The Relaxed Leader

Episodes

1. 15

   Learning to Empower

   For years, “empowerment” has been a popular buzzword among senior managers and executives. Oh, they love to talk about it and pontificate on how important it is and blah blah blah. But then they turn around and undermine it, creating an environment where true empowerment is avoided like the…

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   Feb 18, 2022

   21m
2. 14

   Episode 14: The Main Character

   So much of what we do, how we act, and how we react to everything that happens in our lives, comes from our understanding of where we fit into the story. Do we see ourselves as supporting cast? As an extra, just hanging around to complete the overall scene? Maybe even the villain? Or do we make…

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   Feb 4, 2022

   8m
3. 13

   Episode 13: Don't Dwell on the Past

   I’m adamant about testing what we think we’ve learned because sometimes our successes are just dumb luck. And we also tend to forget (or ignore) the fact that correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation. That’s why it’s so easy to learn the wrong lessons from success. Hell, that’s why…

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   Jan 21, 2022

   14m
4. 12

   Episode 12: “All In” on Rituals

   Relaxed Leaders focus on making improvements while trying to be considerate of the interests of others – but that doesn’t mean that everything we do has to immediately benefit everyone. In fact, many of the improvements we need to make are improvements to ourselves. The benefit of…

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   Jun 26, 2021

   17m
5. 11

   Episode 11: Early Birds Suck

   A few years ago, I read all about the wonders of rising early – about all the AMAZING things you can accomplish if you get out of bed while most of humanity is still drooling on their pillows – and I bought into it. You can’t blame me. There are countless people online raving about the...

   Jun 20, 2021

   17m
6. 10

   Episode 10: Habit Meta Habit

   One critical factor in all of the various areas of self-improvement and personal development is the ability to change or eliminate existing habits and create new habits designed to support your improvement and development goals. The most important habit you can develop is the habit of monitoring...

   Jun 13, 2021

   15m
7. 9

   Episode 9: Have a Growth Mindset

   Relaxed Leaders aren’t stressed because we aren’t standing still – we need to make progress. We need to move ahead and help everyone else do the same – but we can’t do that well unless we cultivate a true “growth mindset.” We need to look for challenges that’ll push us beyond the edges of our...

   May 2, 2021

   27m
8. 8

   Episode 8: Don’t be a “Problem Solver”

   Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It’s a maxim that our organizations should definitely take to heart. We’re always gonna need people who can solve problems because no system or process is perfect. Problems WILL occur – but the most cost-effective approach, as...

   Apr 17, 2021

   17m
9. 7

   Episode 7: Measuring Respect

   As I explained in the very first episode of The Relaxed Leader Podcast, “respect” is not a commodity. It’s not something we demand or expect from others. It’s not something we earn, collect, and then use as leverage to get favors or preferential treatment. And it’s definitely not supposed to be...

   Apr 2, 2021

   20m
10. 6

    Episode 6: Lead with Strengths

    The best leaders I’ve known in my career understand that they’ll always have to deal with strengths and weaknesses. And even though all the folks I’ve ever interviewed have tried to share a “weakness” that sounds suspiciously like a strength, the fact is that EVERYONE has both strengths and...

    Mar 21, 2021

    13m
11. 5

    Episode 5: Authority Façade

    Look Beneath the Veneer! Relaxed Leaders aren’t out to simply prove that someone else is wrong. They’re not simply out to cast doubt upon someone else’s conclusions either. Relaxed Leaders are trying to understand a broad range of perspectives and are striving to consider as much pertinent,...

    Mar 16, 2021

    12m
12. 4

    Episode 4: Hocus Focus!

    Acceptance Exceptions When I talk about “unconditional acceptance,” it’s in regards to human beings… and it’s simply a foundation to help us deal with others more effectively and appropriately. But as Relaxed Leaders, I don’t recommend simply accepting much else – especially not unconditionally.…

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    Mar 14, 2021

    14m
13. 3

    Episode 3: Accept WHO?!

    Tuesday Tangent Our topic this week on The Relaxed Leader podcast is focused on the third REAL Value: ACCEPT, and I address something I hear a lot when I talk about acceptance without conditions: “How the f@%k am I supposed to accept T***P?!” This episode explains why I think it’s important for...

    Mar 10, 2021

    15m
14. 2

    Episode 2: Winning an Argument

    Tuesday Tangent (Yes, I know it’s technically Wednesday morning as I’m posting this… but life happens!) Our topic this week on The Relaxed Leader is focused on the second REAL Value: Engage. However, in this podcast, I riff on “ad hominem” attacks and other commonly used irrelevant arguments.…

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    Mar 3, 2021

    20m
15. 1

    Episode 1: Respect is NOT a Commodity

    Tuesday Tangent Our topic this week on The Relaxed Leader is focused on the first of the REAL Values: Respect. In this podcast, I go off on a little bit of a tangent and discuss how many people in leadership positions think about “respect” in the wrong way. If you haven’t read the Monday...

    Feb 23, 2021

    10m