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Absolute Advantage Podcast

The Absolute Advantage is about learning from some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, leaders, and achievers at the top of their game. When chasing your dreams, a lot of times there isn’t a need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, shorten your path to success by learning from the stories, strategies and concepts shared by our guests. Then shorten it even further by learning about amazing resources (books, webinars, tools, software, events, coaching, etc.) that should be on your radar. You are not alone in the challenges you face! It's my mission to help you walk away with at least one idea you can apply each episode and to offer content that inspires, encourages and helps you grow and progress QUICKLY both professionally and personally.
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Now displaying: May, 2018
May 30, 2018

Does the constant talk about rising healthcare costs worry you as you balance the benefits you offer your employees with the bottom line? If so, you will want to hear how Michael Menerey collaborates with private firms and public agencies to bring a fresh approach to offering employee benefits with a goal of lowering their costs while enhancing their value to all parties involved.

A senior vice president with Alliant Insurance Services, Michael Menerey launched his Reconstructing Healthcare podcast in 2017 as a platform for discussing the factors that escalate healthcare costs. He seeks innovative approaches that provide better value with reduced costs. By creating a new dialog, he seeks to educate employees and managers of ways they can lower healthcare costs.

In this episode, Michael Menerey explains how the status quo is untenable. We need to explore different approaches, including a plan to offer benefit alternatives that provide our employees the flexibility to select less expensive options that may be available through another nearby pharmacy or clinic. This makes more sense than continuing to keep the same rigid plans while shifting more of the escalating co-pays and deductibles to our workers.

If an MRI costs our present plan $3,000 but our employees still have to pay a deductible, we should have the ability through better transparent pricing in the industry to steer the employee to another location outside of the plan that performs the same procedure for a fraction of the cost. Michael Menerey also encourages benefits managers to consider reimbursing those who can find cheaper prescription prices outside of our plan if the savings benefit the employer and employee in the long run.

I hope you enjoy this important conversation!

Ways to contact Michael:

Resources:

May 23, 2018

Nikki Lewallen fosters connections and promotes networking as CEO of Rainmakers, an Indianapolis firm she joined in 2007 that builds bridges within Indiana’s business community. She also shares her expertise on the Gut + Science podcast that started in April this year.

Do you know someone who lives for the weekend and hates the thought of Mondays? If so, learn how Nikki Lewallen inspires people to live life for Mondays. She enjoys connecting people and enhancing corporate culture by helping others appreciate their contributions as valued members of their companies.

In this episode, Nikki encourages managers and leadership to discover what motivates staff and how we can inspire them to find deeper meaning in their work. This motivational speaker and philanthropist shares her passion for putting systems in place that allow us to gain valuable feedback. She encourages the use of an assessment tool managed by a third party to encourage higher participation and honest responses.

When we solicit feedback from employees, we must act upon it rather than file it away. We need to do this regularly, perhaps once each quarter. If we plan to inspire action and enhance our corporate culture, we need to reassure those willing to share their opinions that they will be valued, disclosed in a way that assures confidentiality, and will lead to change. We must do more than go through the motions.

Nikki encourages intentional acts of kindness and discusses the value of seeking mentors.

The messages from this podcast should offer inspiration for those throughout the organization.

I hope you enjoy this episode!

Ways to contact Nikki:

May 16, 2018

James Swanwick is an Australian-American investor, entrepreneur, speaker, former SportsCenter anchor on ESPN, and host of The James Swanwick Show podcast. He is the creator of blue-light blocking glasses Swannies from Swanwick Sleep, which helps people sleep better; and the 30 Day No Alcohol Challenge, which helps people reduce or quit alcohol. Forbes magazine voted him one of the Top 25 Networking Experts. Swanwick has interviewed celebrities including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kobe Bryant, David Beckham and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

How did a pair of “ugly” glasses inspire a successful marketing campaign? James Swanwick, a journalist by training, explains how seeing his friend wearing those glasses gave him the idea to create Swannies Blue Blockers that promote better sleep.

From his time writing for newspapers and magazines and appearing on broadcast media, James Swanwick learned the impact of effective media in getting a message across. He launched his career in his native Australia, gained skills in London, and moved to Los Angeles in 2003. He later co-founded Crocmedia as a media company with connections in Australia and became an anchor and correspondent for ESPN.

In this episode, James Swanwick explains how his early experiences in media gave him the skills to develop solid marketing brands. In recent years, he has developed motivational programs to ensure better sleep, reduce a reliance on alcohol among social drinkers, and encourage others to develop successful habits. He explains how he learned to overcome procrastination through “seemingly impossible deadlines” and why paying for a top-notch mentor can be a sound investment.

James Swanwick reminds us that compromising on your sleep compromises your business and ultimately your relationships, finance, and health. He also explains ways that his 30 Day No Alcohol Challenge benefits health and may offer a competitive edge.

The theme that defines James Swanwick’s discussion is his desire to teach others about “health, wealth, love, and happiness.”

This week’s program has great advice. I hope you enjoy his message.

Thanks for listening today!

Ways to contact James:

Resources:

Free Book:

  • “12 Easy Ways to Beat Procrastination”: Enter name and email at the bottom of his website
May 9, 2018

After spending 15 years working in a traditional marketing agency designing and developing websites, George B. Thomas stumbled into Inbound Marketing & HubSpot in 2012. After helping run the Wild Boy agency in Massillon Ohio for 2 years, George had the joy of accepting a phone call from Marcus Sheridan asking him to join The Sales Lion team. After he picked the phone up off the floor and stuttered his way through an acceptance, he joined the team and @GeorgeBThomas was born.

As an inbound marketer and brand strategist, George’s daily contributions include inbound strategy and design, HubSpot intensive training, speaking at conferences, content marketing, and social media marketing as well as business management and development.

What can you learn about inbound marketing from a former youth pastor and bouncer in a pub? George B. Thomas definitely took a different path as he entered the field of inbound marketing and developing high-quality video content. After he learned to be proud of his nerdy tendencies, he expertly applied them to become a “nerd who needs to educate” in the areas of content, inbound, and social marketing.

George Thomas strongly believes in the potential of HubSpot and has done tutorials about HubSpot’s CRM. From his work in the industry, he has witnessed the ways that HubSpot certifications enhance abilities in marketing and sales and the value that video adds for inbound marketing.

In this episode, George Thomas talks about how video bridges sales and marketing with digital customers. Whether we want to reach current customers, prospective customers, or our own employees for professional development, making well-designed videos allows them “to see us, hear us, know us.”

There are various ways that you can enhance your business by incorporating video. For example, George Thomas gives you reasons that you should have a video signature on your email so those you communicate with can know about you, what you do, and learn “something fun” about you. A strong video presence is important because 70 percent of a buyer’s journey may be finished by the time they reach you.

This is certainly a conversation you will want to hear! I hope you enjoy the full episode now.
I appreciate you listening to us discuss the ever-increasing importance of video-based content on the web.

Ways to contact George:

May 2, 2018

A professional engineer, Jill Marilley is the Construction Services Manager, Pacific Northwest District for WSP, Inc. (formerly Parsons Brinkerhoff) based in Seattle, WA.

Jill has more than 30 years of public and private industry experience in public works from project ranging from transportation to drinking water quality to parks. She has served the public as a public works director and city engineer and now leads a team in the Pacific Northwest providing high quality construction management service to ensure the public’s money is well spent.

Jill is a strong leader and advocate in the public works industry and is currently the National President-Elect for the American Public Works Association. Her focus is on public works funding, operation and maintenance of our infrastructure, and the continued development of APWAs next leaders.

Sometimes we take some things for granted that we just don’t think about. Whether it be brushing our teeth while leaving the water running to the transportation we use every day for work. Jill Marilley was inspired to improve everyone’s quality of life and create a ripple effect on the community.

In this episode, Jill and I explore leadership, STEM education, gender and wider diversity in engineering and other STEM professions. It is a powerful and wide ranging-discussion.

As numbers continue to remain low for women working in the engineering industry within the last 30 years and 25 percent of women leaving the profession, Jill gives great insights about her experience as a woman in the engineering field and how there is a need for diversity in education.

The perspective Jill brings on the area of leadership is refreshing. You don’t have to be up front to be leading. Leadership comes from deep within and is about your ability to expand yourself, your family, your friends, your community, your world.

Jill also made a great point about how we all need to remind ourselves to see what we are willing to provide to others to help reach all of our goals.

Jill Marilley offers amazing stories and wisdom on how you can create a ripple effect within your community and lead by example to create change within your own industry.

You will not be disappointed!

I appreciate your time so very much.

Ways to contact Jill:

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