Rick Cesari is a branding guru who has worked with Fortune 500 and other major companies such as Clorox, Microsoft, GoPro and The George Foreman Grill to build billion dollar brands through direct response advertising and video marketing. He’s also a celebrated speaker, consultant, and bestselling author. Rick’s upcoming book, “Building Billion Dollar Brands”, was written to put big-brand knowledge into the hands of small business owners, entrepreneurs, inventors, and other independent sellers.
Rick’s original plan was to attend dental school, but his career path changed when he took a real estate seminar and his first sale made him $12,000. He transitioned into working with the seminar business and discovered both his innate marketing skills, and the marketing power of direct response videos.
Rick leaned into his newfound talents and used direct response TV marketing to promote the Juiceman® Juice Extractor and the Sonicare® toothbrush. He went on to help redesign and remarket a taco maker device into the George Foreman Grill, and the rest is history. Now he works to teach others the marketing skills and strategies he originally pioneered.
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From the Sonicare® toothbrush to The George Foreman Grill, from OxiClean to GoPro cameras, every huge invention got to where it is today through the power of marketing. But how do you take the great idea you had in your garage one day and turn it into a billion dollar brand? That’s easy; the answer is Rick Cesari.
Rick is the marketing guru behind the aforementioned products and many more. Rick was one of the first people to identify the overwhelming potential of direct response advertising, and it was his vision that turned those brands into the easily recognized brand names they are today.
In this episode of Absolute Advantage, Rick shares wisdom from his upcoming book, Building Billion Dollar Brands: Spectacular Successes & Cautionary Tales: The Lure Of Brand Response From Both Sides Of The Marketing Fence. He also discusses how direct response marketing works, what benefits it offers, and what five steps are necessary to turn your marketing into an explosive force.
By understanding what turns potential customers into loyal fans, by knowing how to outsource your marketing efforts to the right partners, and by turning your marketing efforts into a call to action, you can build your own billion dollar brand. Listen to the episode and let wisdom from Rick Cesari’s proven record of success work for you!
Dan Sachs has an amazing and storied background in the restaurant industry, and now he works to bring the knowledge and wisdom he has gained over the course of his career to business professionals and entrepreneurs.
Dan is the President of Meerkat Restaurant Advisory, and serves as an instructor at the School of Hospitality Leadership as well as being named entrepreneur-in-residence with the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center at DePaul University. Dan owned and operated wine-focused restaurant brand BIN 36 from 1999 to 2015, and he is the co-author of the new book The Million Dollar Greeting, where he shares five key steps entrepreneurs can take to create a world-class culture in any business or industry.
As a professional consultant, Dan believes that any organization can benefit from a strong culture to improve profitability and develop workplace satisfaction throughout their team, regardless of the size of the business. This goal–to help businesses grow stronger and more successful–is what drives Dan in his work today.
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You know the buzzwords: “values and culture,” “customer-focused”, “effective leadership”… but have you looked past the lingo to consider what those things truly mean in a real-world environment? I’d like to introduce you to Dan Sachs, a true expert in translating those oft-repeated corporate buzzwords into real action with powerful, lasting results.
Dan has a long history as a restaurateur and as an instructor of hospitality, so he truly understands how a company’s values, policies, and philosophy combine to form the unique DNA of the business. Dan has identified and studied the key ingredients required to become the kind of leader who inspires and motivates a team to success.
In this episode, Dan explains three different types of hospitality leaders–evangelists, transformers and pragmatists–and cites examples from his book of business leaders who exemplify those types. Dan explains how the types differ and showcase how leaders of each type achieve phenomenal results in their area of expertise regardless of the scale, size, and industry of their businesses.
Your company culture is one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal to generate the energy and enthusiasm needed to power your organization’s journey to success. Listen to the episode and learn from Dan’s stories of leadership and vision!
Justin Kerr describes himself as an “efficiency monster”. He’s also an expert in effective business communication, leadership and management development, and creating a successful workplace environment.
Justin is a fascinating person with an impressively diverse background. He has served as the youngest senior executive at major clothing brands like Gap™, Old Navy™, and Levi’s®. He is the author of fourteen books, including his most recent title How to be Good Great at Your Job. Justin is the host of the Mr. Corpo podcast, has toured across the US in his rock band, and even keeps rooftop bees (no, seriously).
As multifaceted as Justin is, he says his number one passion is workplace efficiency. Today, Justin works to help others improve their time management by learning to write better emails, communicate more effectively, and stop wasting precious minutes that could be better spent elsewhere.
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How much do you really accomplish in your day? How much time do you waste writing emails, waiting on people to answer you back, and putting off big projects you know you should be focusing on? Meet Justin Kerr, the self-proclaimed “efficiency monster” who believes that wasted time throughout your day could be put to much more effective use.
Justin has the distinction of being the youngest senior executive ever at some of the country’s top apparel brands. But Justin’s passions and hobbies are diverse and he wanted to find a way to carve out as much time as possible for those interests, so he began streamlining his workday and maximizing his efficiency. And thus, the “efficiency monster” was born.
In this episode, Justin shares helpful strategies and tips you can use to reclaim time and stop working past 5pm. Things as simple as the liberal use of the…
…in your emails can help ensure that your communications cut through the white noise and are seen and replied to quickly. Justin is filled to the brim with these kinds of helpful workday life hacks that will help you glide through your day and out the office door.
We all inadvertently waste time during our workday without even realizing we’re doing it, and that time adds up to lost hours each week. Thankfully, Justin “Efficiency Monster” Kerr is here to help!
David Quick is a speaker, leadership coach, and CEO who has worked with everyone from single-employee startups to Fortune 100 companies, teaching them to harness the power and passion of their employees.
David channeled his own passion and power into a tool to propel him to success. David is a three-time CEO of rapid-growth organizations and truly understands the role of leadership in a successful corporation. David has spent more than 20 years of his career with giants like Bayer, Johnson & Johnson, and Roche Diagnostics, and now he is the CEO of “Helping Bulls Thrive in China Shops.”
As the name suggests, David’s organization believes that when business leaders channel the energy of their teams, amazing things can happen. When your herd is full of powerful bulls moving in the same direction, your business can become stronger and more capable. That’s why David has dedicated himself to teaching business leaders to recruit, recognize, and empower the bulls in their teams.
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You’ve heard the expression, “like a bull in a china shop,” but have you ever given thought to what it means? It implies that something lacks precision, tact, or a delicate touch. But a bull is a powerful creature. And when that power can be harnessed and channeled, the outcome might surprise you. David Quick is the CEO of “Helping Bulls Thrive in China Shops,” a leadership organization that teaches leaders to utilize the energy and passion of their teams to spur growth and commit to positive vision and values for their businesses.
David calls himself a “recovering bull,” and he learned early in his career that his passion and power could be leveraged to become a force of forward momentum. David’s organization uses executive coaching, keynote presentations, group sessions, and events to turn teams into powerful herds of high-performing bulls.
In this episode, David shares his personal journey of self-understanding and career growth and explains how reflecting on his career gave him the drive and experience to coach others. David discusses employee engagement, the ripple-effect of vision and values, and how a strong vision and core values can draw in the right talent to build your herd and put the right people in the right seats.
By finding and hiring high-performing bulls, you can turn your herd into a powerful cohesive business with a shared vision and passion for success. Listen and learn from David Quick’s no-BS wisdom!
Cash Keahey has become a true expert in leadership types, after spending 23 years working in global Fortune 500 companies and being exposed to many varied corporate cultures and corporate leaders.
Through the various positions and industries he has worked in through his storied career, Cash has dedicated himself to understanding the different styles of leadership and how each can thrive. Cash has led leadership workshops in 20 countries on 6 continents and is versed in bringing the leadership potential out of entrepreneurs and executives. Through his gift for engaging audiences, Cash has coached leaders to better understanding of their unique value and talents.
Cash is the author of Eight LeaderTypes in the White House: Discover and Leverage Your Oval Office Leadership Style. Through his qualification with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, he has categorized eight unique leadership types. He now works to help today’s business leaders understand which type they belong to, empowering them to better implement their ideas and strategies.
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As a business or team leader, how well do you really understand yourself? Understanding how you lead others can give you valuable insight into how you make decisions and guide your organization. Cash Keahey knows this better than most. Cash is an expert in helping entrepreneurs and C-suite executives bring out their full potential by understanding their leadership type.
Cash wrote his book Eight LeaderTypes in the White House after exhaustive study of the top ten US presidents. He was encouraged to begin his research after being asked the question, “what personality type makes the best leader?” Cash believes that any type of leader can shine under the right circumstances, and his efforts were intended to prove his theory.
In this episode, Cash explains what a LeaderType is, and spells out the eight types and how they interact with each other. Cash shares how to identify your dominant and secondary LeaderTypes, explains why understanding your LeaderTypes can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and gives examples of the power of deliberately invoking the correct LeaderType for the problem at hand.
By knowing and trusting yourself, you can become a master of decision-making and leading your organization. Listen to this episode and learn more about Cash’s amazing insights!
Kirsten Bunch spent the first twenty years of her career working for international non-profit organizations in ten different countries, and now she works to empower others to make their own positive mark on the world.
Kirsten has contributed to such diverse projects as helping impoverished people get eye glasses, helping to remove lead from pottery in Mexico, and assisting the Rainforest Alliance in their work. Kirsten has been an expert fundraiser, raising over $20 million in donations throughout her career.
Today, Kirsten works tirelessly to help others get involved in action they believe in through her Women’s Changemaker Mentorship program, empowering women to create positive changes in their communities. Kirsten is also the international best-selling author of the book Next Act Give Back: Discover Your Personal Path to Go From Being Charitable to Being a Changemaker.
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Do you believe passionately that the world can be a better place? Have you ever recognized a problem in your community that nobody else was addressing effectively? Have you wanted to help, but weren’t sure how to get started? Allow me to introduce you to Kirsten Bunch.
Kirsten has spent her career working with and fundraising for global non-profit organizations, and now she works to help other women get involved in impactful ways beyond making a charitable donation. Kirsten believes that women can be superheroes in their communities, and she helps them turn their skills and ideas into tangible action that can improve the world around them.
In this episode, Kirsten shares her inspiring journey of working for non-profit organizations all over the globe and starting her mentorship program, helping women take the first steps toward getting involved in a hands-on way. Believing in yourself and your own potential is the key to giving your ideas form and becoming a catalyst for change. Too many great ideas fall to the wayside because people doubt themselves or feel powerless, but Kirsten believes that the important thing is to take those first steps without fear.
We all need more inspiration, compassion, and joy in our lives. Listen to this episode and learn how you can change the world around you!
Text the word “change” to 36260 to download Kirsten’s app, where you can learn more about her mentorship program, purchase her book, and find her contact information.
Kelly Resendez is a mother, business executive, and best-selling author who believes in helping others overcome self-sabotage and find joy in their professional and personal lives.
Because of all the different hats Kelly wears, she has had to master the art of being in the moment. Now she has dedicated herself to teaching others how to find joy in individual experiences and share that joyfulness with everyone in their lives.
Kelly is the author of the new book, Big Voices: Increase Joy, Reduce Suffering, Think Differently, and has founded Big Voices, a women-empowered network that uses the principles in her book to lift women up. Kelly is passionate about helping others embrace joy and learn to think differently.
Your mind is all over the place, you’ve got a hundred little things begging for your attention, deadlines are ticking down, and on top of all of that you aren’t sleeping enough at night because you can’t shut off your inner voice. How can you hope to deal with all the pressure?
Kelly Resendez knows how you feel. She’s the Executive Vice President of Paramount Partners Group, an author, an influencer, and mom to teenagers. Kelly learned how to keep juggling all her responsibilities through mindfulness, meditation, faith and joy, and now she is passionate about helping others learn to manage their time, priorities and distractions.
In this episode, Kelly teaches you the steps to find a better balance, take control of your thoughts, and be present in the moment. By doing so, you will be more able to focus on each individual priority of your day and share a joyful attitude that will spread to every part of your life and everyone you interact with.
We also discuss why it’s crucial to retrain your thoughts and stop being a “people-pleaser,” how to identify and overcome the self-sabotage we’re all guilty of, how to manage your emotional triggers, and the importance of asking for help when you need it.
No matter how overwhelming your day is, I promise you’re going to want to find the time to listen to this episode!
Dr. James Kelley, author of The Crucibles Gift: 5 Lessons from Authentic Leaders Who Thrive in Adversity, brings a fresh perspective to leadership coaching and keynotes. His journey from a humble home in Portland, Oregon to earning his PhD and living near Dubai with his wife and four children is full of adversity. James also has a keen interest in the adversity that shapes great leaders around the world.
What does an authentic leader look like? Dr. James Kelley has some ideas, thanks to his long work with business leader biographies and his own life experiences. In his remarkable book The Crucible’s Gift: 5 Lessons from Authentic Leaders Who Thrive in Adversity, he narrows down the common traits that authentic leaders have and how we can practice them in our leadership positions to make a difference.
While our discussion covered many excellent topics, I’d like to talk about three different points Dr. Kelley made which struck me as particularly important:
Self-Awareness: Business leaders have trouble with self-awareness, especially if they already have a profile of their own strengths and weaknesses, which may not be that accurate. Truly self-aware leaders know to make space for honest feedback and to understand that they always have more to learn about themselves.
Compassion: Compassion is sometimes seen as a weakness in the business world, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, compassion shows strength, understanding, and the ability to bind teams together and help their care about company goals. It’s one of the most valuable traits inauthentic leaders.
Accepting Your Flaws: Understanding that you are flawed can be difficult. Accepting those flaws and finding ways to work around them is even harder. But the best leaders understand their flaws and then use them to become even better, creating support systems and using their experiences to help others around them.
Throughout our conversation, Dr. Kelley provided life stories, advice from his experience with other business leaders, and many insights into the ways that you can more effective and self-aware – including methods to spot the “micro-moments of meaning” in your daily life and capitalize on them.
Interested in hearing more? You can listen to the full episode right now!
Thanks for listening today. I appreciate your time so very much.
Tim Fulton is a serial entrepreneur turned small business consultant and executive coach, an award-winning author, and a nationally recognized advocate for small business.
Do you feel like your business has stalled out after years of successful growth? Are you struggling to hire talented people that will stay with the company for years?
This week I spoke on these issues with the accomplished Tim Fulton, author of Small Business Matters. Tim currently services as a Vistage Group Chair. Vistage is an international membership organization for CEOs and Presidents that encourages them to learn from each other.
One of the fascinating things we discussed was the growth barrier that many businesses – including successful businesses – face after several years in operation. Many owners and entrepreneurs find that around this time their growth suddenly stalls out. It’s no surprise that many panic!
But experienced business owners know that this is common, especially as company reach a certain point of growth. A time comes when the business owner has too many balls in the air and has to stop juggling: In other words, the business needs to shift to focus more on teams and an organization system. The owner must learn to delegate, too!
Alongside this is the problem of hiring talented employees. As Tim advises, hire early and expect turnover (as much as 75% turnover in many cases) to find the right talent for your business. It’s alright to let people go if, after a month, you are sure they aren’t a good fit. Don’t be afraid to put in time and effort to create a good team!
This period of growth also means that owners need to start thinking about the company culture: Will bringing in so many new people threaten the work relationship of those who have been there since the beginning? How can you encourage a healthy culture during these times of expansion?
If you’d like to learn more about our interesting conversation, listen to the full episode!
Thanks for listening today! I appreciate your time so very much.
Nate Bailey is a natural leader, a best selling author, a renowned coach, and a speaker who knows how to impact and reach an audience.
Nate is the Lead Trainer and Lead Coach inside of the Prosperity Revolution. He has built multiple successful businesses in the areas of Insurance and Real Estate. He recently fulfilled his long-time dream of selling his insurance agency to become a full-time coach.
Nate was a Lieutenant, serving our country in the United States Army. As a Platoon Leader during the Operation Iraqi Freedom, Nate was charged with the safety and leadership of 42 soldiers as they served our country in Kuwait. Nate has a simple philosophy on life – “live what you teach.”
Do your inspirational speeches fall flat? Struggling with anemic personal relationships? Debt out of control? Nate Bailey is a personal coach who teaches people how living intentionally expands your horizons and growth potential.
As a real estate and insurance professional, Nate Bailey helped people build financial security. Pursuing his passion for living intentionally, today, Nate helps people push themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually.
He transforms experiences from the battlefield and personal struggles that shaped his past, into insights that inspire others to lay down their fears and self-inflicted barriers to personal growth.
In this episode, we discuss how having integrity with yourself empowers personal growth and success in every aspect of your life from achieving financial stability to healing relationships and leading a successful business on the short path to prosperity.
Nate explains you must “live what you teach” and push yourself to the limit every day to achieve your full potential.
Want to learn how he went from a 250 pound, out-of-shape, out-of-hope individual to a thriving, inspirational speaker and life coach? Listen to the full episode now!
Thank you for listening today! I appreciate your time so very much.
Todd Palmer is the collaborative business advisor and CEO of Extraordinary Advisors (EA).
As the CEO of a 6-time INC 5000 company, Todd knows that business success begins and ends with people. People make all of the business decisions regarding strategy, execution, cash, and staff.
Todd isn’t happy until his clients trust themselves as leaders AND their decisions. He won’t rest until teams trust the leaders AND each other. He knows they’ve nailed it when CEOs and their leadership teams take action towards high-level achievement, resulting in clients that trust the company. (Read: more sales, more profits, more partnerships.)
Todd is also the author of the popular book The Job Search Process: Find & Land a Great Job in 6 Weeks or Less.
Succeeding in business is more than just having a great idea. Todd D. Palmer, CEO of Extraordinary Advisors, found out at the age of 27 what it meant to truly be the leader of a company. After having moderate success early on in his business, he stepped away for six months only to return to find the company riddled with debt and within weeks of total collapse. The hard lessons he learned through that experience shaped how he advises CEO’s and managers of the country’s top organizations.
No one at a weekend dinner party wants to hear about how entrepreneurs can’t make payroll or are in dire need of cash flow.
In this episode, we discussed how small business owners need a community where they are free to celebrate success and admit failure. In doing so, the road to success is dramatically shortened for new businesses and established organizations alike.
It may be okay to “fake it until you make it,” but discover why “imposter syndrome” paralyzes so many business owners. Plus, find out why “finding your why” can dramatically shift the entire roadmap of your organization. Todd Palmer also discusses the importance of hiring for DNA instead of hiring for resume in today’s full employment economy.
Want to hear more? Listen to the episode now!
Once upon a time, David Hooker was a writer, and you can tell that from the opening to this bio. Somewhere along the way he got lost and ended up leading a team of world-class designers who make beautiful visuals for rockstars, scientists, entrepreneurs, TV hosts, filmmakers, politicians, educators, and a guy who likes to jump into volcanoes. He is the Lead Evangelist for Prezi, the presentation platform that’s changed the way 100 million people share their ideas, a mission David takes so seriously that he helps 100s of people every year do just that.
We are taught in school how to look for deeper meaning in the context of language and literature, but we are never taught how to do the same for the images we see. It is in this depth of analysis that organizations are winning the war for the attention of the consumer.
David Hooker, lead evangelist for Prezi, the cloud-based presentation platform helps you connect more powerfully with your audience.
Examining how images influence the way we consume products and information, David Hooker discusses how advertisers are using pictures to sway public opinion about themselves and the items they buy.
In this episode, we discuss how images are dependent on the culture we live in, how public opinion changes the types of images we consume on a regular basis, and how producers of those images are trying to change our culture by changing their images. Learn how something as simple as a thumbnail picture can influence the movies you watch on a video streaming app.
David Hooker also touches on the neurological processes involved in the way we see and interpret images. He also offers practical tips for how we can use this process to our advantage as we prepare visual presentations, websites, ads, and other visual media.
Interested in hearing more? Listen to the full episode!
Alex Vorobieff is an expert in aligning companies and helping them find their way to success. He wrote his book Transform Your Company as a guide to help everyone get on the same page.
On a trip to Disneyland, he had an aha moment that made him realize that not only does everyone need to be in the same boat, but they need to know where they’re going and how to get there.
In this episode, we talk about ways that companies can overcome a plateau. Alex reveals that one of the major hurdles to success isn’t systems or lack thereof, it’s the people. Leaders have a huge role in helping people work together and in figuring out what’s wrong when a company is facing frustration or a plateau.
Too much of what we do today is on autopilot. Alex explains the scientific reason for this as well as why we are biologically wired to dislike negative feedback. It’s important for companies to create a safe space for negative feedback, and Alex talks about ways you can train yourself to get better at handling negative feedback. Part of this is finding out what your “no-fly zones” are and working to eliminate them if possible.
Alex also talks about getting to the “starting line” so everything can run smoothly once a company starts to fix itself.
You don’t want to miss out on all of Alex’s science and research-backed tips and tricks for finding clarity and transforming your company.
Already interested? Listen to the full episode now!
Thank you for listening today! I appreciate your time so very much.
Michael Gale founded Strategic Oxygen in 2001, which was widely seen as one of the technology industry primary data toolset for marketers, used by over 20 brands and used to model over $4 billion in marketing and sales investments. The company was sold to Monitor Group, where he was a group partner from 2006 to 2010. In 2011, he became a partner at Pulsepoint Group, a digital consulting company, which was acquired by ICF in 2015. Michael has also served as chief web officer and GM at Micron Technology and was the vice president of Worldwide brand research at IntelliQuest.
Are you still trying to run your company with the same structure you used 20 years ago? Michael Gale is an expert in helping companies in various industries successfully make the leap to the digital age.
After studying a thousand companies to see how they succeeded or failed, he wrote his book “The Digital Helix.” Michael knows how the seven drivers of change are important in different industries and works to help companies discover which drivers they need to focus on to set realistic expectations.
In this episode, we talked about how to digitize for the new world we live in and what is going to happen to organizations that don’t do this successfully. Michael explained the biggest mistakes organizations make when trying to digitize and gave tips on how to avoid those mistakes.
One of the biggest things you have to realize is that you can’t do everything. That’s why Michael offers a free tool that allows you to see what works in your industry so you can focus on that aspect. He also explains the difference between a digital and a truly digital business.
When it comes to digitizing your company, it has to start from the leadership. If it doesn’t matter to the leaders in the company, the probability of real change is 0. Digitizing isn’t just for big companies; Michael explains how smaller scale entrepreneurs can be successful in this new era as well.
Michael gives many other tips on transforming your organization for the digital age, including key questions he asks himself as a leader.
Are you interested in hearing more? Listen to the full episode now!
Thank you for listening today! I appreciate your time so very much.
Kimberly White is a freelance writer, certified Arbinger Institute presenter, and former research assistant to its founder, Terry Warner. Her nine months of research for The Shift included dozens of hours working alongside nursing home employees in offices, vans, patient rooms, and kitchens. She recently relocated from Harlem to a small farm town in Pawnee, Illinois to focus on writing.
Does your job give you as much satisfaction as you want? No? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Nationwide, only around half of all employees report that they love what they do. But did you know that you can learn to tweak the way you think in order to make significant increases in your level of happiness at work?
In this week’s episode, I speak with Kimberly White, the author of the book The Shift: How Seeing People as People Changes Everything. In her book, White explores some of the life-changing lessons she learned over the nine months she spent with nursing home employees in an attempt to uncover why they the profession has an average job satisfaction level which far exceeds workers in other industries.
Throughout our discussion, White touches on the importance of positivity and offers advice on how to avoid a toxic environment by getting rid of the negative ripple effect. White suggests by viewing coworkers and employees as authentic humans instead of as tools to help you achieve your own goals, you can create a more positive and enjoyable work environment.
White illustrates practical applications of several of the techniques she presents in her book through personal antidotes and describes how to use these approaches to improve all areas of your life.
Do you want to discover the secrets to making immense and immediate changes in your happiness level? Listen to the full episode!
Rob Shallenberger is one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership and strategic planning. He’s trained and coached hundreds of companies around the world, to include many Fortune 500 organizations.
After spending two years of service in Bolivia, he attended Utah State University where he graduated in 2000. He went on to earn an MBA from Colorado State University.
He served as an F-16 Fighter Pilot in the Air Force for 11 years. He was also an Advance Agent for Air Force One and traveled the world working with foreign embassies and the Secret Service.
He’s the CEO of Becoming Your Best Global Leadership. His company released a national bestselling book titled Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders and a new book titled the Transformation Challenge: The Six-Steps to Planning and Execution. He’s also the author of three other books.
He considers his greatest accomplishment to be that he’s been married for 19 years and has four beautiful children.
Are you a highly successful leader? Rob Shallenberger discusses the 12 principles of highly successful leaders and how he trains individuals and businesses to adopt those principles into their lives and business practices, so they can reap the rewards of phenomenal success.
Rob has dedicated years to studying some of the most successful leaders throughout history to discover 12 principles that set them apart from others. In this episode, he identifies those 12 principles and discusses the tools and techniques he uses when training others how to use them.
He goes on to describe why the principle “Be true to character,” is the most critical and why you should adopt that principle first. He also discussed businesses and leaders who have lost sight of that principle, such as Enron, and the devastating consequences that can have.
Rob also discusses time in a meaningful way. We all have the same 1,440 minutes in a day. One of the things that sets highly successful leaders apart from the rest of us is how we use those minutes.
He goes on to discuss the differences between being a transformational leader and being a transactional leader and how that impacts your success on a personal and professional level.
One of the most endearing things Rob talks about, though, is what the 12 principles of leadership mean for him as a husband and as a father and how his vision is different, yet similar, in each of those roles.
Are you interested in learning more? Listen to the full podcast now!
Thank you for listening today! I appreciate your time so very much.
Founder of Burg Communications, Bob Burg is also a former television personality and top sales producer. His experience working with Fortune 500 organizations is the foundation for his leadership and business development books and teachings. He was named one of the 30 most influential leaders by The American Management Association and has shared the platform with key social, economic and political leaders, including a former U.S. president. He was also named as one of Inc. magazines Top 100 Leadership Speakers.
It’s the responsibility of a business leader to “give” first – when making sales, when settling disagreements, and when moving ahead in the company.
This is the heart of Bob Burg’s line of Go-Giver books, which focus on the power of providing value to everyone around you as part of your job. Bob’s latest book is all about influencers and the nature of influence on the job. In our discussion, he talks the value of influencing others and how the right influence is all about giving to others.
Bob has been named one of Inc. Magazine’s top 100 leadership speakers. If you haven’t heard him speak you should really take the opportunity – but you can listen to the latest episode of Absolute Advantage for a good idea of what it’s like!
I speak with Bob about how finding common ground is more difficult now than ever, how people skills are an important complement to any leadership position, and about how influencing others is about pulling them toward you with your own giving, listening, and helping skills.
We also go in-depth on the five different ways that influence can work in the business world, how to make sure you don’t turn business partners into enemies by accident, and how to properly ask for a favor (yes, there is a right way).
If you’ve ever had trouble striking deals in the workplace, or you struggle with – shall we say, coworkers who aren’t the easiest to get along with – this episode may be particularly useful for you. Anyone who collaborates or works on a team will also be able to appreciate the many tips we touch on!
You can listen to the full episode now and learn more about Bob’s advice, life stories, and latest book.
Thank you for listening today! I appreciate your time so very much.
Founder of Burg Communications, Bob Burg is also a former television personality and top sales producer. His experience working with Fortune 500 organizations is the foundation for his leadership and business development books and teachings. He was named one of the 30 most influential leaders by The American Management Association and has shared the platform with key social, economic and political leaders, including a former U.S. president. He was also named as one of Inc. magazines Top 100 Leadership Speakers.
It’s the responsibility of a business leader to “give” first – when making sales, when settling disagreements, and when moving ahead in the company.
This is the heart of Bob Burg’s line of Go-Giver books, which focus on the power of providing value to everyone around you as part of your job. Bob’s latest book is all about influencers and the nature of influence on the job. In our discussion, he talks the value of influencing others and how the right influence is all about giving to others.
Bob has been named one of Inc. Magazine’s top 100 leadership speakers. If you haven’t heard him speak you should really take the opportunity – but you can listen to the latest episode of Absolute Advantage for a good idea of what it’s like!
I speak with Bob about how finding common ground is more difficult now than ever, how people skills are an important complement to any leadership position, and about how influencing others is about pulling them toward you with your own giving, listening, and helping skills.
We also go in-depth on the five different ways that influence can work in the business world, how to make sure you don’t turn business partners into enemies by accident, and how to properly ask for a favor (yes, there is a right way).
If you’ve ever had trouble striking deals in the workplace, or you struggle with – shall we say, coworkers who aren’t the easiest to get along with – this episode may be particularly useful for you. Anyone who collaborates or works on a team will also be able to appreciate the many tips we touch on!
You can listen to the full episode now and learn more about Bob’s advice, life stories, and latest book.
Thank you for listening today! I appreciate your time so very much.
Vishal Agarwal is the best selling author of Give to Get. He has lived the corporate life cycle from start to finish, beginning as an intern and working up to Senior Deals Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Until recently, Vishal was a Global Top 500 Senior Leader for General Electric before becoming Chairman and CEO of his own private investment management firm, Full Circle Africa. During his 24-year career, he navigated all facets of corporate life from building teams and delivering value, to translating multinational visions into local wins.
A true globalist, Vishal was born in Bombay, lived in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War, was educated through his adolescence in the US, and now lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with his wife and two daughters.
There are two sets of challenges for those who want to achieve leadership positions at work for push ahead in their company. The first challenges are those everyone knows about – how to make those quarterly goals, how to communicate effectively, how to ask for an increase in salary or more responsibilities.
But there’s a second set of challenges that people don’t talk about as much: For example, when you are new to a team or a business, how do you overcome that “new guy” struggle where no one is entirely confident in your abilities? Once you have earned the respect of your peers and managers, how do you capitalize on that in effective ways?
In this episode of Absolute Advantage, I speak with Vishal Agarwal, author of Give to Get, a book about overcoming the unique challenges on your path to business leadership.
For example, we discuss creating a map of all your contacts when you enter a new position: This allows you to quickly see the people you need to get acquainted with. By planning regular contact with this map of people, you can quickly get past the “new guy syndrome” and start building up a healthy reputation in your company.
That’s just one of the tactics we talk about, along with stories about Vishal’s own experiences, more information about Give to Get, and other important tidbits you won’t want to miss.
Interested in learning more about what Vishal has to say about reaching your leadership goals?
You can listen to the full episode right now!
Again, thanks for your time today! I appreciate it very much.
Kelly Hatfield is co-founder of Enginuity Advantage, Advantage Staffing Group, Enginuity Virtual Recruiter, and Impact Real Estate Real Estate Group based in Everett, Washington. She has been in the recruiting and HR field for over 20-years and loves serving others. Kelly and her business partner have built three successful companies with the purpose of helping others succeed and delivering remarkable results. Kelly and her team strategically align themselves as “The Partner of Choice” with clients and strive to be the first place clients call when they are looking for extraordinary service, quality, and reliability. The resulting outcome has been an outstanding referral network that has built and continues to build their companies.
As Co-Founder and Owner of Enginuity Advantage, Advantage Staffing Group and Enginuity Virtual Recruiter, April (together with her amazing partner) has created and developed three successful businesses aimed at matching exceptional talent with the top organizations. With 17 years in the human resources and staffing realm, April has experience, knowledge, and a love for people and aims to offer solutions to all who are served. Being a natural problem solver, she prides herself on developing and leading a team of recruiting professionals whose mission is focused on connecting people to opportunity. Through creative and exhaustive methods, the Enginuity Group successfully matches the right talent with the right businesses each and every day.
How would you describe your company’s culture? A healthy culture is essential when it comes to the success of your organization and your employees. In this episode, learn how to change or improve your company’s culture for the better. After all, culture is the language of your organization.
We also talk about the ripple effect, which is how the actions of leaders ripple into the organization and beyond. As a leader, you are responsible for establishing a healthy and prosperous culture for your organization.
A major aspect of this responsibility involves establishing a sense of clarity surrounding the culture of their organization. This includes being as clear as possible about their business’ culture when it comes to the hiring process. After all, “fit” when it comes to the company’s dominant culture is a major predictor of whether a new employee will thrive within an organization.
During this episode, we talk about the consequences that a leader and business may face for failing to establish this sense of clarity. Unfortunately, many leaders fail to live by the values posted on the wall in their office.
We also discuss how leaders can live and lead according to their values. Culture refers to the values that are acknowledged and celebrated by your organization. April encourages leaders to focus on developing a healthy company culture above all.
We hope you enjoy this episode!
In 2007, Roy Austin founded Rockwell Business Solutions, LLC (RBS), to provide coaching, mentoring, and seminars for small businesses. His passion is helping small business owners achieve their vision and potential to move their business to the next level. RBS has been involved in business development, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, and negotiations with partners and vendors, particularly banks. Clients include Crescent Investments, Inc.; Cargo Group, LLC; Cargo Transportation Services, LLC; Blue Diamond Pool Services, Inc.; Bottles Up, Inc.; Atlas Surveying, Inc.; Cornerstone Physical Therapy; Polmak LLC; and D. J. Powers, Inc., to mention a few. Through his involvement in BNI (Business Networking International) and other groups he has met and worked with hundreds of small business owners.
Roy is a coach, not a consultant. Consultants tell you what to do; Coaches teach you how to do! Roy is the author of The Alligator Business Solution, which was released March 28, 2017. The book is, in essence, a user’s manual for small businesses. His experience, education, and community service provide a wealth of information for his readers and clients. He also has extensive speaking experience.
From his early years in the military to his most recent work as a CFO for a freight forwarder and customs broker, author Roy Austin has spent his life building the foundation of knowledge that he now leverages to help businesses. He works closely with leaders of small to midsize businesses who are discovering that there’s more to running a business than simply knowing their trade.
Roy and his team help manage the business, marketing and operational side for a wide range of organizations and he brings his vast expertise to each coaching project. Roy shared: “I began to realize that small businesses are started by people who know how to do the work, but doing the work and running a business are two different skill sets.”
Roy uses the term “coaching” instead of “consulting” to indicate that he wants to bring people alongside throughout the process. Coaches are able to help empower their clients to refine valuable leadership skills. Explore how the best players working together may not always create the best team — but that the best team working together can change the world.
There are 7 key leadership traits that will cause people to follow you. These include listening skills, knowing where you’re going, understanding the fundamental purpose of your business, and a matching set of values. Roy also notes that creating a culture that people want to be a part of is an important aspect of retaining star performers.
Listen to the full episode with Roy Austin of Rockwell Business Solutions to hear more insight on a range of topics of interest to businesses, such as how each individual hire is a crucial part of maintaining your organization’s culture.
Anni Keffer is a nationally recognized educator, speaker, author, and entrepreneur who is passionate about youth leadership. She has been featured on CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX affiliates as well as in a number of publications, including Yahoo, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, New York Business Journal, Miami Herald, Mompreneur Media, and more. She’s the founder of the Young Women of Influence Conference and an in-demand leadership speaker. Anni was nominated for WHIRL Magazines Women In Business 2016, and is a co-author of Girls Lead. Her new book is Leadership Built On Why: A Guide for Young Adults.
Author Anni Keffer’s most recent book, Leadership Built on Why, is starting conversations among young adults and encouraging them to take advantage of the opportunities to lead regardless of their age. Her focus is on supporting women and young adults as they overcome external and internal criticism and find the inner strength and inspiration to seize the mantle of leadership. In this episode, Anni Keffer discusses how her leadership traits manifested and offers advice for other young people and women of all ages to overcome negativity and trust their own leadership potential.
From an early age, Anni’s family were leaders in their community and in their careers. From this introduction to leadership, Anni realized that no one will pass you the torch — in order to be successful, you must reach out and grab it! Leadership is about making a conscious decision to make an impact in the world, serving people by giving back at both a local and global level.
One of the biggest takeaways is that while we see successful people in the media every day, what we don’t see is the struggle that they each went through to attain greatness. They didn’t magically wake up one day and claim wealth and a new lifestyle beyond our dreams. Instead, they worked tirelessly every day until their dreams came to fruition. You have to follow your passion — focus on what excites you personally or something that frustrates you greatly so you can change the world.
When you’re hearing negativity from others, it can be easy to get bogged down in those feelings. Instead, separate yourself from that feeling and respond with love and peace. Negative comments often come from a place of jealousy, from individuals who don’t have your same self-belief and trust.
Throughout the episode, Anni Keffer unpacks what it means to truly dig deep into your thoughts and feelings to release positivity and free yourself to become a true leader.
Ready to hear more and be inspired? Listen to the full episode now!
Melinda F. Emerson, known as SmallBizLady, is America’s #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start up, business development, and social media marketing. In addition to being a former columnist for The New York Times, she is frequently quoted by other media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fortune, MSNBC and Fox News.
Emersons small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She is the host of #Smallbizchat, the longest running live chat on Twitter for small business owners. She publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com.
Emerson is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months and the ebook How To Become a Social Media Ninja. She is the founder and president of the Quintessence Group, an award-winning marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA. Notable Clients Include: FedEx, ADP, Pitney Bowes, American Express, Dell, Staples, Sams Club, Chase Bank, Facebook, IKEA, Verizon, Wells Fargo, and Xerox.
Shortly after graduating from Virginia Tech, Melinda Emerson landed at her dream job. A journalism student, she was hired as a producer at the age of 23. Soon, after going from the frying pan to the skillet, she realized that she wanted more than that dream, a better career. She saw Oprah Winfrey as a model, another journalist who went on to start successful businesses.
In this episode, Melinda Emerson talks about how she set out on her own business adventure with a laptop, fax machine, and a dream. She tapped her skills as an investigative journalist to research her strategy, build networks, and won an opportunity from a business incubator. Within a couple of years, her firm became the largest female-owned production company in Philadelphia. Awards followed, along with lucrative contracts.
She compiled every “expensive mistake” she made along the way and these helpful notes became the basis for her first major book.
Her goal is to boost small business entrepreneurs everywhere so they experience success and learn the lessons she shares with them. We need to build our personal leadership in order to bring success to our business activities. Melinda Emerson reminds listeners that they never lose in business: They either win or they learn of mistakes that need to be corrected.
This is a very inspiring interview!
Born in Kingston, Jamaica to a single mother, Albert Williams grew up in the birthplace of Hip Hop and the home of the NY Yankees – the Bronx. Motivated by the countless hours his mother worked to create a better life for him and his siblings, Albert grew up to hold several jobs in both the public and private sectors while all at the same time owning and operating several of his own businesses.
His entrepreneurial spirit led him to explore many avenues including landscaper/snow removal, restaurant menu designer, and printer, computer consultant, barbershop owner, part-time owner in a laundromat and part-time owner in a hair salon.
In June 2012, Albert acquired Best Deal Private Car Service Inc., based in the North East Bronx with 19 owner-operated cars in its feet. As President and CEO, he went on to certify the business as a Minority Business Enterprise, increased the company’s revenue to top $1.5 million, added hundreds of new drivers and created a new revenue stream by adding non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) to their line of services.
This serial entrepreneur with a proven ability to grow a business now teaches others through his Mastermind coaching. Albert considers it his responsibility to give back, coaching minorities with entrepreneurial aspirations to realize their dreams.
Albert also hosts the Plan Build Become podcast, interviewing inspiring thought leaders to further help his own minority communities.
A native of Jamaica, Albert Williams arrived in the Bronx with his mother and two siblings when he was 8 years old. He exemplifies how the ripple effect of entrepreneurship can take hold in someone at a young age, manifest itself, and now give back through mastermind coaching and mentorship to minorities with business ambitions. He started by bagging groceries in the express line while still in elementary school, held many jobs since then, owned a barbershop and laundromat, and acquired Best Deal Private Care Service Inc. in June 2012.
Best Deal specializes in nonemergency medical transportation, but more importantly, it is a community car service that takes pride in knowing customers by their names and their needs. As CEO, Albert Williams gives his Bronx-based livery company strategic direction while assuring that its operations remain high-quality and focused on the needs of its loyal customers.
In this episode, Albert Williams explains that he coaches other minorities who aspire to be entrepreneurs by reminding them that there is no magical pill. Mastermind groups allow us to bring out those qualities we may not see in ourselves. Albert Williams explains the importance of listening, being humble, and investing in your own personal development.
Even in a company where all of his drivers are independent contractors, he reminds them that they have to be the right fit since he is the face of the company and that elderly woman they are picking up for an appointment may be somebody’s mother. And she most certainly matters.
When thinking about his business, he always wants to know how his drivers, his vision, and the strategic plan he has put into place will move the needle forward.
Take lots of notes and enjoy!
Ken Pasch brings over 30 years experience in revolutionizing leader development within a broad range of organizations, including the U.S. Military, Johnson & Johnson, the American College of Healthcare Executives, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
He is the founder of KiVisions, Inc., which advises good people on how to become great leaders, and serves as faculty in executive education at the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University. Pasch is a retired Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, where he served proudly and with distinction.
Ken Pasch won the lottery decades ago, the draft lottery that took him to the jungles of Vietnam. After returning from his service in the army, he pondered how successful organizations get off the ground and reach their destination.
The author of the recently published On Course: Become a Great Leader and Soar likened the process to that of an airplane. Choose a destination, prepare to get there, and watch out for winds of resistance that might take you off course and forces that might drag you down.
In this episode, Ken Pasch discusses some of the themes from his book. He reminds us that leaders must possess a proper mindset and be aware of the impacts their actions have on others. He tells us that we should become an “ACE.” The “A” stands for the abundance in leadership we should exhibit. The “C” refers to the concentration we must focus upon our priorities, while the “E” reminds us to pursue our passion and purpose earnestly.
Effective leaders bring about change through their mindsets, efforts, and willingness to accept feedback.
They ensure that their firms have an excellent onboarding process in place that sets people up for success and establishes the best tone. Throughout this podcast, Ken Pasch shares a wealth of helpful advice about the value that high-quality leadership brings to an organization.
Please enjoy this program!