Fake success. Fake people & personalities.

That’s why it’s more important than ever to be genuine and authentic with your personal brand.

So how do you do that? 

That’s exactly what my guest on today’s episode helps her clients do, specifically on LinkedIn.

If you still think LinkedIn is just an app for getting hired and recruiting, take note.

LinkedIn has become THE essential business app to show the world who you are and what you offer and why you’re different.

So, if you’re like me and you struggle to do this consistently well, then this episode is for you. 

Britta Blanski Bio

Britta Blanski shares best practices and strategies to help you be more authentic and connect with your ideal audience in a more personal way so you can build a a better network that leads to new opportunities for you.

Britta is a Minnesotan living in Bologna, Italy since 2012. She runs Britta June and Co. a LinkedIn consulting business where she helps businesses leverage the power of LinkedIn as part of their employer brand, employee advocacy, and marketing strategy. 

She strongly believes the personal is professional and helps her clients find their unique voice and confidently share it online to help build a strong network and authentic brand.

💙 Boy mom to 2 personal superheroes

🍪 Baker 

✝️ Soli Deo Gloria  (glory to God alone)

🇺🇸 Minnesota to Italy

🥊 Just picked up the gloves 

Britta’s talking points

*** Encourage people to share and show up 

*** When you open up to communication and are willing to share, others benefit from it.

*** Being Vulnerable

*** Learning how to speak up

Financial crises.

Relationship crises.

Health crises.

On episode 22, James Mayhew talks with Joe Pici — the #1 Ranked Sales Trainer in the world according to Global Gurus about balancing confidence and humility in the world of Sales.

Joe shares his thoughts and experiences on what it means to be coachable AND how having Faith, a solid process, and a desire to serve others can keep you successful even when you’re going through a crisis.

Key Talking Points

• Emotional Intelligence in Sales
• Creating win-win situations
• Skills and tactics of selling
• The value of training
• The Do's an Don't's of consultative sales
• Why leaders can't have "bad days"
• Humility in sales: The desire to serve, not sell
• Raising self-confidence in sales
• Being coachable
• Why the "blame game" will collapse your culture
• The power of faith when dealing with a major health crisis

About Joe Pici

For the past 5 years, Global Gurus has ranked Joe Pici internationally in the TOP 30 sales trainers and they have ranked his Rapport Mastery Sales Development Program in the #1 spot three years running!

Joe Pici functions as a catalyst for sales teams and individuals. Starting in 1992, he relentlessly studied and applied cutting edge sales techniques, propelling himself to top 25% producer internationally. This led business leaders globally to hire him for sales seminars.

He then distilled his strategies into a skill based, sales training program, Rapport Mastery®, which helps sales professionals sharpen their skills for creating appointments and closing sales through live, outbound phone call workshops. It’s an extremely strong skill builder which is straightforward and easy to apply.

Joe is the CEO and co-founder of Pici & Pici Inc., Joe has synthesized his years of experience into the Rapport Mastery® Sales System.

The Pici & Pici Rapport Mastery™ Sales Methodology is a proven, consultative approach providing tactical training on the complete sales cycle. It includes LIVE OUTBOUND PHONE COACHING for booking appointments.

Participants make calls to their prospects during the training and attain a 90% success rate for navigating the gatekeeper and an 70-80% ratio for booking appointments on the phone. He takes your team through the 160-page workbook with loads of information and take-home value. You and your team will reap long-term results for:

• Booking Appointments
• Customer service
• Consultative collections
• Call center sales

Contact Joe by phone at (407) 947-2590

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn

PiciandPici.com

SellMoreVirtually.com

Text "SALESEDGE" to 55678 for FREE access to the Nine Essentials of Sales course

Can you imagine getting PAID to give away tens of millions of dollars?

That probably sounds like a dream job for many people, and it was for Dan Koval… that is until one day when he decided to do the unimaginable… he left.

Now, instead of giving away money, Dan’s new role puts him across the table where he’s now asking for money.

In this episode, episode 21, Dan talks about the power of developing relationships, how being a lifelong learner can literally take you anywhere in the world, and showing up every day and giving your best.

Discussion Points

Dan's Life Lessons

1. The Value of a Strong Work Ethic
2. The Gift of Learning
3. Going the Extra Mile

Dan & James dive into:

• The humility of asking for help
• Being a college dropout
• The 'art of Googling'
• Asking the right questions
• "That's not my job"
• "If others can learn to do it, I can too."

Now imagine that you’re that same leader but now 30 years have passed.

How might that one event shape your career?

What perspectives would you have gained about people, about relationships, and about your leadership style would you expect to have?

That’s exactly what we’re going to dive into on this episode of Confidence Covered by Humility.

Discussion Points:

• Leadership lessons at a very young age
• Working 80-90 hours as a young husband & father
• Firing an employee at age 22
• Coaching young leaders
• Treating people with dignity & respect
• Leading with Humility
• Leading with Confidence
• Creating an organization that people WANT to work for
• "My door is always open..."
• The differences between being a CEO and "Head Coach"

Sean's Contact Info

Text/Call Sean directly at (573) 703-7694

Connect with Sean on Linked:

Sean's Bio

Sean Vanslyke is CEO and Head Coach of SEMO Electric Cooperative and GoSEMO Fiber. More importantly, he is a dad, a grandpa and founder of The Friday Feature. With more than 30 years of leading teams, Sean serves as a guide and mentor to individuals because he loves to see people do things they never thought were possible.

How can I help someone else?

Angela Pumo is a super connector (my label, not hers). She loves helping individuals be successful and introducing them to other people they should know.

It's been a blessing and good fortune to have met Angela. Her zest for life and for helping others is magnetic.

On this episode of Confidence Covered by Humility, Angela and I discuss:

• The power of connection
• Being a great connector is more than an introduction
• No agendas
• The integrity behind great connections
• Not mentoring, but sharing experiences
• Super connectors always make time for others
• It's important to be a noticer
• What you put into the world is what comes back to you
• If a connector connects you, make sure you follow through
• Instilling confidence and speaking life into another person
• Connect others with no expectation of return
• The joy of experiencing other's success

Connect with Angela on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelapumo/

Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

** Get Your FREE Guide to Building A Thriving Culture **

ThrivingCultureGuide.com

Connect with James on LinkedIn

Complete video series for building a High Performance Workplace Culture:

Talk About Your Business Goals With James:

https://calendly.com/mayhew/connect

Mentioned in this episode:

Get James' free "5 Day Founder Bootcamp Guide" at ThrivingCultureGuide.com

Bill Caskey went from hating sales and thinking about getting out of it – to becoming a sales author, trainer and coach helping thousands of people worldwide master world-class skills and achieve world-class results.

Discussion Points:

• Bill's personal journey and his early struggles as a sales professional - even considering getting out of sales
• What most sales training is and why it's ineffective
• Getting to know your buyer
• Asking the question, Is that really how people want to be sold to?
• Humility and confidence in sales
• Confidence or Conviction?
• Building your personal brand - why every sales person needs to be producing content
• Overcoming the desperation mindset
• Why your ego is hurting your sales

About Bill Caskey

Bill is a sales development leader and experimenter who has been improving B2B sales teams and executives since 1990. His philosophies and strategies have fueled explosive growth in sales and profits for his clients. Bill’s passionate about sharing his ideas about selling, business, life, money, and meaning.

he is the author of Same Game New Rules, Rewire The Sales Mind, and The Sales Playbook, to name a few. He also co-hosts two podcasts: The Advanced Selling Podcast, a weekly podcast counseling sales forces and leaders who seek to improve their business—and

The Bill Caskey Podcast, a deeper dive into achievement.

Get Bill's free download, 5 Reasons You Don't Have Enough Clients

Visit Bill's website at BillCaskey.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Get James' free "5 Day Founder Bootcamp Guide" at ThrivingCultureGuide.com

If you're an executive, director, manager – or a consultant, coach or trainer – this episode is for you.

James lays out the importance of "setting the table" for a successful event, especially when it comes to the good ideas and 'light bulb' moments during a group activity.

Don't let a thousand good ideas vaporize into thin air the moment your training ends.

****

Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

Watch James' video series for building a High Performance Workplace Culture on YouTube

Schedule a meeting to talk with James.

Engagement is not how much people love their job.

So what is it, then?

In Episode 16, culture development expert, James Mayhew lays out 3 requirements that drive employee engagement.

****

Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

Watch James' video series for building a High Performance Workplace Culture on YouTube

Schedule a meeting to talk with James.

In Episode 15, James Mayhew recalls a conversation with one of the team leaders.

"I don't know how to get my guys to 'think big and make it happen.'"

With one question, Cody helped James see a major gap with their company's core values... How do we get people thinking and applying core values in the day-to-day responsibilities.

****

Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

Watch James' video series for building a High Performance Workplace Culture on YouTube

Schedule a meeting to talk with James.

After multiple medical crises, Alisha Loy became a gladiator and champion for those in the throes of battle with illness. 

Through surrender Alisha has found a light and love, seeking to ignite the spirit of others. In her brokenness, she has found wholeness through servantship and connection, with the simple humility of “Steal my Show.”

Discussion Points:

• Alisha's near-death experience
• The loss of her son, Tripp
• Overcoming grief and finding purpose
• How surrender led to finding "light and love"
• Becoming whole through brokenness

Alisha Loy's Bio

In May 2004, Alisha Loy was hospitalized for close to two months for complications resulting from a ruptured appendix.

After multiple surgeries, procedures, and fighting for her life she became an advocate for those who survive against all odds.

In July 2009, she became a mother to twin boys. Tripp was born with a spontaneous sporadic genetic mutation. He was followed by more than 20 consulting medical specialty teams and had more than 19 surgeries and over 34 hospital admissions.

Alisha became a gladiator for her son, family, and others in the throes of battle against chronic illness.

A champion for Patient and Family Centered Care, coordination of services, and patient safety; she has spoken on behalf of blood donation, organ donation, family centered care, quality management systems, program design, and patient safety in many forums and across multiple platforms.

Author/ Presenter of more than twenty abstracts, posters, publications, and presentations for quality and risk management initiatives with national and international recognition.

She is an emeritus board member for the Institute of Clinical and Translational Science Community Advisory Board, at University of Iowa.

She has previously represented healthcare interests as a member of the Devices Good Manufacturing Practice Committee with the U.S Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

Alisha has been cited for work in medical device reprocessing as industry best practice at the World Federation for Hospital Sterilisation Sciences in Bonn Germany.

Alisha utilizes her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at University of Iowa College of Public Health.

She is the Founder & Volunteer Chief Executive Officer of TRIPP Foundation; a non-profit supporting children and families managing chronic and acute kidney disease.

1. The Expectations Conversation
2. The Priorities Conversation
3. The Performance Conversation

When people have clarity, they know exactly:

• What they’re doing,
• Why they’re doing it,
• Which things are a priority, and
• How they’re doing.

This gives your employees the confidence to do their best work and contributes to the metrics that are so important in business.

Don't miss this: when people are unsure about what to do, they tend to not do it. They fill that time working on other things until they can get the response they need from their supervisor.

** Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

Watch James' video series for building a High Performance Workplace Culture on YouTube

Schedule a meeting to talk with James.

Even though we use those words interchangeably, there’s actually a significant difference between the two.

And that’s the topic for this episode of Confidence Covered by Humility.

James' Key Coaching Points

• Understand how your Christian faith impacts your work
• Your work is important to God
• Your faith gives you confidence in your abilities
• Faith gives your work greater purpose and meaning
• Your faith shapes your work by keeping you humble and honest

Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

Watch this video series for building a High Performance Workplace Culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGgrjEdy18&list=PL_CshlQDwEH7r-H281v9MkXSspjlihgmH

Schedule a meeting to talk with James.

https://calendly.com/mayhew/connect

In this edition of the Iron Sharpens Iron segments, James breaks down 5 ways that you can work to reduce your vulnerabilities around the things that you don't know that you don't know and avoid the pain and potential harm they could do.

The Setup:

You know the things you know. You also know about the things that you don't know;

But, you are blind to the things that you don't know that you don't know. And this is where you can are most vulnerable and exposed to setbacks and potential catastrophic mistakes.

Coaching Points

#1 Build a network of peers.

This is essential because you can share stories with others who understand where you’re at. Even if they don’t have the answer, they can probably tell you what they tried, what worked, and what didn’t work and that can be valuable information to have, too. 

#2 Attend a workshop, conference, or webinar.

Similar to networking there are always events, seminars and webinars you can learn from. Don’t miss this: part of your job as leader is learning. No one has all the answers, so make sure you’re investing in learning about your industry, related industries, and the skills you and your team need. 

Bonus tip: Make sure you’re not just learning to learn or for the experience. If you attend a conference, set goals and objectives with each of your team about what they want to come away with before the conference. Then, break it down with them after and create actual implementation goals. This is the only way you can ensure you have a return on your investment. 

#3 Build up your presence on LinkedIn and engage with people.

LinkedIn is where it’s at. There’s an enormous amount of wisdom, knowledge and experience there. The vast majority of people there are producing useful content and sharing valuable knowledge. 

You’ll find links to podcasts and videos of various professionals. There is a treasure chest of opportunity there to learn from and grow your network. 

Don’t be a lurker either, get involved and engage with others even if you’re not ready to post yet.

#4 Commit to being a learner.

Perhaps you’ve heard the sayings, leaders are readers and learners are earners. In my experience, both of those statements are absolutely true.

Books, videos, podcasts and e-courses are great learning opportunities. Turn your car into a classroom and listen to audiobooks and podcasts. 

#5 Hire a coach.

Athletes like Tom Brady who played at the highest levels into their mid 40s. All of them have used various coaches throughout their careers. 

So why not you? Why wouldn’t you use a coach to help you improve your business? Sometimes our own pride gets in the way. It’s easy to think that’s for others. Perhaps it’s viewed as weak or you don’t want to be vulnerable. 

A business coach or a leadership coach will help you see things you don’t see. Here’s some ways a coach can help you:

1. They’ll help you navigate through challenges. 
2. They can be a sounding board to bounce ideas around. 
3. The’ll hold you capable to your goals. 

** Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on Connect with James on LinkedIn

Watch these short videos about how to build a High Performance Workplace Culture.

Schedule a meeting to talk with James.

When you’re young, active and healthy, you don’t expect to hear that you have a disease, especially cancer.

But that’s exactly what today’s guest has been dealing with.

I invited Melissa to share her journey with you today for this reason.

Her courage, bravery and determination are amazing, but she told me how she discovered something new.

Something that had changed her entire outlook.

She said that breast cancer gave her meaning and purpose.

And when she said those words, it impacted me and I know they’re going to impact you as well.

Here’s my sit-down with Melissa White…

Additional Content

Be sure and listen to Melissa's first interview with James where she talks about having grit and resilience at Lead Thru Values from August 26, 2022.

Contact Information for Melissa White

Balanced Fitness & Health Website: https://www.balancedfitnessandhealth.com/

Phone: (319) 693-7745

Email: melissa@balancedfitnessandhealth.com

We need to address this issue because for some reason here in America, we celebrate movement over results.

We seem to have forgotten that going faster does not lead to getting more things done.

We compare who had a busier weekend.

How many places we serve or volunteer at.

How many activities our kids are in.

And being hurried and rushed just makes us look dumb, unprepared, and amateurish.

** Discussion Points **

• Hurriedness impacts you personally.
• Hurriedness impacts your productivity and efficiency.
• Hurriedness impacts your relationships.
• Our pride and ego is a driving factor for being in a constant state of hurried.
• Overcommitting and lacking systems will ensure you'll feel hurried.

Solutions:

1. Identify the factors that cause you to be hurried.

2. Change your perspective.

3. Get clarity

** Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn

High Performance Workplace Culture Video Series

https://jamesmayhew.com

David Condry, Lead Pastor of Blessed Hope Community Church joins James to discuss the challenge of "waiting".

Talking Points:

• Waiting makes us feel like we're wasting time and/or missing opportunities.

• Waiting is a positive thing

• Waiting is not in activity

• What "running to keep up with Jesus" means and how we might misinterpret it

Psalm 27 is the featured text in this podcast.

** Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

High Performance Workplace Culture Video Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGgrjEdy18&list=PL_CshlQDwEH7r-H281v9MkXSspjlihgmH

Website

https://jamesmayhew.com

– Jacob Brown, Transformational Speaker

In this edition of 'Iron Sharpens Iron', James highlights 3 life lessons from his interview with Jacob Brown.

1. In order to #failforward, you first have to try.

Jacob’s platform is “fail forward.” It’s the concept that when you fail, you’re still learning and as long as you keep going, you’re making progress toward your goals or dreams.

But the truth is you won’t make progress if you let fear stop you from even trying. The fear of failure will keep you on the sidelines, keep you out of the game. You have to be willing to put yourself out there and risk being embarrassed, or failing.

2. The clay and mud that hides your gifts are part of your story.

When Jacob talked about the Golden Buddha, he makes a point that when you overcome self doubt and self-imposed limitations, that your story shows others what’s possible. It inspires to believe that maybe, “I can do it, too!”

That’s the connectedness of the human existence. Other people inspire us to try the thing that we don’t feel qualified for because we see the difficulty they had to go through; the resilience and perseverance and grit it took.

As the clay and the mud that conceals your God-given gifts starts to chip away you start to think differently, act differently, relate differently, believe differently.

3. Meekness is power under control.

--------------

** Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

High Performance Workplace Culture Video Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGgrjEdy18&list=PL_CshlQDwEH7r-H281v9MkXSspjlihgmH

Website

https://jamesmayhew.com

Show Notes

• What does it mean to "fail forward"

• Fear and Imposter Syndrome

• I believe in you

• Becoming a Transformational Speaker

• The Hero's Journey

• What it means to hit 'rock bottom'

• The story of the Golden Buddha

• Faith

• Meek: power under control

• Leadership lessons

• Speak what you seek until you see what you've said

Connect with Jacob

Jacob's Website: https://failforwardbrown.com

Varlo Cycling/Triathlon Apparel: https://varlosports.com

Connect with Jacob on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobaaronbrown/

It was the first day helping this crew, a nice departure from doing other entry level jobs for the Secondary Roads department.

Carl was my boss and he was walking briskly straight towards me and he was furious.

As he got within 20 feet or so he started shouting, Quit screwing around! Pay attention! Get your head out of your rear! Except he used, shall we say, some more intense and colorful words.

I stood there bewildered as he tore me apart.

What happened next was a great learning experience for me and it’s become an effective illustration that I use in my business when speaking about healthy and unhealthy communication.

Earlier this week I hosted a breakout session for the Resilience and Wellbeing Summit in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My topic was on Healthy Communication and I used this story about my summer job in 1990 to set it up, and it’s something I want to share with you today as we talk about being Approachable.

If you are tasked with leading a team of any size, then you must embrace this concept of being approachable. 

Here’s why this is so critical: If you’re not approachable then without a doubt you’re missing vital information that would enhance your team’s success.

When you’re approachable

• you’ll gain respect from team members
• you’ll have more open dialogue
• it reduces the amount of mistakes that occur
• you’ll see improvement in productivity
• you’ll have a more cohesive team
• and you’ll see that it instills confidence in others.

When you’re not approachable, basically the opposite is happening:

• communication is incomplete
• people are afraid to make decisions on their own
• there are more mistakes
• it reduces morale and lowers productivity.

So being approachable should be a no-brainer.

So let’s talk about factors that might limit your approachability for others.  

1. You are moody. 

Moody people are up and down and this creates a feeling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from your team. They don’t know which version they’re going to experience from day to day and it causes them to ask, “Hey, what mood is James in today? Is this a good time to talk about that problem we keep having?” 

And when people realize today is not a good day because you’re in one of those moods, they just keep limping along which will impact your customer satisfaction and team morale. Two big things you can’t afford to compromise on.

2. You lack control over your emotions.

If you’re known for losing your temper, it will create a sense of fear and apprehension and you can be certain others won’t come to you as frequently or with as much detail because they don’t want to get yelled at or endure your meltdown. A wise CEO once explained his approach which is to never get too high during the highs and never get too low during the lows.

3. You give off that “Vibe.” 

You know what I mean here. You say things like, My door is open, you can always come to me. Except your face and your body language say otherwise. People read that and they know that this is NOT the time to come in. 

And the dangerous part about is that you end up getting frustrated when you learn that others perceive you as overly busy, and you react negatively towards them for not being willing to interrupt you!

Be careful here because that is destructive to your team’s view of you as their leader and it will unravel even further very quickly.

4. You are stressed. 

People who are stressed are often hurried and rushed. They’re trying to make up time, trying to beat the clock,...]]>It was the summer of 1990 and I was 19. I was standing on a long stretch of straight road in rural Iowa as part of a survey crew where we were marking a road to be resurfaced.

It was the first day helping this crew, a nice departure from doing other entry level jobs for the Secondary Roads department.

Carl was my boss and he was walking briskly straight towards me and he was furious.

As he got within 20 feet or so he started shouting, Quit screwing around! Pay attention! Get your head out of your rear! Except he used, shall we say, some more intense and colorful words.

I stood there bewildered as he tore me apart.

What happened next was a great learning experience for me and it’s become an effective illustration that I use in my business when speaking about healthy and unhealthy communication.

Earlier this week I hosted a breakout session for the Resilience and Wellbeing Summit in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My topic was on Healthy Communication and I used this story about my summer job in 1990 to set it up, and it’s something I want to share with you today as we talk about being Approachable.

If you are tasked with leading a team of any size, then you must embrace this concept of being approachable. 

Here’s why this is so critical: If you’re not approachable then without a doubt you’re missing vital information that would enhance your team’s success.

When you’re approachable

• you’ll gain respect from team members
• you’ll have more open dialogue
• it reduces the amount of mistakes that occur
• you’ll see improvement in productivity
• you’ll have a more cohesive team
• and you’ll see that it instills confidence in others.

When you’re not approachable, basically the opposite is happening:

• communication is incomplete
• people are afraid to make decisions on their own
• there are more mistakes
• it reduces morale and lowers productivity.

So being approachable should be a no-brainer.

So let’s talk about factors that might limit your approachability for others.  

1. You are moody. 

Moody people are up and down and this creates a feeling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from your team. They don’t know which version they’re going to experience from day to day and it causes them to ask, “Hey, what mood is James in today? Is this a good time to talk about that problem we keep having?” 

And when people realize today is not a good day because you’re in one of those moods, they just keep limping along which will impact your customer satisfaction and team morale. Two big things you can’t afford to compromise on.

2. You lack control over your emotions.

If you’re known for losing your temper, it will create a sense of fear and apprehension and you can be certain others won’t come to you as frequently or with as much detail because they don’t want to get yelled at or endure your meltdown. A wise CEO once explained his approach which is to never get too high during the highs and never get too low during the lows.

3. You give off that “Vibe.” 

You know what I mean here. You say things like, My door is open, you can always come to me. Except your face and your body language say otherwise. People read that and they know that this is NOT the time to come in. 

And the dangerous part about is that you end up getting frustrated when you learn that others perceive you as overly busy, and you react negatively towards them for not being willing to interrupt you!

Be careful here because that is destructive to your team’s view of you as their leader and it will unravel even further very quickly.

4. You are stressed. 

People who are stressed are often hurried and rushed. They’re trying to make up time, trying to beat the clock, racing from meeting to meeting. A stressed boss creates a stressed team and it will prevent people from communicating openly with you.

5. Your ego. 

When your confidence is unchecked you become arrogant. And arrogance is directly tied to your ignorance. That’s because overly confident people don’t ask for help and often portray, “I’ve got this.” They don’t seek input from others. They believe they’re supposed to have all the answers. 

There’s a great quote by Andy Stanley that says, “Leaders who don't listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.”

 6. Your timidness. 

This is another factor in approachability. We have to also talk about the timid leader who avoids conflict, resists giving feedback, or is reluctant to make decisions. Weak leaders actually are very approachable, however, because people have zero confidence that they’ll do anything with it, they choose go to someone else will help them.

7. You don’t make time to get to know the people on your team or around your company. 

Building strong relationships is a huge factor in your approachability. When people simply don’t know you, they won’t be as open with you. 

They’ll withhold ideas, concerns and suggestions. You’ll always have better dialogue with people when they sense you care about them and their needs and goals.

8. You are intimidating. 

Be careful with this one because you might be setting the example so high that others can’t possibly match it.  

It could be that you’re always the first one in in the morning or always the last to leave (or both!)

It could be your level of quality and excellence you produce seems like it can’t be matched and they wonder how you consistently pull it off.

These aren’t bad - in many cases they’re great! But a humble and confident leader realizes that at times they have to show their vulnerabilities - their weaknesses. 

Not in a way to make others feel better - that’s false humility - but to show others that you’ve made mistakes, how you struggle at times… and it’s these situations that makes others respect you even more and it inspires them to do the same.

Being approachable is an essential quality for anyone who leads others. 

 Have you ever considered that your approachability is actually something that can be evaluated?

I actually work with senior executives and people in management all the time on how to be more approachable and specific areas to work to improve on.

If you don’t have a coach, you can still get this feedback by inviting others to hold you accountable and point out how you are coming off to others during times of stress or help you with your communication through your body language. 

Let’s go back to the summer of 1990 and what happened as Carl tore me apart for being lazy, worthless and not paying attention…

Carl was so mad that I was missing the marks on the road as our crew of 3 was trying to get going. 

I felt like I was one inch tall. Doug, who was “my friend” and another part-timer like me, said “Can’t you see this?!” 

“Only if I’m right on top of it. Can you see it easily?”

“Yeah it’s bright red.”

“Well, for me it’s a shade of gray.”

“Are you color blind??”

“I must be because that red crayon is red until you put it on the asphalt. Then it’s just a darker shade of gray.”

Carl grabbed a yellow marker. With a heavy dose of cynicism he said, “Can you see that one?”

“Yes. Perfectly. Switch to that!”

We got going again. And I didn’t miss another mark on the rest of the job. Just miles and miles smooth sailing.

Carl never apologized. But on a Thursday afternoon, after a week of 90 degree temps, we finished. He told us he was taking us into town for a milkshake.

While I was standing there with Carl and Doug waiting for that wonderful chocolate shake, Carl said, “You did a good job this week.”

That was it. Nothing more was said. In that moment, it was enough…

But here’s what I want you to take away from my experience 33 years ago…

Don’t be like Carl. :) 

Don’t assume the worst. Carl could’ve been more patient, kinder. He could have led with some humility. And he definitely could’ve treated me with some dignity that day.

Because when you lead with confidence that’s covered with humility, dignity that becomes a natural expression. 

Not everyone has it, but if you’re listening to this podcast, I’ll bet you do.

I’m James Mayhew and I am blessed to partner with leaders to build purpose-driven organizations that are filled with talented people doing exceptional work on the most important things.

As always, I want to thank you for coming along on this journey with me and I’ll see you again on the next episode.

https://questions.org

Ask your hard questions about Jesus, God and what it all means here:

https://billygraham.org/answers

Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

High Performance Workplace Culture Video Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGgrjEdy18&list=PL_CshlQDwEH7r-H281v9MkXSspjlihgmH

Website: https://jamesmayhew.com

I am captivated by people who are bold and unwavering when they speak about their faith. Especially when it comes after a hardship, a setback or a loss.

That’s exactly how a college athlete spoke after a heartbreaking defeat in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

During the postgame press conference, a reporter wanted to find out if this particular loss in the Elite 8 would be a motivator for the star athlete.

Her response was an epic one, and that’s the topic for this episode of Confidence Covered By Humility.

Faith is a huge part of my life and therefore, a huge part of my business. It guides my decisions and goals. It helps me determine how I serve clients. And, knowing not just who I am, but Who’s I am, allows me to serve with both confidence and humility.

And that takes me right back to the story about the women’s basketball player whose response to a reporter’s question was something to be remembered.

Hailey Van Lith is a point guard for the Louisville Cardinals. She’s known for her toughness, her competitiveness, and her leadership.

After the Elite 8 loss on March 26, she was asked by a reporter, “What does coming up short in your goal of making it to the Final Four mean for your off season?”

Even though I’m an Iowa Hawkeye through and through, and it was the Hawkeyes that Hailey had just lost to, I have to say that her confident response gave me goosebumps.

She said, and I quote,

I’m not motivated by external factors. I’m motivated by myself and I always have been.

If we would have won the national championship this year I would have had the same amount of motivation in me. That’s just who I am.

I’m not motivated at all by the fact they named me Honorable Mention. I know who I am and what God thinks I am, and God doesn’t think I’m an honorable mention, I’ll tell you that right now.

That is such an impressive answer to me. Because it came in a moment where she’s on stage, one step away from her and her team’s goal to make the final four.

Here’s why that is such a remarkable statement: God doesn’t see you or I or Hailey Van Lith as being on His first team, second team, or honorable mention. In God’s eyes you are precious and honored.

Psalm 139: 13-14 reads, “For you created my innermost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”

That means when you have accepted Jesus, you are made new in Him. Your slate is wiped clean and the things from your past that you think]]>Learn more about Christianity here:

https://questions.org

Ask your hard questions about Jesus, God and what it all means here:

https://billygraham.org/answers

Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

High Performance Workplace Culture Video Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGgrjEdy18&list=PL_CshlQDwEH7r-H281v9MkXSspjlihgmH

Website: https://jamesmayhew.com

I am captivated by people who are bold and unwavering when they speak about their faith. Especially when it comes after a hardship, a setback or a loss.

That’s exactly how a college athlete spoke after a heartbreaking defeat in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

During the postgame press conference, a reporter wanted to find out if this particular loss in the Elite 8 would be a motivator for the star athlete.

Her response was an epic one, and that’s the topic for this episode of Confidence Covered By Humility.

Faith is a huge part of my life and therefore, a huge part of my business. It guides my decisions and goals. It helps me determine how I serve clients. And, knowing not just who I am, but Who’s I am, allows me to serve with both confidence and humility.

And that takes me right back to the story about the women’s basketball player whose response to a reporter’s question was something to be remembered.

Hailey Van Lith is a point guard for the Louisville Cardinals. She’s known for her toughness, her competitiveness, and her leadership.

After the Elite 8 loss on March 26, she was asked by a reporter, “What does coming up short in your goal of making it to the Final Four mean for your off season?”

Even though I’m an Iowa Hawkeye through and through, and it was the Hawkeyes that Hailey had just lost to, I have to say that her confident response gave me goosebumps.

She said, and I quote,

I’m not motivated by external factors. I’m motivated by myself and I always have been.

If we would have won the national championship this year I would have had the same amount of motivation in me. That’s just who I am.

I’m not motivated at all by the fact they named me Honorable Mention. I know who I am and what God thinks I am, and God doesn’t think I’m an honorable mention, I’ll tell you that right now.

That is such an impressive answer to me. Because it came in a moment where she’s on stage, one step away from her and her team’s goal to make the final four.

Here’s why that is such a remarkable statement: God doesn’t see you or I or Hailey Van Lith as being on His first team, second team, or honorable mention. In God’s eyes you are precious and honored.

Psalm 139: 13-14 reads, “For you created my innermost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”

That means when you have accepted Jesus, you are made new in Him. Your slate is wiped clean and the things from your past that you think are unforgivable … are forgiven. You are pure. You are redeemed.

If you’re a believer, this is the reason why you can and should be confident. You have the Holy Spirit within you and that is a constant reminder to you that you’re not an accident, that you’re not a mistake. You aren’t just an honorable mention. No, no. You are an MVP.

I’ve been blessed to have met some very impressive people over the years. But the ones who are most impressive to me - the one’s that captivate me - are the people who know who they are, and Who’s they are.

They carry themselves differently - with a humble confidence that is courageous but not reckless, strong and kind. They don’t seek credit or the spotlight; in fact they prefer that others receive it. They’d rather serve rather waiting to be served.

Not that long ago I was working with a client to design and deliver something we called a leadership university. He wanted to address the group for a few minutes to kick the morning off. And what he did was create a beautiful moment. He looked around the room and as he made eye contact with each person said, “You have magnificent talents. I’m so grateful you’re here. I believe this is the best group of people we’ve ever had at one time. Thank you.”

And as he said that you could see the expressions on people’s faces change. I’m fairly certain that for some, it was the first time anyone had ever told them they had magnificent talents.

What he did that morning was instill confidence through a spirit of gratitude. He could have made it about him, but he chose to make it about them.

That’s what it looks like when you let your faith lead you with a confidence that’s covered by humility.

That’s what I want to talk about with you today, because there are many of us who struggle with achieving a challenging goal we’ve set for ourselves, or launching a new venture, or chasing down that big dream.

On episode 2, I spoke with Jarrett Samuels who is the founder of The Pursuit of Manliness, and he dropped some of the best wisdom you’ll hear about what it means to lead with a confidence that’s covered by humility.

The big take away for me was the value of allowing yourself to be a beginner.

And that got me thinking about times when I’ve had an idea that I was excited about, but right as I was about to roll up my sleeves and get after it, something happened.

That excitement I had would be replaced with various reasons why I thought it might not work:

- it’s not the right time

- that will take more effort than I can give right now

- or there’s probably someone else who’s already doing it better…

- and so on.

I would give in to those doubts then start telling myself Maybe this isn’t such a great idea. Before long I had completely talked myself out of pursing that big goal which left me with an overwhelming sense of loss and failure.

I don’t think I’m alone here. I’ve coached long enough to know that this happens to many of us.

What I learned from Jarrett is that one way to overcome those doubts might be as simple as reminding yourself of this:

It’s OK to be a beginner.

-------

Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

High Performance Workplace Culture Video Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGgrjEdy18&list=PL_CshlQDwEH7r-H281v9MkXSspjlihgmH

Website

https://jamesmayhew.com

Connect with Jarrett at ThePursuitofManliness.com for more information about upcoming events, his YouTube channel and Podcast.

Discussion Points:

• What humble confidence looks like
• What it means to be humble
• Step into your gifts
• False humility and passive-aggressiveness
• Confidence covered by humility in business
• Confidence covered by humility as a husband
• Confidence covered by humility as a father
• Confidence covered by humility as a friend

Confidence Covered By Humility is a podcast by James Mayhew for anyone who wants to lead their business, their team and their home with humble confidence.

Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

Watch a video series on workplace culture: High Performance Workplace Culture Video Series

Website: https://jamesmayhew.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

High Performance Workplace Culture Video Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGgr...

Website

https://jamesmayhew.com

The first Tuesday of each month is a series I’m calling the Coach’s Corner. I have the honor to be with some high caliber, high performing people daily and there are frequent takeaways I want to share with you because that’s how we learn.

So on the Coach’s Corner, I’ll talk about a challenge, a win or some form of a breakthrough from my time with an actual client.

In today’s episode, I want to talk with you about two mistakes that new leaders can’t afford to make but tend to make anyway.

1. being afraid to ask for help, and

2. thinking as a leader that you’re supposed to have all the answers.

Being a new leader is challenging. As a new leader, you have some insecurity. You feel ready, but you have some doubts and fears.

It’s not uncommon to have uncertainty about your new role and how you’ll take it on.

Even if you’ve had some mentoring from someone in the company - and I’m assuming that someone made time to do that for you… I’ve found that the mentoring and guidance is very functional and tactical. It focuses on the tasks you’ll do.

But truly mentoring someone means you’re helping them navigate the insecurity and uncertainty they’re feeling, because when people are unsure or uncertain about what to do they either put it off for another time, or they avoid it altogether.

And that leads to the two mistakes that new leaders can’t afford to make, yet most people make them anyway, being afraid to ask for help, and

thinking you’re supposed to have all the answers.These are directly connected to having confidence that’s covered by humility.

The reality is, no one has all the answers. If they tell you they do, then you might want to find another mentor. That’s why you build a strong team of smart people and give them a system to succeed individually and collectively.

Don’t miss this: If you hired well, you have a solid team of people who are closest to the action, skilled at what they do, and are motivated to do excellent work. But the fastest and surest way to cause them to lose confidence in you, is when you ignore them.

I don’t mean that you turn the other way in the hallway; but they don’t know how they’re doing or you don’t listen to their concerns or ideas.

When this happens over time, there’s a growing issue where not only have the people on your team lost confidence in you, they’re starting to lose trust in you.

Take it from me, the worst feeling in the world is when your boss tells you that people on your team are frustrated with you and they’ve lost respect in you as their manager.

That’s hard to hear and it’s hard to recover from.

The second thing you can’t afford to do is believing that you should have all the answers.

When I’m working with clients 1:1 or group coaching, I ask the question, what is confidence that’s NOT covered with humility?

People respond with words like arrogance, ego and prideful.

And then I ask them, What does a prideful person NOT do?

Nearly every time the response I get is, They don’t ask for help.

That’s because it’s easy to fall into the imposter syndrome and we don’t want to be perceived as weak or unqualified or in over our heads.

Whether you’ve been the...]]>Connect with James on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrmayhew/

High Performance Workplace Culture Video Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBGgr...

Website

https://jamesmayhew.com

The first Tuesday of each month is a series I’m calling the Coach’s Corner. I have the honor to be with some high caliber, high performing people daily and there are frequent takeaways I want to share with you because that’s how we learn.

So on the Coach’s Corner, I’ll talk about a challenge, a win or some form of a breakthrough from my time with an actual client.

In today’s episode, I want to talk with you about two mistakes that new leaders can’t afford to make but tend to make anyway.

1. being afraid to ask for help, and

2. thinking as a leader that you’re supposed to have all the answers.

Being a new leader is challenging. As a new leader, you have some insecurity. You feel ready, but you have some doubts and fears.

It’s not uncommon to have uncertainty about your new role and how you’ll take it on.

Even if you’ve had some mentoring from someone in the company - and I’m assuming that someone made time to do that for you… I’ve found that the mentoring and guidance is very functional and tactical. It focuses on the tasks you’ll do.

But truly mentoring someone means you’re helping them navigate the insecurity and uncertainty they’re feeling, because when people are unsure or uncertain about what to do they either put it off for another time, or they avoid it altogether.

And that leads to the two mistakes that new leaders can’t afford to make, yet most people make them anyway, being afraid to ask for help, and

thinking you’re supposed to have all the answers.These are directly connected to having confidence that’s covered by humility.

The reality is, no one has all the answers. If they tell you they do, then you might want to find another mentor. That’s why you build a strong team of smart people and give them a system to succeed individually and collectively.

Don’t miss this: If you hired well, you have a solid team of people who are closest to the action, skilled at what they do, and are motivated to do excellent work. But the fastest and surest way to cause them to lose confidence in you, is when you ignore them.

I don’t mean that you turn the other way in the hallway; but they don’t know how they’re doing or you don’t listen to their concerns or ideas.

When this happens over time, there’s a growing issue where not only have the people on your team lost confidence in you, they’re starting to lose trust in you.

Take it from me, the worst feeling in the world is when your boss tells you that people on your team are frustrated with you and they’ve lost respect in you as their manager.

That’s hard to hear and it’s hard to recover from.

The second thing you can’t afford to do is believing that you should have all the answers.

When I’m working with clients 1:1 or group coaching, I ask the question, what is confidence that’s NOT covered with humility?

People respond with words like arrogance, ego and prideful.

And then I ask them, What does a prideful person NOT do?

Nearly every time the response I get is, They don’t ask for help.

That’s because it’s easy to fall into the imposter syndrome and we don’t want to be perceived as weak or unqualified or in over our heads.

Whether you’ve been the CEO for years or you’re a new leader, there will never be a time you won’t need to ask for help in some form.

You will need help.

And being able to seek guidance from someone you trust will be the difference between success and failure.

How would you handle this situation?

Have you ever had this happen?

How would you respond to this?

When you have people around you that care about you and are invested in the success of the entire team, when they’re willing to be open and honest with you and call you out, and you listen to what they’re telling, then you are operating with confidence that’s covered by humility.

If you don’t seek help from a trustworthy colleague or manager you are going to make more mistakes, bigger mistakes, and it might not end well.

Confidence covered by humility gives you the courage to ask for help and to admit when you don’t have the answers. It makes you more genuine, more relatable and shows your desire to be better today than you were yesterday.

If you’re a business owner, executive, director, manager.. whatever… take a second and ask yourself, Do we have a culture in this company that encourages leaders to ask for help?

Or, are we doing something that discourages it?

Don’t just ask people closest to you. Ask people around the company what they think; people who’ll give you honest answers, not just the answers they think you want to hear.

You might be surprised what you learn.

I was on I380 driving through Cedar Rapids, Iowa and talking with my good friend, Jarrett Samuels.

He was telling me about a situation he was going through while developing his passion project, The Pursuit of Manliness when I first heard those words.

All I remember thinking at that moment was wow, that’s really good. And for the last 6 years those words have been etched in my mind and have found their way into my coaching and consulting business.

In fact, they’ve become such an important element in my business and life, I wanted to find a way to share it with as many people as possible.

And that’s the inspiration for this podcast.

I’d like to invite you to come along on this journey with me. I have some incredible guests lined up for you, including my friend Jarret along with other amazing men and women who demonstrate what it means to lead with confidence covered by humility.

Like you and I, they the same desire to make a lasting impact in the lives of others. They’re open and willing to share their struggles, their blessings and the lessons they’ve experienced in their lives.

Some of their stories them will encourage you. Some will challenge you. Some might make you laugh. Some might stir your soul.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s all 4 of those!

My name is James Mayhew and I am the host of the Confidence Covered By Humility podcast.

If you want to be a leader who inspires confidence in others, have deeper, more meaningful connections and serve others with extraordinary excellence, please consider joining me every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app.

Together we’ll discover what it takes to lead our businesses, our teams, our homes - and even ourselves - with humble confidence.