor, respectability, decorum and virtue...the way one conducts ourselves and our affairs.
So...how do people describe you and I? Our greatest complement....we are a person of honest, moral character.
And there are many different adjectives to describe people who are the opposite of honest!
Humility means a low view of ones importance. In the Greek it is having a deep sense of ones moral littleness.
It doesn't mean you're not important or your opinion doesn't matter...the difference is in how you handle yourself and your position.
Do so with gratitude and joy. Humility is a character trait to be admired and when it displays itself....no assistance is needed.
Communication is imparting or exchanging information. But are you doing so successfully? Or do people just hear noise?
Remember to give great consideration, NOT just to the words, but how you express them as well.
We were give two ears and one mouth for a reason.
In the Greek our word WISE takes on a very different meaning. It's so much more than experience or good judgement....it means skilled, cultivated or learned. Those forming the best plans and using the best means for their execution.
Are you taking time these days to form plans? If so, are you considering the best means to make them happen?
The job of superintending or taking care of someone or something.
How well are you superintending your life and resources? You cannot lead someone where you have not been yourself.
Take care of yourself....so that you may care for others.
To act or do something in the same way over time...unchanging in nature.
Consistency doesn't just happen. It's very deliberate...and happens over time. It doesn't just show up....it must be developed.
In the Greek, walk means: to make ones way, to progress, to make use of opportunities. In Hebrew it means live.
So how are you walking? Just moving your feet up and down...or are you making the best use of opportunities in your life now?
A calendar is a chart or series of pages that include times, days, weeks and months of a particular year. Very different from a "To Do" list.
When you place something on a calendar, you now have a time, date and deadline.
Success requires a deadline...What gets scheduled gets done...It's never to late to get better at something.
Resolution cuts two ways.....Whether we choose TO do something or NOT to do something...it takes the same strength, courage and determination to make it happen.
Resolve today to DO! Look at your list....pick the big thing....tackle it....check it off......Get it done!!!!!!
Trust is a firm belief in the reliability, truth or strength or someone or something. Our world today is looking for someone or something to wholly trust in.
Take a look at John Chapter 14...this is where I find my trust.
What type of listener are you?
Passive, or aware something is being said, but not focused.
Active, listening, but at the same time forming a response.
Deep, listening with your whole face, taking time to hear, see and reflect before saying anything.
Today, we could all use a deep listener in our lives.
Did you know that anger, if dealt with properly can be a good thing.
Three things we need to know about anger...acknowledge it...deal with it.....and/or let it go.
Courage is not the absence of fear...it the choice to move forward, even in the face of what may be scaring you to death.
It's stated that Scripture says 365 times....Fear Not! Sounds like courage is a big deal to God. And if God is for us....who can be against us!
The definition of what is very different from why. This pronoun is defined as....asking for information specific to something.
So....should our question be why??? or what???? What shifts the focus from me to others.
Webster defines why as an adverb...meaning .."for what reason or purpose".
In your life today is "why" simply being asked to bring a rational answer to our collective current situation? OR Is is driving you to a much deeper place to discover why you're placed on this planet and for what purpose?
Glance can be used as both a noun and verb to mean...take a brief or hurried look at someone or something.
Is it time to change to invert your glance and gaze? To shift your thoughts from the current circumstance of life to....ideas, solutions and tomorrow.
Webster defines gaze as a verb or a noun. As a verb it means to look steadily and intently...especially in admiration, surprise or thought. As a noun it means a steady or intent look.
So where is your gaze today? What consumes most of your time and attention?
I hope you'll join me for the next 20 days as we take a few minutes each day to look at words and their meaning to our life and work.
In todays episode we discuss 5 ways to lead with confidence in a crisis situation.
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Tell the truth!
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Allow your staff to respond.
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"I don't know" can be a proper response.
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Choose courage over fear.
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Have a consistent message.
For more information go to www.mikesizemorellc.com or www.osha.gov .
If your business has employees, you will want to review this document. Go to www.osha.gov and on the landing page link to the 32 page document on Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19.
You can also go to our website www.mikesizemorellc.com/blog, click on COVID-19 and download the pdf from there.
On this bonus episode of Entre-Answers, I'm dealing with one simple question. So, if you want to know much of the where and why in these episodes....give this 3 minute podcast a quick listen. As always.....thank you!!
Do we chase perfection? Yes! Can we attain it? No! But we can acquire excellence in the process. Who does it better...the ship burner or a wader? And what about all those great...free resources found in Social Media?
All this and more are found in todays episode of Entre-Answers.
Need the show notes??? No problem. They can be found over at www.mikesizemorellc.com/blog
In todays Podcast we take a look at business.....your business! What does it look like? Who's your target client? How should I price these goods and services? How to stay fit for the fight? Do I want a partner? Who will staff up the organization? And, how do I convince others to invest in my dream?
So you want to start a business....GREAT!!! Now have you considered what type of corporate structure? How about the tax implications of that structure? Do you need a good lawyer and CPA? Know people like that who can lead you through the business jungle?
Foundation is key! On this episode we will begin discussing just how important a solid foundation is for your Great American Dream!!!
Is passion enough to turn my dreams into a business reality? Today we look at Passion, Talent, Skills, Abilities and Purpose. How does this equation help me see the bigger picture?
It takes more that hopes and dreams for an idea or concept to become a reality. Listen in as we discuss the process of going from a 30,000 foot view to boots on the ground in today's episode of Entre-Answers.
Taking nothing for granted, we'll begin from scratch with the most fundamental definition of an entrepreneur.
Along with that, we'll look at the foundational footings crucial to the success of any start up.
Have you ever asked yourself the question, "What if..." What would life be like if I could turn this dream into a reality? What would it take to make that happen? Where do I begin to answer those questions?
Have no fear, you've come to right place! Whether you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, solo-preneur or just want to know what it takes to make it happen, this is the podcast for you.
So stay tuned....we're about to get down to business!!