Strategic Momentum

Ep. 148 - Season 11 Finale: Getting Unstuck in a Complex World

Connie Steele — Tue, 21 May 2024 06:00:00 -0500

I started this season with the intention of exploring how people get unstuck — how people can overcome the inertia that sets in after a career setback, or a huge life change, or even just a particularly bad day.

The world is rapidly changing, faster and faster with every passing year, and that changes how we have to respond and prepare to move forward and thrive. So I hope this season gives you a little inspiration and empowerment that will help you navigate this complex world and take the next step you need to take in your career or life.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Ep. 147 - Unlearning Silence: Transforming Unconscious Inaction into Conscious Action - with Elaine Lin Hering

Connie Steele — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0500

Today’s conversation feels really important, and it’s a topic that really struck a chord with me personally.

Elaine Lin Hering’s book — “Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully” — really gets to the heart of how and why so many of us feel stuck in our careers and life, as well as the internal and external forces that perpetuate this feeling.

And perhaps even more importantly, Elaine shares how we can start to move forward by identifying the unconscious actions — or inaction — that drive so many behaviors, both individually and collectively, so that we can start to make conscious choices to change our experiences, careers, and organizations to better empower everyone.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more at https://elainelinhering.com/
Read “Unlearning Silence:” https://elainelinhering.com/book/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elainelinhering/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elainelinhering/

Ep. 146 - Work From the Inside Out: Fit, Fulfillment, & Sustainable Change - with Tammy Gooler Loeb

Connie Steele — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0500

For a lot of us, when we feel stuck, it’s not necessarily because we don’t know what we want — it may be that we feel like we’ve invested too much time and effort to change course now, or we feel scared of stepping into uncertainty, or we feel like the step’s just too big to take given our circumstances.

We spend so much time convincing ourselves that we’re better off feeling safe than feeling happy, but that perception is more in our heads than it is reality.

So today, Tammy Gooler Loeb, author of “Work From the Inside Out” and host of a podcast with the same name, shares her expertise on the critical importance of introspection and self-discovery in shaping — and revealing — a meaningful, satisfying and sustainable career path. We'll explore how deep personal understanding can be a powerful driver for professional growth and success, and how we can tap into the people around us as a source of inspiration and knowledge.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Listen to Tammy’s Podcast: https://www.tammygoolerloeb.com/podcastlanding
Read: https://www.tammygoolerloeb.com/book
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammygoolerloeb/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tammygoolerloeb/

Ep. 145 - The Tao of Self-Confidence: Imposter Syndrome, Trauma, Community, & Self-Love - with Sheena Yap Chan

Connie Steele — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 06:00:00 -0500

This is an episode that feels very personal to me, and one I feel will be able to connect with so many others.

My guest, Sheena Yap Chan, is The Wall Street Journal Bestselling author of “The Tao of Self-Confidence” and an award-winning podcast host who has interviewed hundreds of Asian women about their inner journey to self-confidence, which is all part of her journey to help women overcome their self-limiting beliefs and live a better life.

When I read Sheena’s book, I appreciated her desire to bring these cultural and historical mindsets to the forefront. Too often, we inherit limiting beliefs and behaviors that hold us back, and I really saw my own experiences reflected in those pages.

These barriers of self-confidence, imposter syndrome, trauma — these are universal challenges, and I think it’s so valuable that more people are openly talking about their experiences overcoming these roadblocks because, as Sheena shares in this episode, it’s so much harder for us to do that without community, without stories to fuel us with inspiration.

So I hope you are inspired by Sheena’s story, and I’m thrilled that I can support her on her mission to help Asian Women live their authentic selves and create a stronger voice in the world.

Resources:

Learn more at https://www.sheenayapchan.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheenayapchan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheena.yap.chan/

Ep. 144 - Community, Connection, & Conversation: Growing into Our Potential Together - with Michael Scott

Connie Steele — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

It’s really easy to get stuck in a rut. We get accustomed to doing the same thing day in and day out. We can close ourselves off to new thinking, perspectives, experiences, and people.

So today, I’m sitting down with Michael Scott to talk about the winding turns of his career journey, how his breadth of experiences drove constant personal growth, and how he’s now channeling his personal passion for books to create momentum for others on a global scale through Great Books + Great Minds.

Resources:

Learn more at https://greatbooksgreatminds.substack.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greatbooksgreatminds/

Ep 143 - Imposter Syndrome & Finding Your Voice - with Paul Larsen

Connie Steele — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 06:00:00 -0500

I really wanted to start this season off with a conversation about something that I think has a way of worming its way into almost every area of every person’s life: imposter syndrome.

And what I love about this conversation with Paul Larsen is that he sees imposter syndrome as an inevitability for people with a growth mindset. If you’re not trying to do anything new, if you’re not trying to grow, then you’re probably not going to hear that little voice in the back of your head talking you down.

But when you think about taking a risk, when you start a new season of your life, we start to doubt ourselves — and, really, if I’ve learned anything after 143 episodes of this show, it’s how common this is.

When we understand that this is just a natural phenomenon that occurs in the human brain, then we can remind ourselves that we don’t need to overcome anything — it’s just a little hint that we’re growing. And Paul has some great advice for how we can start to reframe that feeling in every area of our lives.

Resources:

Learn more at https://www.paulnlarsen.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulnlarsen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/findyourvoiceasaleader/

Ep 142 - Season 11 Premiere: Getting Unstuck

Connie Steele — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

This season is dedicated to topics related to personal growth and development. It's an exploration of how we can recognize what may be holding us back and navigate the paths to help propel us forward. Life often throws hurdles our way, but understanding those steps to overcome them is the key to unlocking our true potential.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Ep. 141 - Season 10 Finale: Navigating a World of Change

Connie Steele — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 06:00:00 -0500

I started this season thinking about transitions -- about the big societal changes that we all have to grapple with, about the personal challenges we end up having to navigate individually, about the increasingly frequent career transitions that most of us experience at some point in our lives, and about how organizations can accommodate people who are constantly changing in a world that is changing just as much.

And as I talked to our guests, it stuck out to me how much of the advice was about community, about support. We’re all walking a unique path, we’re all going through something different, we’re all navigating a rapidly changing world of increasing complexity — and none of us can do it alone.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Ep 140 - Inventing Your Future: Stories from a Techno-Optimist - with Cori Lathan

Connie Steele — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Dr. Cori Lathan is a neuroscientist, technology pioneer, inventor, social advocate, and the author of “Inventing the Future: Stories from a Techno-Optimist.”

Cori has had such an incredible journey to date. She’s trying to shape the world into something better, and I think she has a great perspective on how we each, individually, have a role in creating the future — and a responsibility to make that the best future possible.

Cori’s experiences have also given her some great insight on how to navigate these huge moments of transition, both in our careers and in society, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more at https://www.corilathan.com/
Read “Inventing the Future: Stories from a Techno-Optimist”
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clathan/

Ep. 139 - When It’s Time to Move On: Familiarity, Discomfort, and Identity - with Sara Conde

Connie Steele — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Part of the reason I share this podcast is because I think there’s a lot of value and inspiration in hearing people share their stories. Sometimes we get that from authors, sometimes we get that from mentors, and sometimes we get that from friends. And today’s guest is a friend who I’m proud to say has been an inspiration on my own journey.

Sara Conde is a sales coach and the Director of New Business at Collective, an online back office platform designed for Businesses-of-One. She has a journey that reminds us it’s never too late to try something new, and I think it’ll be inspiring for anyone who has ever felt a little stuck in an uncomfortable point in their life. Because even if something is a little uncomfortable, the familiarity can feel safer than taking a leap into the unknown. But if you sit in that discomfort and discontent for too long, it can really add up.

Ep. 138 - Write Your Own Story: Mindset Tips for Navigating Change - with Jordan Gross

Connie Steele — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0500

We all know change is hard. It makes us feel uncomfortable. It can be a little scary. But change can also be a good thing. Change can be growth. And in the end, we don’t always get to choose when things change.

So what does it take to navigate all of the transitions that life throws at us when they seem to be coming more rapidly than ever before? How do we embrace change, develop, and grow?

Our guest today is Jordan Gross, an author and Mental Health Therapist on a mission to re-imagine personal development — and make it more accessible to everyone.

Ep. 137 - Leading by Listening: Navigating Workplace Transitions - with Beth Freedman

Connie Steele — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0500

“No one pays the fee for the agency for one person. No one person is the answer to everything.”

This is a piece of advice that Beth Freedman, CEO of the media agency Dentsu X, received earlier in her career. It’s the power of a team — the great people that support an organization — that fuels a business’ success. It served her well then, but it was invaluable as a leader navigating COVID-19 and the changes in the workplace that came with it.

In a world in constant transition, Beth believes that figuring out how to best navigate those changes takes a village of people who are there to guide and advise you through the learning curve. Whether you’re navigating your career or leading an organization through a global pandemic, it’s important to acknowledge what you don’t know, practice humility, and be unafraid to ask questions. No one person has all the answers.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Connect with Beth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethfreedman/
Learn more about Dentsu X: https://www.dentsu.com/uk/en

Ep. 136 - Creating Cultures That Work: How to Support Your People No Matter Where They Are - with Ken Babcock and Allie Klun

Connie Steele — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0500

We now live in a world where “the workplace” can mean a lot of different things — and that has a huge impact on the workforce.

The transition to hybrid and remote work environments can come with a host of benefits, like time freedom and location flexibility, but it also comes with its own unique challenges. In particular, how do you foster a strong culture that supports people when everyone is distributed? How can you create a sense of connection with others when you haven’t met them in person? And how do you make sure your company’s values are constantly aligned with your people’s values?

Ken Babcock is Co-Founder and CEO of Tango, a business productivity software company that improves how organizations capture and transfer knowledge through their documentation solution. He is joined by Allie Klun, Head of Brand Strategy at Tango, to talk about creating an environment that is focused on helping people be their best at work no matter where they are.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Connect with Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenbabcock/
Connect with Allie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allieklun/
Tango's Team Building Questions: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AuzvEOMsYTTf08GM-wXCRGkZUMQGN23npL3ScUBYZ3o/edit#gid=0
End of Week Reflections: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-p5FhmE1gU3Q6P48zpx4DNP4bG2xuU-2-ftqXg6phpRi9FQ/viewform

Ep. 135 - The Next Rules of Work: A Framework for Managing Uncertainty - with Gary Bolles

Connie Steele — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 06:00:00 -0500

A daily commute to a job where you do the same thing every day. A workplace filled with coworkers who do the same. A long career in one industry. We’ve all heard this before. These are the old definitions of work, or at least the stories most of us were told about it. But this isn’t really the way things work, is it?

There are new rules of work. And a critical aspect that we all need to understand is that there will be another new set of rules tomorrow because we’re in a constant state of transition — so understanding and preparing for what’s next requires more than just learning a new set of definitions.

Gary Bolles shares what we need to know about The Next Rules of Work — and the next ones after that. Gary is the author of “The Next Rules of Work,” Chair for the Future of Work for Singularity University, and co-founder of eParachute.com, which builds on the insight from his father’s hit book, “What Color is Your Parachute?”

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more at https://www.gbolles.com/

Read “The Next Rules of Work:” https://www.amazon.com/Next-Rules-Work-Organization-Uncertainty/dp/1398601632

Ep. 134 - Season 10 Premiere: Transitions

Connie Steele — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Life transitions, work, workplace, and career transitions — we have to adapt to so much these days. And I think a lot of people are starting to feel that lately. So I hope you’ll join me as we explore perspectives and stories about navigating these changes, and learning to evolve as organizations and people throughout the Fall.

Learn more at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Bonus: Spare Some Change: Emotional Debt, Technical Debt, & Preparing for Change

Connie Steele — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0500

I write a column for Shared Services Online titled “The Future is Human: Understanding & Shaping the Future of Work.” You can find the column at SSOnetwork.com and I’ll also be sharing audio versions of each article as bonus episodes in the podcast feed. This is the column for July 2023.

Resources:

Read the column: https://www.ssonetwork.com/index.php/contributor/connie-steele
Learn more about Building the Business of You: http://www.conniewsteele.com/book

Ep. 133 - Co-Creating the Future of Work: Season 9 Finale

Connie Steele — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0500

My goal with this season was to examine our roles, as both business leaders and people who work, in shaping the future of work.

So I started the season by sharing some definitions of the future of work that thought leaders and workforce organizations have come up with. They all share a lot in common, but in general, these definitions are passive; they imagine the future of work as a thing that is going to happen to work, workers, and organizations that we need to figure out how to respond to.

I didn't agree with that then, and after having these conversations, I'm even more confident; The future of work will be a result of the choices and decisions that people, organizations, and governments make today.

I think it is critical to acknowledge that we are not passive participants in this process — both individuals and organizations are co-creating the future of work.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Ep. 132 - Ikigai & The Career of the Future - with Kate Roberts

Connie Steele — Tue, 23 May 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Kate Roberts is a global social entrepreneur and champion for women’s leadership through business, philanthropy, sexual health, and art.

Kate has had a 30-year career of championing women's leadership through non and for-profit ventures, with a focus on women's sexual reproductive health, sexual wellness and exponential philanthropy. She co-founded Maverick Collective together with Melinda Gates and The Crown Princess of Norway, and more recently, founded The Body Agency, a global fem tech and e-commerce company, and its foundation.

Doing the inner work to figure out the alignment of what you are good at, what you love, what the world needs, and what you can be paid to do is important and illuminating — but few people are able to articulate how you take that alignment and put it into action in the real world like Kate.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more at https://www.kateroberts.org and https://www.thebodyagency.com
Listen to Sex, Body, and Soul: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sex-body-and-soul/id1578534520

Bonus: The War Over the Workplace: Workers Want Flexibility, So Why Are We Fighting It?

Connie Steele — Thu, 18 May 2023 06:00:00 -0500

I share a lot of research in this episode, and if you’re interested in checking out those links, you can find them in the show notes below or in the article on Shared Services Online.

Resources:

Read the column: https://www.ssonetwork.com/index.php/contributor/connie-steele

State of Work & Career Success 2023: https://www.conniewsteele.com/research

COVID-19 Pandemic Continues To Reshape Work in America: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/02/16/covid-19-pandemic-continues-to-reshape-work-in-america/

How Many Americans Work Remotely?: https://digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/publications/how-many-americans-work-remotely/

“Another Truth About Remote Work:” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/work-from-home-numbers/620107/

“CEOs Are Blaming The Need For Mentorship to Justify The Forced Return of All Employees. Reality Calls For a Very Different Approach.:” https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/forcing-your-employees-back-to-the-office-full-time-for/450275

Future Of Work Part 2: Stop Forcing Employees Back To The Office: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/01/27/future-of-work-part-2-stop-forcing-employees-back-to-the-office/?sh=7dab2c3e3ad4

eLearning Industry Future of Work Study: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/01/27/future-of-work-part-2-stop-forcing-employees-back-to-the-office/?sh=7dab2c3e3ad4

“Employees forced back to the office twice as likely to quit than those with choice says new survey:” https://www.hcamag.com/asia/specialisation/employee-engagement/employees-forced-back-to-the-office-twice-as-likely-to-quit-than-those-with-choice-says-new-survey/416519

The Rise of the Whole Employee: 20 Years of Change in Employer-Employee Dynamics: https://www.metlife.com/content/dam/metlifecom/us/noindex/pdf/ebts-2022/MetLife_EBTS_2022.pdf

“US Workers Back to Offices Rose to 49.9% in Past Week:” https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/us-workers-back-to-offices-rose-to-49-9-in-past-week

Ep. 131 - Gen-Z is The Future of Work (& The Future Looks Good) - with Audrey Wisch

Connie Steele — Tue, 09 May 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Audrey Wisch is co-founder and CEO of Curious Cardinals, a global mentorship community that connects K-12 students with passionate college mentors. And Audrey is the kind of person who makes me excited about the future.

People spend a lot of time talking about Millennials and Gen-Z. And if we’re being honest, a lot of the time people are talking about the younger generations, they’re complaining about how they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.

And it’s true — Gen-Z is different. Some have different priorities. Some approach their work and career differently. But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We’re in the process of co-creating the future of work, and that process is only going to be improved by embracing these differences and including Gen-Z in that conversation.

After hearing from Audrey, I think you’ll agree that Gen-Z has a lot to add to the future of work.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more at https://www.curiouscardinals.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-micay-wisch-39a95a1b2/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AudreyWisch

Ep. 130 - The Art of Being Indispensable, Go-To-Ism, & Continuous Relationship Improvement - with Bruce Tulgan

Connie Steele — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0500

I am thrilled to bring you a conversation with prolific author and renowned management trainer Bruce Tulgan.

Bruce has been one of the leading experts in management for decades now, working with some of the largest organizations in the world to create data-driven systems and practices that nurture more cohesive organizations, and he created RainmakerLearning to help individuals develop their relationship management skills.

He’s learned a lot about the skills required to succeed, and he wrote a book about what skills will be necessary if you want to be indispensable in a post-pandemic world: “The Art of Being Indispensable at Work: Win Influence, Beat Overcommitment, and Get the Right Things Done.”

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

“The Art of Being Indispensable at Work: Win Influence, Beat Overcommitment, and Get the Right Things Done”: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Being-Indispensable-Work-Overcommitment/dp/1633698491

Ep. 129 - The Future of Education & Learning: Adapting to What People Want - with Sher Downing

Connie Steele — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Sher Downing, PhD, is an EdTech Strategist who guides companies and professionals in the business of digital transformation. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Sher personally and I think she just brings so much insight on the intersection of learning, technology, and careers.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more at https://www.downingedtech.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherdowning/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherdowning/

Ep. 128 - What Workers Want 2023: Insights From This Year’s State of Work and Career Success Study - with Gina Woodall & Scott Vanderbilt

Connie Steele — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0500

We can see a shift in our relationship with work over the last few years. All of these articles and Twitter threads about things like The Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting, Career Cushioning... There is this collective desire to be better, to do better, and to feel better, and everyone is scrambling for the right information and language to better understand these phenomena.

That’s why I partner with Rockbridge Associates to survey workers in the United States every year. I want to help people having these conversations understand how people are feeling about work and life right now, track how they are progressing over time, and offer context for why they feel this way.

So, today I’m talking with two of my research partners to break down the key takeaways from The State of Work and Career Success 2023: Gina Woodall and Scott Vanderbilt.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Read the full report at http://whatworkerswant.com/
Learn more about Rockbridge at https://rockresearch.com/

Ep. 127 - The Power of Purpose: Society & the Bottom Line - with Brandon Peele

Connie Steele — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0500

For the last 10 years, Brandon Peele, founder of Unity Labs and author of “Purpose Work Nation,” has been developing scalable approaches to activate purpose for the authentic self at work so that organizations win, individuals win, and our democracy wins.

Brandon sees discovering your purpose as a Civil Right that everyone deserves — and now he’s endeavoring to change the very institutions that shape society to better nurture everyone in this journey, beginning by shaping the organizations we spend most of our time within.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

http://www.brandonpeele.com/
The Science of Purpose: http://scienceofpurpose.org/
Read “Purpose Work Nation:” http://purposework.us/

Ep. 126 - The Employee-Employer Relationship is Broken: Let’s Fix It - with Drew Fortin

Connie Steele — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 05:00:00 -0500

This season, we’re talking to futurists and future-forward thinkers about what the future of work will look like. We spent the last episode considering how technology might shape our lives and careers 10, 20, 50 plus years down the road. Today, we’re looking at the skills that will be necessary to navigate and lead in the future that’s just over the horizon, if not the present.

Drew Fortin thinks the employee-employer relationship is fundamentally broken. But he also thinks, for the first time in a long time, there’s an opportunity for us to change that and shift the power dynamic between people and the organizations they work within.

We talk about what that looks like for leaders, as well as what skills it takes for an individual to navigate an uncertain and winding career.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpfortin/
Learn more about Leverage Talent: https://levertalent.com/

Ep. 125 - The 5 Forces That Change Everything - with Steve Hoffman

Connie Steele — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 06:00:00 -0500

Steve Hoffman, AKA Captain Hoff, takes us on a voyage to better understand the radical innovation and transformation that new technologies are likely to cause during many of our lifetimes. He is the CEO of Founders Space, one of the world's leading incubators and accelerators, and the author of “The Five Forces that Change Everything: How Technology is Changing Our Future.”

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more about The Five Forces: https://www.foundersspace.com/five-forces/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foundersspace/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/foundersspace

Ep. 124 - Say Hi to the Future: Human Ingenuity 101 - with Ken Tencer

Connie Steele — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0500

When we think of innovation, we tend to think about new products, new technologies. But Ken Tencer believes that human ingenuity is the spark that will ignite the future.

And Ken really is a passionate student of human ingenuity. He’s currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration focused on human ingenuity and innovation, as well as serving as Curator of “Say Hi to the Future,” which is ‘part podcast, part activation, part ingenuity lab and part quantitative assessment.’ He is also CEO of SpyderWorks, co-author of two books on innovation, and an adjunct professor at the International School of Management.

Ken is dedicated to bringing people together to find solutions for ‘wicked problems’ — and he has some critical insight and experience to share on how we can start doing this in our organizations and our own lives.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Ep. 123 - Season 9 Premiere: Imagining a Human-Centered Future

Connie Steele — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0500

I like to start each season by sharing what I’m thinking about and what you can expect in the coming weeks. And in season 9, we’ll be examining our roles in shaping the future of work.

What comes next will, of course, be the confluence of many changes — shifts in who does the work, how the work is done, when we work, and where we work — but we all have a role to play in shaping those changes. We aren’t passive participants in this transformation.

Historically, technology has dominated conversations about the future of work. We’re not going to do that. When we talk about the future of work, we’re going to talk about the future of life — and how people, first and foremost, will shape how, when, where, and why we work.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Bonus: The Faces of The U.S. Workforce

Connie Steele — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 06:00:00 -0500

This is my December Column for Shared Services Online, titled “The Faces of the U.S. Workforce.”

You can find the column at https://www.ssonetwork.com/contributor/connie-steele and you can find the research mentioned in the episode at https://www.conniewsteele.com/research

Ep. 122 - Season 8 Finale: Let’s Change Work & Life Together

Connie Steele — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0500

I said in the first episode of this season that I wanted to double down on inspiring stories as a reminder that we aren’t helpless or alone against the unrelenting pace of change and have the power to create positive change for ourselves and the people around us. And I'm proud to say that I think we succeeded.

But in listening back to these stories again, it's become crystal clear to me that what Karen Mangia said in episode 119 is correct: we currently have a real opportunity to create change, to change the rules to work and life, because we're all standing at the precipice gazing into the unknown together.

Decisions are being made now that will shape our lives for years, possibly even decades, to come. And we can all be a part of that.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Listen to full episodes from this season:

Ep. 121 - Beautiful Country & The Path to Being Your Whole Self - with Qian Julie Wang

Connie Steele — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Qian Julie Wang is the author of New York Times Bestseller “Beautiful Country,” a memoir that details her life as an undocumented immigrant living in poverty in the richest country in the world, and managing partner of Gottlieb & Wang LLP, a firm dedicated to advancing education, disability, and civil rights on behalf of marginalized communities.

And her awe-inspiring story has clearly resonated with a lot of people. After publishing her first book — a nearly 300-page memoir, “Beautiful Country,” written on her phone — she received incredible accolades: an instant NYT best seller, one of President Obama’s favorite books of 2021, NPR’s best book of 2021, a Today Show Read with Jenna, and more. And I think it’s receiving this much attention because it’s really important.

So, I was thrilled to talk to Qian Julie about her early childhood, how the struggle helped her find fulfillment, and finding the path to being your whole self.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more at https://www.qianjuliewang.com/
Read: “Beautiful Country”
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qianjuliewang/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/QianJulieWang
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qianjuliewang/

Ep. 120 - The Future of Work, Life, & Inclusion - with Giselle Mota

Connie Steele — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Giselle Mota is a futurist and thought leader focused on enabling inclusion as it relates to product design, the future of work, and all things emerging tech, including web3 and the metaverse. Giselle is the Chief of Product Inclusion at ADP, a role that was created specifically so she could bring her background and perspective to impact the full range of ADP’s products.

As the Chief of Product Inclusion at ADP, she leads DE&I throughout the 200+ product portfolio, defining strategy and supporting product capabilities to ensure the organization designs with an inclusive mindset. This mission towards greater inclusivity comes from her own experiences and identity.

Giselle is Afro-Latina, the child of immigrants, and suffers from dyslexia, so she knows all too well what it’s like to be “othered.” Her life experience informs her belief that diversity of thought, experience, and opinion is a powerful driver of innovation that ultimately leads to better outcomes. She channels her passion for inclusivity into projects outside of her role at ADP, such as NFTY Collective, a service that helps ensure that people with disabilities are included and represented in web3 and the metaverse.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imgisellemota/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gmota/

Ep. 119 - Changing the Game to Create Success From Anywhere - with Karen Mangia

Connie Steele — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Karen Mangia is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, VP of Customer & Market Insights at Salesforce, and strategist who focuses on the Future of Work, the Voice of the Customer, and nurturing a sense of Belonging within organizations.

Like so many of us during the pandemic, Karen recognized that we weren’t going back to the way things were. She sees an opportunity to change the rules and create the future — but we’re holding ourselves and our organizations back by defaulting back to the way we used to do things.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

https://www.readsuccessfromanywhere.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenmangia/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/karenmangia

Bonus: Burnout, Stress, & The Need to Redefine Success

Connie Steele — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0500

This is my October Column for Shared Services Online, titled “Burnout, Stress, & The Need to Redefine Success.”

You can find the column at https://www.ssonetwork.com/contributor/connie-steele and I’ll also be sharing audio versions of each article as bonus episodes in the podcast feed.

Ep. 118 - A Recipe for Success: Curiosity, Community, & Grit - with Kathryn Rose

Connie Steele — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Kathyrn Rose is the Founder of getWise and the wiseHer Foundation.

getWise is an expert advice platform that curates a range of business specialists, and small businesses and people who are seeking help can schedule time with the person whose expertise best matches their needs. It’s not free, but it’s very affordable, and Kathryn shares how this value exchange that getWise delivers benefits everyone. In full disclosure, it’s a platform that I am proud to be a part of. And in my experience, this structure is really rewarding because you are able to pay it forward to others who are seeking it out and committed to learning.

The wiseHer Foundation, then, is a non-profit organization designed to support women and small businesses around the globe with advisory services, education, and resources on-demand. This is a similar platform specifically for women, and proceeds go towards funding grants for women-owned businesses.

What Kathryn has done with her career (her forced second career, as you’ll learn about in a few moments) is incredible. But I think what I appreciate most about this episode is that Kathryn shares with us the grit, curiosity, community, and years of hard work that are really necessary to become successful — stories that I don’t think we can ever hear too much of in the era of curated lives on social media.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

getWise: https://getwiseconnect.com/
wiseHer: https://wiseher.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamkatrose/

Ep. 117 - Unlock Your Success, Unlock Yourself - with Samhita Jayanti

Connie Steele — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Samhita Jayanti is the Founder and CEO of Ideamix, a coaching company that matches both individuals and organizations with coaches that are best suited to their needs.

Sam is also a person who truly understands the uncertainty of modern life — the good and the bad — but few people have developed better tools and techniques for taking it all on. And luckily, she’s willing to share what worked with her, while providing us with a better understanding of what coaching really is and how it can play an important role in unlocking our success, which will look different for everyone.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more at https://www.theideamix.com/
Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samhita-jayanti/

Ep. 116 - What is Success on Your Terms?: From Poverty to “The Pitch Queen” - with Precious Williams

Connie Steele — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Precious Williams, AKA The Killer Pitch Master, is a 13-time national elevator pitch champion and four time best-selling author. She has also been featured on "Shark Tank," CNN, WSJ, Forbes Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, Essence Magazine, and the movie "LEAP."

And her new book — "The Pitch Queen: A Woman's Journey From Poverty To Purpose & Profits" — is a memoir that shares how she rose from the poverty-stricken streets of St. Louis to the global stage of influence.

This is one of the most fun, powerful, and poignant conversations I’ve had the pleasure of recording and I am so happy to be able to share it today.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Read “The Pitch Queen”: https://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Queen-Journey-Poverty-Purpose/dp/B0B7SJD9XL/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Learn more at https://www.perfectpitchesbyprecious.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/precious-l-williams/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perfectpitchesp/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PerfectPitchP

Bonus: Quiet Quitting & Quiet Firing: Don’t Forget We’re Talking About People

Connie Steele — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0500

This is my September Column for Shared Services Online, titled “Quiet Quitting & Quiet Firing: Don’t Forget We’re Talking About People.” You can find the column at https://www.ssonetwork.com/contributor/connie-steele and I’ll also be sharing audio versions of each article as bonus episodes in the podcast feed.

Shared Services Online: https://www.ssonetwork.com/contributor/connie-steele

Ep. 115 - Getting Along with Difficult People to Build Better Relationships - with Amy Gallo

Connie Steele — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 03:00:00 -0500

I wish I had been able to read “Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)” when I was entering the workforce. Releasing on September 13, 2022, “Getting Along” is a research-based, practical guide for how to handle difficult people at work. Not always feeling equipped to best deal with the kind of people described in this book — and keeping my sanity — was one of the major drivers behind my unhappiness in my past roles. It was even a reason why I made a professional and personal pivot.

So I was thrilled to sit down and talk to the author, Amy Gallo, about why she wrote the book and how the framework is used in practice. Amy is also an expert in conflict communication and workplace dynamics, a contributing editor to Harvard Business Review, and a co-host of HBR's Women at Work podcast.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more at http://www.amyegallo.com/
Read “Getting Along:” http://www.amyegallo.com/writing-1
Listen to Women at Work: https://hbr.org/2018/01/podcast-women-at-work

Ep. 114 - Season 8 Opener: The Power of People

Connie Steele — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 03:00:00 -0500

The theme of this past year, both on and off this show, has been adapting to radical change and bridging the gaps to create forward progress. In our lives, in our jobs, in the economy... it’s honestly been pretty unrelenting. And, as a result, I think a lot of us are feeling less happy and more than a little stuck.

A lot of people are talking about the future of work and they talk about remote work, hybrid teams, the work environment... but those aren’t the stories you hear from people who are thriving in the future of work.

It's just the power of people. The power of people to help you move, the power of people to help you think differently, the power of people to help you spot the trends.

So this season, we’re really doubling down on inspiring stories; a reminder that we aren’t helpless or alone against the unrelenting pace of change and have the power to create positive change for ourselves and the people around us.

Hearing stories from people who have already been there is so helpful for me because it reminds me what I’m capable of, what we’re all capable of, so my hope is that this season will help you bring your whole self to every area of your life.

Resources:

Connect with Connie: https://linktr.ee/conniesteele

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Bonus: Managing for the Future of Work: Human-Centered Management & The Employee Experience

Connie Steele — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 06:00:00 -0500

This is my July Column for Shared Services Online, titled “Managing for the Future of Work: Human-Centered Management & The Employee Experience.” You can find the column at https://www.ssonetwork.com/contributor/connie-steele and I’ll also be sharing audio versions of each article as bonus episodes in the podcast feed.

Shared Services Online: https://www.ssonetwork.com/contributor/connie-steele
Strategic Momentum Episode 112: https://www.conniewsteele.com/episodes/112

Bonus: The Future of Work is Here & It’s Human

Connie Steele — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 06:00:00 -0500

I just started a column over at Shared Services Online titled “The Future is Human: Understanding & Shaping the Future of Work.” You can find the column at https://www.ssonetwork.com/contributor/connie-steele and I’ll also be sharing audio versions of each article as bonus episodes in the podcast feed.

Shared Services Online: https://www.ssonetwork.com/contributor/connie-steele

Ep. 113 - Season 7 Closer: The Future of Work Is Human

Connie Steele — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 03:00:00 -0500

We like to think every season of Strategic Momentum has a story. We don’t necessarily plan the narrative, but one of the best parts of making the season is watching the story unfold as our guests touch on similar themes and concepts. So we end every season with one of these compilation episodes to highlight the way our experts’ insights, tactics, and strategies compliment each other — and to save you a little time if you aren’t able to listen to every episode but want to better prepare yourself for the future of work.

And in this season, I think we were really able to see how the world of work has been changing in real time as we all adapt to new levels of uncertainty. And we got a lot of great advice for how individuals can navigate the unique challenges that present themselves today — and, perhaps more critically, why organizations need to change to adapt to this new human-centric era of work and how they can start.

Key Takeaways for Individuals

Give yourself permission to pause, reevaluate, recalibrate, and re-imagine your life.
Success is about playing where you fit best so that you can be your best self.
If you have a long-game mindset, there is no finite destination. But that doesn’t mean there’s no success — it’s this mindset that allows you to say, “I'm winning today,” every single day.
“There's no one who can force you to be less than who you are, but it puts the onus on you to figure out what you can be and go after it.” —Elaine Pofeldt
Want to find your purpose? Do the continuous work of trying to assess what you're interested in, what the market wants, and what you're good at. It will take some testing and learning to find the sweet spot. The journey is not a straight path.
Go all-in on your strengths and delegate your weaknesses. Of course, you have to figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are, first.
To understand what you can truly delegate, document what you do everyday over a two week period. Once you have that written down, then you can identify who the right people are to help you with these various tasks/initiatives based on this information.
You are doing yourself a disservice if you’re not “info sponging,” or taking what you learn in one area of your life and applying that to other areas of your life. Learning to connect these dots, even when things may not seem related, has a compounding effect.
Remember the 3 components of the Free Time framework:
Align - should you be doing this in the first place? And if something about the work is not aligned, how can you realign it and recalibrate. Think about how you are systematizing the spirit of your business and remember there's no point in optimizing something that no longer needs to be done.
Design - Get clarity and be intentional in designing how you’re going to tackle the work before you start.
Assign - Ensure you can stay really focused on the work that you’re uniquely gifted to do by delegating everything else that you can.
Your calendar should reflect your values, including things such as taking care of yourself and ensuring quality friendships. This requires thinking in advance about how you want to spend your time because the difference between traction and distraction is forethought.
You can think of your values as attributes that reflect the person you want to become. You can also break them into the three life domains of you, your relationships, and your work.
Being strategic and intentional with your time is a skill like anything else. Don't expect to know exactly what direction you want to go in for the rest of your life right now. Just start by getting into the mindset and habits of a person who is strategic. Things start to get easier from there.
As an employee, you can help create a better employee experience by assuming positive intent and providing the feedback that can make their organization better because every employee can be a leader too. This way you can also help bridge the experience gap that exists.

Key Takeaways for Organizations

The State of Work and Career Success 2022 survey shows that when individuals feel successful with the progress they are making in their career, it not only positively impacts their personal and professional goals but also influences their likelihood to stay with their company, be committed, and even recommend it to others.
Only 29% of those who feel unsuccessful when it comes to their career progress respond that they plan to stay at their current job. This is in contrast with 64% of those who feel highly successful with their career progress. And we see very similar responses when it comes to recommending the organization and their commitment to it.
For many of us, there is also a level of uncertainty that never existed before. Is that job worth the time you’re losing with your family, with yourself? Will you still have that job if things take a turn for the worst again? Is that job worth potentially risking your life for?
Partially as a result, people are, many for the first time, seeing an opportunity to take control of their careers, whether that’s by leaving their job for a better one or by going solo.
For companies to create a great employee experience, they have to shift from being metrics-led to being purpose-led.
This isn’t just a nice thing to do. With staffing shortages prevalent, you won’t be able to attract or retain the right workforce to help you accomplish your business goals if you don’t make some changes.
Delivering a great employee experience enables people to be able to bring their whole selves to work. It’s about creating that sense of belonging so that people are not afraid to be vulnerable because that’s when the greatest learning can happen.
Employee experience refers to the beliefs, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors that result from your job experience and is composed of the task experience, social experience, and fulfillment experience.
There are four critical elements that are involved in creating a great employee experience: purpose, agency, belonging, and recognition.
A company is just one collection of people who are on a mission to help another set of people. As a CEO/leader, your job is to not only provide direction but provide the safest path forward so that we can achieve that mission.
Don’t focus too much on outcomes. If you’re focused on helping the people you serve and the people within your organization, you will drive growth in the process. Because organizations don’t create outcomes — people create outcomes.
Leadership needs to truly embody the values the company stands for and constantly check with others to ensure it’s being realized. Otherwise, you will have people leave.
There needs to be education and vocalization regarding the desire to establish a culture of belonging across every layer of the organization to ultimately create a diverse workforce.
Look at your end-to-end recruitment experience to ensure you have that strategic alignment from the beginning across the technology, tools, and people involved.
Understand that the tools you use may have unconscious biases embedded in them, which perpetuates the problems in identifying talent at its core.

Listen to full episodes from this season:

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Ep. 112 - Employee Experience: Why Fulfillment Matters & How to Close the Experience Gap - with Jill Popelka

Connie Steele — Tue, 24 May 2022 03:00:00 -0500

The world of work has fundamentally changed from one that is siloed, sequential, rigid, and conformist to one that's much more fluid, collaborative, multimodal, and individual. People are truly recognizing the importance of being able to bring their whole self to work — and, for the first time for many of us, feeling like they should be empowered to bring their whole self to work.

And today, we’re talking all about the employee experience in a post-COVID world with Jill Popelka.

Jill is the author of the new book “Experience, Inc: Why Companies That Uncover Purpose, Create Connection, and Celebrate Their People Will Triumph.” She’s also the President of SAP SuccessFactors and a sincere believer that purpose drives people, and people drive business performance to help the world run better and improve people’s lives.

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillpopelka/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JillPopelka
Read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60308614-experience-inc

Ep. 111 - Mogul: Creating a Circular Model for Global Good - with Tiffany Pham

Connie Steele — Tue, 10 May 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Tiffany Pham is the Founder & CEO of Mogul, the largest platform for diverse talent worldwide. Mogul has impacted over 430,000,000 people across 195 countries and 30,470 cities, and it all started with a desire to create a place where women and minority talent could come together to find opportunities, information, and resources to help their career journeys.

In addition to being a successful entrepreneur who is changing the game when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, she’s also a TV personality, an award-winning film producer, and the bestselling Author of “You Are a Mogul” and “Girl Mogul.”

This episode shares so much of what I want to spotlight on this show: what it looks like when you relentlessly pursue purpose, how that passion can help build a portfolio career and a company that focuses on bringing positive change in the world, and the winding path filled with constant growth that we have to walk down to flourish. Plus, a really lovely story about how her grandmother inspired it all.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more about Mogul: https://onmogul.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tifftpham/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tifftpham/

Ep. 110 - Time Management is Pain Management: How to Be Indistractable - with Nir Eyal

Connie Steele — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0500

Nir Eyal’s latest book (“Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life”) is an indispensable resource in our uncertain world.

Nir goes beyond just providing good time management tips — although he has quite a few of those — by helping us get to the root of why we get distracted in the first place so that we can actively shift from being distractible to being indistractable.

And the best part is that these strategies are surprisingly simple. They help you take a big problem — planning your work AND life — and break it down into manageable, solvable situations. And while you’re focusing on what you can do tomorrow, you’ll end up building habits that make everything easier in the future.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

nirandfar.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nireyal
Read "Indistractable:" https://www.nirandfar.com/indistractable/

Ep. 109 - Cultivating the Collective & The Constant Pursuit of Purpose - with Hooman Radfar

Connie Steele — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Hooman Radfar is the co-founder and CEO of Collective, the world’s first online, back-office platform designed to support businesses-of-one. He’s a passionate and purpose-driven leader, and the confidence he has in his purpose is admirable.

And I am thrilled to share his journey with all of you today because I think it really speaks to one of my favorite things — the transformative power of learning to redefine success as progress.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Learn more about Collective: https://collective.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collectivedotcom/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hooman/

Ep. 108 - What Workers Want: Insights from the 2022 State of Work and Career Success Study - with Gina Woodall and Scott Vanderbilt

Connie Steele — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0500

I am obsessed with studying what people truly want out of work. As people, not employees. I want to understand the “business of work” — the who, what, when, where, and why that makes people and the companies they work for thrive or fail. What holds people back? What gets people stuck? And what does it take to create positive momentum?

Making this podcast is part of that. Writing “Building the Business of You” was part of that. But I want my work in the Future of Work space to be built on a foundation of data — and that’s why I started the State of Work and Career Success two years ago.

We just launched the second annual report, titled What Workers Want, last week. And today, I’d like to introduce two research partners who worked with me to make this possible, Gina Woodall and Scott Vanderbilt.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Read the Report: http://whatworkerswant.com/
Learn more about Rockbridge Associates: https://rockresearch.com/
Connect with Gina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginawoodall/
Connect with Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-vanderbilt-375b36/

Ep. 107 - Free Time: How to Reduce Overwhelm, Burnout, & Busywork - with Jenny Blake

Connie Steele — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Jenny Blake is an author and podcaster who helps entrepreneurs move from friction to flow through smarter systems, powered by Delightfully Tiny Teams. Her third book, “Free Time,” launches March 22 — and it’s just in time for me!

It's easy to get caught up in just getting things done without really stopping to think how it could get done faster or better, or if you're really the right person to be getting it done at all. And "Free Time" is made specifically for people who are struggling with busywork, what Jenny calls the bottleneck in the way of your profit and potential.

After reading the book, I've been thinking about my business and what I do in it completely differently, and I'm so excited for the rest of the world to get ahold of this.

Anyone who preorders a hardcover or ebook edition prior to 3/22/22 is eligible for the Buy One, Get One, Give One bonus. They can submit their receipt to receive instant, early access to the audiobook edition, with instructions on how to gift one early copy of the audiobook to a friend.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Pre-order “Free Time” before 3/22/22 to get access to the BOGO bonus
Instagram: @jennyblakenyc
Facebook: facebook.com/JennyBlakeNYC
LinkedIn:.linkedin.com/in/jennyblake

Ep. 106 - Just Work: Taking Control & Being an Upstander to Fight Workplace Injustice - with Kim Scott

Connie Steele — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Kim Scott is all about creating workplace environments where everyone can really be their best selves and reach their growth potential, and her latest book “Just Work” offers a valuable framework and set of tools to help address many of the workplace injustices that too many of us have endured over the years.

The book is timely because it reflects how the traditional norms are fundamentally changing. The future of work will center around a workplace that respects everyone’s individuality while also enabling them to collaborate effectively so we can ultimately do our best work.

Becoming an Upstander at Work

To create that ideal workplace, leaders have to understand that it’s their responsibility to create a just work environment — and learn how to be what Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo calls an upstander.

In my conversation with Dr. Zimbardo in episode 18, he talked about the bystander effect. That’s when we observe injustice happening, but take no action or even confront it. An upstander is someone who takes action in these situations.

And I think being an upstander when you see bias, prejudice, or bullying in the workplace is something that many people have wanted to do but have never felt they had the ability to do. So it's wonderful to now have a framework and a set of tools so that we can all collectively work towards a better workplace.

The Why Behind “Just Work”

Kim’s first book was “Radical Candor: How to Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity.” But she had a conversation that helped her realize that being radically candid isn’t equally easy for everyone — particularly people of color who already have to navigate bias and stereotypes.

Kim realized that she, like almost all business leaders, had played a role in preventing Just Work in the past, both in the sense of justice and in the sense of just getting stuff done.

We aren’t usually doing this on purpose. But when we don’t use our power to be upstanders and make work a place where everyone feels supported, we are still perpetuating injustice.

What are Workplace Injustices? (And How Do We Respond to Them?)

Workplace injustice is not a monolithic problem, it has specific parts. And if you can break a big problem down into smaller parts, it becomes easier to solve.

Kim identifies the root causes of workplace injustice as bias, prejudice, and bullying, and the way we respond to each problem is different:

Bias is unintentional. It's an unconscious thought that we have, but not a conviction or belief.

Kim shares a real story of a situation where two teams were meeting to negotiate a deal. One team was composed of two men and one woman. As the other side filed into the room, they ended up sitting by the two men leaving the one woman alone at the end. That woman was the one that had the most expertise for her team and was the one who could win the deal. However, the other side was only addressing questions to her colleagues.

This is where a male co-worker was able to use an ‘I statement’ to be an upstander. When he stood up and said “I think we should switch seats,” it made everyone realize what was happening, made a victim of injustice feel more respected, and allowed them to get back to work. That’s often all it takes to address bias; kindly making people aware of it.

Prejudice is a conscious, negative belief about another person, usually rooted in cultural stereotypes.

Kim shares an experience that her business partner witnessed. They were hiring and the best candidate was a Black woman with natural hair, yet the hiring manager said they couldn’t hire her because of her hair.

The best way to deal with prejudice in the moment is with an ‘It statement,’ as opposed to a ‘You statement’ or ‘I statement.’ A You statement (e.g. You are being racist) can feel accusatory and make the person defensive. An ‘I statement’ (e.g. I don’t think we should do this) frames the situation around conflict.

An ‘It statement’ reframes the situation a little more objectively: it is illegal not to hire someone because of their hair, it is an HR violation not to hire someone because of the way they look, etc. But also an ‘It’ statement also draws that line between one person's freedom to believe whatever they want, but they can't impose that belief on others.

Bullying is simply being mean with the intent to cause harm.

This is where you might want to deploy a ‘You statement’ like ‘you can’t talk to me like that’ or ‘why are you acting like this?’ It pushes the other person away and asserts that you’re not going to submit to their behavior, and bullying is usually about trying to assert power or dominance.

Too often many of us default to staying silent because we don’t know how to respond in those situations. However, it’s important to identify the risk/reward of doing so. In that moment, you could give the other person an opportunity to do the right thing or the victim of injustice the support they need.

There are of course other workplaces challenges which occur. In particular, when you layer power and official authority on top of bias, prejudice and bullying that’s when you get discrimination, harassment, and physical violations.

If that is happening to you, document what's happening to you as you will want to build solidarity with others. That in the end will help you manage the situation better. Also look for upstanders. It’s actually a power move to call out to others because you are asking for an investment in you because you deserve it.

Conformity, Individuality, Coercion, & Collaboration

In “Just Work,” there is a 2x2 grid. The X axis is labeled conformity on one side and individuality on the other while the Y axis is labeled coercion and collaboration.

Source: Just Work

“Just Work” aims to optimize collaboration and individuality, but that’s not the case with a lot of our workplaces today. Many organizations today want nothing more than conformity, but that often explicitly excludes underrepresented people. And I think we’ve all experienced both subtle and not-so-subtle versions of coercion at work, and that doesn’t make anyone feel happier or more fulfilled.

This is where leaders have a huge responsibility to be upstanders — because they have the most power to be an upstander, combat injustice so that people feel respected as individuals, and facilitate collaboration.

Leadership Advice

Be open to criticism as a leader and solicit feedback. Your goal should be to lay your power down so that you can get on a level playing field and build real relationships with everyone on your team.

Key Takeaways

If you think you’re experiencing or witnessing bias, try using an ‘I statement.’
If you think like you're dealing with prejudice, try an ‘It statement.’
If you think you’re dealing with bullying, try a ‘You statement.’
If you’re not sure what kind of injustice you’re dealing with, just try one and see what happens. You can always adjust. Don’t let the fear of not getting it right the first time prevent you from being an upstander.
It also gives the other person the opportunity to possibly do the right thing, or at least show who that person really is.
You’ll get your sentiments out vs. harboring those feelings, which can cause that emotional stress over time.
It becomes a learning opportunity to help everyone learn how to effectively address situations like that going forward.
As a leader, it’s important to quantify bias and at each stage of the employee life cycle in order to prevent discrimination at your company.
Make sure that there are checks and balances in your systems so that you're not giving unilateral authority to any one person. When a hiring manager has unilateral authority, for example, it's much more likely that they're going to abuse that power in a way that combines bias, prejudice, or bullying with power, which will result in harassment.
If you are in a situation where the system is broken, there isn’t any objectivity in those senior leadership positions, and people don’t feel they can truly speak up, it’s okay to choose to leave the company if that is an option for you.
When you get too much coercion and conformity, the result is a sort of brutal ineffectiveness.
To resist that gravitational pull towards coercion and conformity, work with your team to create bias disruptors: create a shared vocabulary around bias, develop shared norms on how to respond to injustice, and check for potential biases that could be manifesting even when no one brings them up.

Resources:

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Ep. 105 - Supporting NextGen Leaders: Winning At Business & Life on Your Terms - with Justin Lafazan & Dylan Gambardella

Connie Steele — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Justin Lafazan and Dylan Gambardella are Co-Founders and CEOs of NextGen HQ, a mentorship platform dedicated to helping Next Generation Leaders succeed at work and life. And when I first heard about this platform, I knew I had to talk to the people who created it.

I had the benefit of wonderful mentors and friends who supported me along my own growth journey, and I really don’t think I would have gotten here without that support. So I feel compelled to pay it forward — and it has been really fulfilling talking to and working with Justin and Dylan so far.

For other leaders out there, I hope these two are inspiring for you as they were to me — and for the younger listeners, I hope you’re able to find the same kind of support I had in learning to “win” at work and life, as Dylan and Justin say.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

www.nextgenhq.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextgenhq/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nextgenhq/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nextgenhqofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nextgenhq/

Ep. 104 - Becoming Your Own Boss: A Look at Tiny Businesses That Make Big Money - with Elaine Pofeldt

Connie Steele — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

In the last episode, we talked a lot about The Great Reshuffle — about the record number of resignations, new hires, and new entrepreneurs.

We’re in the midst of this huge period of uncertainty, but people are choosing to take this big risk… even though data indicates that most small businesses fail. People are clearly seeing an opportunity here, or there is such a significant mindset shift in our culture that the risk calculus has fundamentally changed.

So we sat down with Elaine Pofeldt because we wanted to learn more about what differentiates the people who take that leap and make it to the other side happier and more fulfilled.

Elaine is an independent journalist and speaker who specializes in entrepreneurship and careers — and someone with an interesting hybrid career herself. She is author of the upcoming book “Tiny Business, Big Money,” which is available for preorder now and will be releasing on Feb 8, 2022, and "The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business."

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

elainepofeldt.com
“Tiny Business, Big Money:” https://www.tinybusinessbigmoney.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elainepofeldt/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milliondollaronepersonbusiness/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elainepofeldt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elaine.pofeldt

Ep. 103 - Season 7 Opener: Getting Ready for a New World of Work

Connie Steele — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Flywheel Associates conducted the inaugural wave of the State of Work and Career Success Study in 2020 to understand the U.S. workforce’s attitudes, behaviors and perceptions with respect to their career journey, goals, and needs. Our goal was to identify strategies and opportunities to help move them forward in their careers.

When we got the results, it was clear that workers’ goals and needs have shifted over the last 20 years. We conducted this survey in the early summer of 2020, right after the pandemic was beginning. The Great Resignation is very much reflecting, and perhaps magnifying, the results that we saw: people want more flexibility, people want to do something that gives them a sense of purpose, and people don’t want to work in conditions where they don’t feel respected.

But the survey only made us want to know more. So we decided to conduct another wave of research to measure trends in perceptions and conduct additional analysis to develop a deeper understanding of the needs of American workers. We’re getting the survey results back in the next month and then we’ll be diving into that data. So, in addition to interviewing people about what it takes to make progress in this new world of work, we’ll be including some relevant data from the survey in upcoming episodes. I’ll also be sharing everything we find over on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.conniewsteele.com/podcast

Resources:

Instagram: instagram.com/conniewangsteele
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/conniewsteele

Ep. 102 - Season 6 Closer: Redefining Success in a Changing World

Connie Steele — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 03:00:00 -0500

We started this season with a thesis: Creating meaningful work-life fit in today’s ever-changing world requires redefining success as progress.

Both my team and myself — and just about everyone else — have been riding the waves of this very weird year, personally and professionally. So we wanted to sit down as a team to reflect on what it has meant for us to redefine success as progress and what we learned from our guests this season.

Our guest is Maggie Glenski, Founder of Wrinkle’s Media, who made a career pivot herself earlier this year before joining our team.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/

Resources:

Check out Wrinkle’s Media

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Ep. 101 - The Fluid Organization: Testing, Learning, & Iterating to Create Human Connection & Business Momentum - with Jen McDonald

Connie Steele — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Jennifer McDonald is Chief Client Officer of North America at VMLY&R, where she leads a 250-person client engagement team.

We had Jen on the show back in episodes 70 and 71 to talk office politics, but we had to have her back on the show to discuss the transformation that VMLY&R underwent through 2020 and 2021.

We wanted to share how an organization this large could respond to the unknowns of a global pandemic with unprecedented fluidity — and our favorite thing about it is that their strategy hinged on supporting and empowering their people.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/101

Resources:

Connect with Jen on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Ep. 100 - Leveling Up Your Leadership From Founder to CEO - with Alisa Cohn

Connie Steele — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Alisa Cohn is an executive coach who’s been working with startup founders to grow into world-class CEOs for nearly 20 years. She’s been called the #1 Startup Coach in the world and she’s the author of the new book “From Start-Up to Grown-Up.”

Her breadth and depth of experiences working with companies like Esty, Foursquare, Invision and The Wirecutter — coupled with own personal journey — has given her valuable knowledge, insights, and perspectives on the struggles founders often face when working to lead, grow, and manage their business.

In this episode she shares valuable leadership advice from her book so that founders can start to create that traction and progress from the inside out.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/

Resources:

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Ep. 99 - Failing Epically & Pivoting Toward Progress: Pioneering an Emerging Industry - with Larisa Bolivar

Connie Steele — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 03:00:00 -0500

What does it look like to do something that you’ve never done before -- that no one has ever done before? What does it mean to be a pioneer in this new world of work? What does it look like when you take responsibility for crafting a new role for yourself, both internally and externally? Hear all about it from Larisa Bolivar, a long-time social justice advocate and a pioneer in the cannabis industry.

Ep. 98 - Creating a Side Hustle to Build Momentum & Progress - with Nick Loper

Connie Steele — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Nick Loper is an author, entrepreneur, and lifelong student in the game of business. He’s Chief Side Hustler at SideHustleNation.com, host of top-rated podcast The Side Hustle Show, and someone who is obsessed with progress.

Nick chose to pursue the side hustle life because he wanted freedom that the corporate life didn’t give him. While this is a path that many others are also interested in pursuing, others may choose to start a side hustle (or side hustles) on top of a day job to fulfill their long-term work-life goals.

So often, getting started can be the hardest part — but Nick shares how we can leverage side gigs and an experimenter’s mindset to make the first step easier on ourselves and move forward with confidence.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/

Resources:

Connect with Nick: LinkedIn | Twitter
The Side Hustle Show: The Business Podcast You Can Actually Apply
“$1,000 100 Ways”
Join the Side Hustle Nation FB Group
Check out Nick’s Quarterly Progress Reports
“Side Hustle Ideas To Financial Freedom with Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation”

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

On Spotify

Ep. 97 - The Long Game: Principles to Help You Redefine Success in an Uncertain World - with Dorie Clark

Connie Steele — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Dorie Clark shares valuable insights and perspectives from her new book, "The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World.” And along the way, we hear about Dorie’s career mashup journey and how becoming a long-term thinker helped her get to where she is today.

Ep. 96 - Redefining Success as Progress: Season 6 Opener

Connie Steele — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 03:00:00 -0500

We can see that too many people are unhappy. We can see that businesses of all sizes are struggling to adapt in a way that drives both business success and employee satisfaction. So we think it's time to change how we as individuals — as well as the companies we work for — define success.

Creating meaningful work-life fit in today's ever-changing world requires redefining success as progress.

And in this season, we'll be diving into stories from those who have done so in this new fluid world of work to help you build the business of you or create that fluid organization. Today, we're going to focus on the individual. And specifically, how individuals who are both successful and fulfilled in today's world define success and their perspectives and approach to achieving it so they could ultimately find that work-life fit for themselves.

Resources:

Past guests featured in this episode:

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Biz of You Spotlight: Meet Connie Steele - Building the Business of You

Connie Steele — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0500

In this last episode of the Biz of You mini-series, we’re getting an inside look at Connie’s own career journey and the experiences that shaped her perspective on career success. Who is Connie Steele? What inspired her to write Building the Business of You? And what does she hope people ultimately take away from the book? Today, Connie answers these questions and more.

Ep. 95 - Season 5 Recap: Aligning Passion, Purpose and Potential to Build Your Career Mashup - with Connie Steele, Alexis Anthony, and Alan Corcoran

Connie Steele — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0500

This season on Strategic Momentum, we released a series of podcourses in tandem with the launch of Building the Business of You — a book about understanding what the future of work really means for us as individuals and, most importantly, how to create and execute a plan that establishes our own career mashup so that we can be our whole selves. And the guests we heard from shared their own stories of how they were able to do so by building their own dream careers and fluid businesses, gaining valuable perspectives on the future of work in the process.

Each episode corresponded with a theme from the book, including fluidity, career success, and the components of the Fluid Career System: Spotting the Trends, Creating Your Compass, Preparing for Change, Networking Your Way to Your Path, and Building Hard and Soft Skills.

In this episode, we revisit key takeaways from the season and tie together the trends that emerged across the interviews and what they mean for the future of work in our new normal. Connie is joined by Strategic Momentum marketing manager Alexis Anthony and operations manager Alan Corcoran who have been integral to shaping the narrative arc of the season. In this recap, we explore our most surprising and inspiring moments from Season Five of Strategic Momentum all with the same focus: helping you answer, “What’s next?”

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/95

Resources:

Connect with Connie: Email | LinkedIn
Connect with Alexis: Email | LinkedIn
Connect with Alan: Email | LinkedIn
Share Your Feedback and Suggestions
Visit BizOfYou.co
Order the book on Amazon

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Biz of You Spotlight: Fluidity for Business - Building the Business of You

Connie Steele — Tue, 25 May 2021 03:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Connie Now, explains how companies can approach each of the five components in Building the Business of You to help employees reach their potential, as well as how the fluid system can help organizations stay ahead in a rapidly evolving business landscape. Because fluidity isn’t just about the future of careers, it's about the future of work.

Ep. 94 - Building Soft Skills Like Persistence, Humility and EQ to Create Proper Career Progress - with Kyle Hunter

Connie Steele — Tue, 18 May 2021 06:00:00 -0500

We all know the importance of building necessary skills to grow in our career and often we emphasize building and optimizing hard skills - like coding, writing, or design. Yet in today’s new world of work, soft skills matter even more to create the strategic momentum we are looking for. Because at the end of the day, we are dealing with people not machines.

Kyle Hunter AKA K. Sparks is an accomplished hip-hop musician, lyricist, and entrepreneurial businessman - that’s his career mashup. He’s written over 500 songs, with his music having over 6M streams on Spotify.

Now as the CEO of Rhythm Couture he works globally with an eclectic mix of talented musicians and producers and has favorably impacted and shifted the music product placement paradigm.

Kyle’s career mashup has always entailed building new skills to grow his capabilities. And while developing his hard skills have been valuable, it’s been the soft skills like emotional intelligence that have been instrumental to helping him be the effective leader he is today.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/94

Resources:

Follow Bryan’s Instagram | Rhythm Couture’s Instagram
Visit Rhythm Couture
Learn more about Building Skills in Building the Business of You

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Biz of You Spotlight: Skills- Building the Business of You

Connie Steele — Tue, 11 May 2021 03:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Connie covers the fourth part of the five-part fluid career system, Networking. It’s all about creating that value exchange and building your village to help you reach your potential. She explains how it fits into the overall system and why it’s so critical to career success.

Ep. 93 - Selfish vs. Selfless: Building A Village based on Authenticity and Purpose to Move You Toward Your Career Goals — with Bryan Wish

Connie Steele — Tue, 04 May 2021 06:00:00 -0500

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

In today’s work world, who you know is even more important to creating the momentum around what you may want to pursue.

That means networking needs to be a priority as you work towards your personal and professional goals, but unfortunately, many people see networking inevitably as a four letter word. They see it as being incredibly transactional and me-centered, especially in our digital world. So what are the keys to building relationships that are meaningful? How do you create that operational path to move you along your journey?

For Bryan Wish, entrepreneur and founder of a mission-driven brand agency, having a roadmap of where you want to go helps you identify those relationships worth investing time in. Bryan the founder and CEO of BW Missions, an agency that helps transform experts into thought leaders. He’s helped mission-driven entrepreneurs and CEOs develop and execute digital strategies behind their book, product, and business launches. Bryan pursues life with a dedicated resiliency to discover, build, and grow missions that matter.

In this episode, Bryan shares his career journey and his approach to aligning passion and purpose to build the necessary network to help you get there, but doing it fundamentally in an authentic way. And that path started with this feeling that he didn’t fit the common mold, no matter how hard he worked.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/93

Resources:

Connect with Bryan on LinkedIn | Twitter
Email Bryan at bryan@bryanwish.com
Visit BW Missions
Learn more about Networking in Building the Business of You

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Biz of You Spotlight: Networking— Building the Business of You

Connie Steele — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Ep. 92 - Preparing for Change and taking Small Steps to Deliver Impact and Cultivate Inclusion - with Joe English

Connie Steele — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0500

Being agile, adaptive and even fluid may have been a means of survival for the past year, but it is fast becoming a habit as uncertainty is the new certainty. Yet the thought of pivoting or forging a different path can still leave us stuck, inhibited by fear and frozen by indecision.

So how do we prepare for career change in a positive way that helps us push past this inertia and turn fear into an empowering form of excitement?

For Joe English, founder of LGBTQ+ non profit Hope In A Box, change has been and continues to be an ongoing component of his journey and these experiences helped build character, grit, and empathy.

In this episode we learn how Joe navigated the challenges of being perceived as different, embraced his sexual identity, and set career goals that saw him leaving his home town in order to create the change he wanted to see in the world, by providing inclusive literature and resources to schools.

Resources:

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn
Check out Hope in a Box
Follow Hope in a Box on Twitter
Connect with Connie on LinkedIn
Visit the website for “Building the Business of You: A System to Align Passion and Potential Through Your Own Career Mashup” or order the book on Amazon

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Biz of You Spotlight: Preparing for Change — Building the Business of You

Connie Steele — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 02:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Connie covers the third part of the five-part fluid career system, called Preparing for Change. It’s all about accepting change, managing fear then turning it into excitement, and pushing past the inertia we face. She explains how it fits into the overall system and why it’s so critical to career success.

Ep. 91 - Building a Career Mashup to Achieve Work-Life Fulfillment and Balance by Creating Your Compass - with Sabrina Woodworth

Connie Steele — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0500

There are times in life when things do go as planned. You realize that you want something more and life inevitably throws you curveballs where you have to adapt and adjust in order to get you to where you need to go.

For Sabrina Woodworth, there were personal and professional milestones along the way that forced her to reevaluate what she wanted to do. Sabrina is a Fortune 500 Project Manager, Career Strategy Coach, Bestselling Author and Founder of WorkLessons101. Sabrina’s path to creating her career mashup was one where she recognized the importance of setting a goal and mapping a way to achieve it. She learned this skill early on because early in her life, things weren’t so straightforward and it required trial and error to learn some fundamental skills.

In this episode, we learn about Sabrina’s career journey to parallel-pathing what she does today. And this story started by overcoming a learning disability which resulted in helping her develop one of her greatest skills.

Resources:

Connect with Sabrina on LinkedIn | Instagram
Check out WorkLessons101
Get Sabrina’s book, Work Lessons 101: What they Don't Teach You in School
Connect with Connie on LinkedIn
Visit the website for “Building the Business of You: A System to Align Passion and Potential Through Your Own Career Mashup” or order the book on Amazon

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Biz of You Spotlight: Creating Your Compass — Building the Business of You

Connie Steele — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Connie discusses how to Create Your Compass on your way to career success.

It’s all about creating clarity on what you're aiming for, by being able to map out a strategic plan to help you see the bigger picture and identify those tasks you will need to do to help you achieve your goals.

Ep. 90 - A Career Mashup Driven by a Promise, Compassion and Connection- with Catharine Bowman

Connie Steele — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500

We all have goals that we want to achieve in work and in life but oftentimes we aren’t sure where to start. There is a need, not only to bring our whole selves to work, but also to deliver meaningful impact, yet the task at hand can feel insurmountable.

Catharine Bowman knows this all too well. She’s an accomplished medical researcher, board member, medical student, speaker and change agent. And she’s only in her early twenties. At 8 years old, she made a promise to her mother that she would develop one of the first pharmacological treatments for lymphedema, an incurable and painful disease that is often a result of cancer treatments. That journey to find a solution began by connecting the dots around the trends, challenges and opportunities to create the necessary traction.

Compassion is what started her journey and it was a source of stability through her own constantly changing environment. She’s another inspiring career mashup story who’s featured in my new book Building the Business of You.

Resources:

Connect with Catharine on LinkedIn
Connect with Connie on LinkedIn
Visit the website for “Building the Business of You: A System to Align Passion and Potential Through Your Own Career Mashup”
Order the book on Amazon

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Biz of You Spotlight: Spotting the Trends — Building the Business of You

Connie Steele — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Connie covers step one of the five-part fluid career system, called Spotting the Trends. It’s all about identifying the challenges, threats, opportunities and potential to help you research and analyze where you are and where you want to go. She explains how it fits into the overall system and why it’s so critical to career success.

Ep. 89 - Fluidity & The Future of Work: Trends, Stories and Examples from Strategic Momentum

Connie Steele — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0500

The notion that “change is constant” is practically our new motto here at Strategic Momentum, as we study the workforce trends shaping the future of work in the coming years. Due to COVID-19 and the numerous crises over the last year, we’re all coming to terms with the fact that we’re living in an increasingly dynamic world.

We’re shifting from singularity to multiplicity, from linearity to intersectionality, and from rigidity to flexibility. It’s no doubt the pandemic is changing things, and we have to be more fluid now than ever to get through it.

Fluidity, of course, is a significant theme in Connie’s book, Building the Business of You. But it wasn’t a new idea that just came about during the pandemic — it's a trend that Connie has observed over the last few years, especially with interviews on this very show. We’ve had guests who have demonstrated how they’ve earned their success not by sticking to one clear path but by moving through various roles and companies, even pivoting as many as 11 times, to learn and develop the skills and perspectives that lead them to where they are today.

In this episode, Connie revisits some of these interviews, dating back as far as 2018, to uncover some of the stories that supported the development of the fluidity concept in Building the Business of You.

These stories cover situational fluidity, mindset fluidity, and location fluidity, to name a few. And all of this points to one main idea: the way forward in this ever-changing world is embracing change and going where the “cheese” is. That’s how you create your career mashup and reach your true growth potential.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/89

Resources:

Connect with Connie on LinkedIn
Visit the website for Building the Business of You
Order the book on Amazon

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Biz of You Spotlight: Fluidity — Building the Business of You with Connie Steele

Connie Steele — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0500

In this short-form series, Connie Steele shares tips from her #1 Amazon new release book, Building the Business of You. In this episode, Connie introduces the concept of “Fluidity,” the individual and operational mindset that is critical to building the business of you. What does it mean to be fluid? What are examples? And how can we use fluidity to create our career strategies?

Ep. 88 - Hedging Against Risk and Being Fluid to Build Your Own Career Mashup - with Eva Sadej

Connie Steele — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

It may seem to some that fluidity is innate to every worker in the millennial generation, but the reality is that this flexibility and willingness to adapt can be achieved by anyone — even if it has to be worked towards. And in this new world of work, traditional paradigms and workflows have fundamentally changed.

The model of career progression and growth used to be linear, and that’s certainly what Floss Bar and Med Bar founder Eva Sadej was conditioned to believe. But Eva is now a featured career mashupper featured in my new book “Building the Business of You: A System to Align Passion and Potential Through Your Own Career Mashup” — so don’t convince yourself that you’re too old to learn a new trick.

While Eva’s journey started out following the traditional linear path, she chose to take a detour. She parallel pathed her way toward entrepreneurship and subsequently defined a career that could leverage all of her talents and interests, all while hedging against risk, being fluid, and still taking a systematic approach.

Resources:

Connect with Eva on LinkedIn
Connect with Connie on LinkedIn
Visit the website for “Building the Business of You: A System to Align Passion and Potential Through Your Own Career Mashup”
Order the book on Amazon

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Biz of You Spotlight: The Career Mashup - Building the Business of You with Connie Steele Career Mashup

Connie Steele — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

In this short-form series, Connie Steele shares tips from her #1 Amazon new release book, Building the Business of You. Today, Connie discusses the “career mashup,” a premier concept in the book and the key to the future of work. What is it and how can you use it to create your dream career?

Ep. 87 - Building the Business of You - with Connie Steele

Connie Steele — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 06:00:00 -0500

“Building the Business of You: A System to Align Passion and Potential Through Your Own Career Mashup” releases in just a few days. It’s the first book to help professionals and entrepreneurs navigate the uncertain, post-pandemic world of work, while aligning personal purpose and professional advancement.

In this episode, the Strategic Momentum team, Alan and Alexis, flip the script on Connie to get a preview of the book, as well as learn about her own career journey. We dig into the concepts in the book and the inspiration behind them, which stem from a mix of personal and professional experiences, interviews she’s conducted on this show, and trends she’s studied in the workforce over the years.

Resources:

“Building the Business of You: A System to Align Passion and Potential Through Your Own Career Mashup”
Connect with Scott on LinkedIn
Visit Strategic Momentum for survey results

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 86 - The State of Work and Career Success: Goals, Drivers, Inhibitors and Attitudes with Connie Steele and Scott Vanderbilt

Connie Steele — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

It’s a new year, the early stages of a new decade, and a lot of things that used to be the norm just aren’t the norm anymore — especially when it comes to career growth and development.

Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen a shift from linear to non-linear career paths. The reality is most people don’t stay with one company, one role, or even one field anymore. Many find themselves pivoting frequently, creating what I call a career mashup.

And as a learning management platform that supports work and career success, Strategic Momentum’s mission is to study this revolution and spread the knowledge. We wanted to learn what work and career success mean today, what it takes to reach your potential, and what obstacles people are getting stuck on.

So, we implemented a study to assess just that, and we teamed up with Scott Vanderbilt, a seasoned market research executive with over 20 years of experience across a breadth of industries and audiences to help us.

This episode is focused on sharing some of the initial findings from the survey that we fielded in the summer of 2020.

Resources:

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn
Visit Strategic Momentum for survey results

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 85 - What it Takes to be a Great Entrepreneur During the Pandemic: Always be Sweating, Always be Learning, & Always be Trying with Tim Guleri

Connie Steele — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

We are still in the midst of the pandemic, but these trying times have also led to an increase in entrepreneurial activity and opportunities.

According to a Wall Street Journal analysis, “Americans are starting new businesses at the fastest rate in more than a decade.” The Foundation for Economic Education even cites that the pandemic offers a moment ripe for ‘creative destruction.’

That’s certainly not surprising for Tim Guleri, who has been knee deep in the startup world for much of his career. As a Managing Partner at Sierra Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture firm investing globally with a focus on Next Generation Enterprise and Emerging Technologies, he knows all too well the journey and evolution of successful entrepreneurs. Over his 18-year career in venture capital, as well as being a former serial entrepreneur himself, he has developed an inherent understanding of those critical traits aspiring and current entrepreneurs need to possess to build businesses that thrive.

But he didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. In fact, it was his curiosity and desire to ‘Alway be Trying’ that led him down the path of expanding his skill sets, experiences, and, ultimately, his career.

Resources:

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Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 84 - Season 4 Recap: Navigating the New World of Work, Breaking Through Inertia, & Building Your Career Mashup - with Connie Steele, Alexis Anthony and Alan Corcoran

Connie Steele — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

In this season of Strategic Momentum, we heard from a range of guests who had overcome a variety of business and career challenges... and then took on the additional challenges of driving momentum in a pandemic. We’ve heard stories of triumph and tribulation, while also gaining valuable advice on how to navigate the uncertainty we’re living in.

In this episode, Connie Steele is joined by Strategic Momentum’s Marketing Manager, Alexis Anthony, and Production and Operations Manager, Alan Corcoran, to look back on the season’s podcourses. They synthesize the advice guests have shared over the past few months and highlight the key trends and takeaways that stood out, especially those that are particularly salient in today’s virtual working world.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/84

Resources:

Connect with Connie: Email | LinkedIn
Connect with Alexis: Email | LinkedIn
Connect with Alan: Email | LinkedIn
Share Your Feedback and Suggestions

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Ep. 83 - Making a Double Impact Through Your Own Career Mashup — with Annette Grotheer

Connie Steele — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 06:00:00 -0500

In recent episodes, we’ve seen examples of unique career paths — those that involve mashing up various skills and experiences to achieve career fulfillment and success. But how can you create this personal mashup while also delivering impact in wider society?

Annette Grotheer is a doctor, healthcare advocate, Forbes 30 under 30 Class of 2020 recipient, and the founder of The Shop Docs, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing preventative care back to the minority community.

Doctor Grotheer believes that parallel pathing of passion and purpose, with both traditional employment and entrepreneurial ventures, is how people can make the most impact possible in and out of the workplace.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/83

Resources:

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Ep. 82 - Start Ugly: Embrace Change, Honor Fear, and Experiment to Build Momentum and Reach Your Potential— with Chris Krimitsos

Connie Steele — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 06:00:00 -0500

In today’s world, the only constant is change. And now, in light of COVID-19, so is uncertainty. It’s forced all us to think and operate differently and restructure the way we work.

Enter the Start Ugly philosophy.

Chris Krimitsos is an author, entrepreneur, documentary producer, and the Chief Creative Officer of Podfest Multimedia Expo, the world’s #1 interactive event for entrepreneurs, podcasters, and professionals. Recently, PodFest broke the Guinness World Record for the most attendees at a virtual conference — an idea and accomplishment that stems from Chris’s own Start Ugly philosophy, which is outlined in his new book, "Start Ugly: A Timeless Tale About Innovation & Change."

The philosophy and book have inspired thousands of readers to embrace change and uncertainty, release themselves from the chains of perfectionism, and take action on their ideas and creations.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/82

Resources:

Chris’s website
Podfest Multimedia Expo
Start Ugly: A Timeless Tale About Innovation & Change
Connect with Chris @chriskrimitsos on FB, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn

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Ep. 81 - Building a Successful Solopreneur Business: Identifying the Jobs to be Done and Creating Your Own Career Mashup — with Joshua Lisec

Connie Steele — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0500

The world of work has fundamentally changed, with many becoming responsible for their own professional development. Career interests and goals are no longer singular, but rather broad and dynamic. There’s a desire to continually learn, improve and grow — and even make a pivot into a different role or industry in order to create that career which reflects one’s expansive capabilities and abilities.

That’s something that Joshua Lisec knows all too well. He’s the founder of The Entrepreneur’s Wordsmith and a Certified Professional Ghostwriter. Since 2011, he has ghostwritten more than fifty books and has become a leading authority on author voice authenticity.

In fact, he’s the only award-winning certified professional ghostwriter of number one international bestselling books on the planet.

In this episode, Joshua shares:

The non-linear career journey that led him to being a ghostwriter
How he has been able to develop his successful solopreneur business by developing his own unique career mashup.
What it takes to create the traction that you are looking for when venturing out on your own

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/81

Resources:

Joshua Lisec on YouTube
The Entrepreneur’s Wordsmith

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Ep. 80 - Controlling the Uncontrollable during COVID-19: Rapid Innovation, Iteration and Elevation of Skillsets to Drive Momentum— with Jon Krinn

Connie Steele — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Amid a global pandemic, economic upheaval, and social distancing restrictions, many in the restaurant industry have experienced potentially irrevocable suffering. But Jon Krinn — Chef, marketer, and owner of the award-winning fine dining restaurant Clarity based in the Washington D.C. area — took this time as an opportunity for innovation.

It’s because it’s not his first rodeo. In 2008, when the economic recession negatively impacted the livelihoods of many in the service industry, Jon was forced to shut down his restaurant and, subsequently, decided to make a change in his career path. But as an athlete and competitor at heart, he used this setback as a launchpad for learning and growth. Since then, he’s rebuilt his restaurant career, pivoting from the culinary industry to an 8-year stint at Booz Allen Hamilton as a marketing strategist and then back to being a restaurateur.

He’s taken everything he’s learned from that experience in the corporate world to help adapt his current restaurant business to the climate we are in now with COVID. In this episode, Jon shares what he did to control the uncontrollable, the pivots he made and skillsets he’s learned along the way, as well as the value of creating a career mash-up that can help you thrive amid adversity.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/80

Resources:

Connect with Jon on Facebook | Instagram
Send Jon an Email
Visit Clarity’s Website

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Ep. 79 - Relationship Management: Building Rapport and Real Connections in a Virtual World - with Marc Angelos

Connie Steele — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0500

In the midst of widespread isolation, physical distancing, and global stress and anxiety, fostering human connection is more important in this COVID world than ever before; we all have the innate need to create a social rapport with others.

Even before the pandemic, the desire for real relationships in business and the workplace had given way to a trend towards transactional relationships — and that trend is only picking up pace.

Marc Angelos is a relationship manager and former Wall Street trader who has made communication and relationship-building his primary focus. A self-described “people person,” Marc has always used his ability to truly connect with people and build trust to help him navigate the sales process in the finance industry. He’s spent the last 25 years managing senior business relationships on Wall Street, which have taken him around the world and back. In his time, Marc has authored more than 100 articles on connecting with business customers, and his writings have been featured in outlets such as Bloomberg and Traders Magazine.

Presently, Marc helps professionals break down the barriers keeping them from developing meaningful relationships inside and outside of work through his communications firm Anvictus. In this episode, he offers advice for networking in the COVID climate and how you can cut through the digital noise, shares how to avoid the most common virtual networking mistakes, and helps us build meaningful connections through trust, transparency, vulnerability and authenticity.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/79

Resources:

Connect with Marc on LinkedIn | Twitter
Follow Marc’s videos on Instagram
Check out Anvictus

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Ep. 78 - Office Politics (Pt. 3) Understanding the 5 C’s and the Strategic Vision to Build Trust and Alignment - with Michael Wilkinson

Connie Steele — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Last season on Strategic Momentum, we started our series on understanding and navigating office politics. The last two episodes in the series featured a panel of guests sharing different advice and perspectives, but in this episode, we dive deep with Michael Wilkinson.

Michael is a veteran on the show and one of our favorite voices on leadership and management. He’s a Master Facilitator and Founder of Leadership Strategies, the #1 Facilitation Training Company in the US.

In Part One, Michael explained how political behavior in the office really comes down to two things: alignment and trust. In this episode, Michael walks us through exactly what those look like, and how to break down alignment and trust to find the root of political problems and then create your strategy for managing those dynamics effectively.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/78

Resources:

Connect with Michael via Email | Linkedin
Learn more about Leadership Strategies
Buy Michael’s Books on Facilitation

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Ep. 77 - Building Your Personal Brand: Identifying Your Superpowers, Defining Your Value, and Managing Your Career Like a Business — with David Knies

Connie Steele — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0500

In our last podcourse, Jenny Blake walked us through what a career pivot really is, answering questions about how to move forward and be more fluid in a non-linear career path. Today, we continue to explore this question with David Knies, the Chief Growth officer at Boston-based design firm Essential.

While brand development is commonplace in business, many people struggle to define their personal brand in a way that represents their authentic selves and effectively differentiates them in the market. For David, a brand strategist and growth leader for high growth, design- and innovation-led businesses, the trick is to think of yourself as a business.

His mission is to create opportunities that help businesses and leaders reach their next level - faster. In this episode, David gives us insight and advice into what it takes to define who you really are, what you do and the unique value you truly bring.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/77

Resources:

Connect with David on LinkedIn | Twitter
Visit David’s website
Learn more about Essential

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Ep. 76 - Career Pivoting: Starting Small and Methodically Shifting to Create Momentum - with Jenny Blake

Connie Steele — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0500

As we begin Season 4, we face a work landscape that has been drastically altered by the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve had to change how we work on a macro and micro level, and many people have also had to seek new jobs in new industries, changing the type of work they perform. In fact, this shift is so prevalent that 2020 has been deemed the year of the pivot by The New York Times.

More people than ever are asking the question, “What’s next?”

Pre-COVID-19, a pivot occured when a worker hit a career plateau, usually, but pivoting has now become a necessity for countless people. With that in mind, our first podcourse of this season is with Jenny Blake, a career and business strategist, international speaker, and the author of “Pivot,” a step-by-step method to help you map what's next. It’s a strengths-based approach that emphasizes doubling down on what is already working to shift into a new, related direction.

Jenny has pivoted many times, from studying political science, communications, and computer science at UCLA to becoming the first employee at a start-up in Silicon Valley. She later worked at Google, where she spent over five years in Training and Career Development as the company skyrocketed from 6,000 to 36,000 employees, while also writing her first book, “Life After College.” Jenny left Google in 2011 to take her consulting business full-time.

In this episode, she shares her strategies, advice, and insights on pivoting, which are more important than ever.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/76

Resources:

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Ep. 75 - Season 3 Recap: Developing Soft Skills to Cultivate Better Business Relationships and Drive Work Momentum - with Connie Steele and Alexis Anthony

Connie Steele — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 06:00:00 -0500

This season, we’ve covered topics ranging from entrepreneurship and management, to understanding and building up your soft-skills like networking and navigating office politics — all of which are critical to being able to move dynamically upward in challenging times. For our 75th episode and season closer, we recap some of our favorite tips and advice from the last 11 episodes of 2020.

As a note — this show is geared toward providing actionable tips and practical advice with context so you can employ these words of wisdom in your day-to-day environment. So, we’ve decided to move toward the term “podcourse” to describe the listening experience.

So, in this episode, Connie is joined by Strategic Momentum Marketing Manager Alexis Anthony to discuss the key takeaways from the podcourses this season.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at strategicmomentum.co/podcast.

Resources:

Take the Career Success Survey
Connect with Connie: Email | LinkedIn
Connect with Alexis: Email | LinkedIn
Share Your Feedback and Suggestions

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 74 - Networking the Right Way: How to Build Real Relationships to Help Propel You Forward - with Jordan Harbinger

Connie Steele — Tue, 26 May 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Jordan Harbinger, often referred to as “The Larry King of podcasting,” is a Wall Street lawyer turned interview talk show host, and a communications and social dynamics expert.

He’s hosted a Top-50 podcast for over 12 years and The Jordan Harbinger Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world. On Jordan’s podcast, he deconstructs the playbooks of the most successful people on earth and shares their strategies, perspectives, and practical insights with the rest of us.

But before all that, he made it his mission to understand how to network effectively and teach people in the process. And it’s his mastery of this skill that’s led him to where he is today.

Many of us intuitively know that networking is important to do, but the idea of it makes us really uncomfortable. So what does it take to build and master this skill in a way that you are able to make real connections?

In this episode, Jordan shares

How his focus on making networking a competitive advantage led him to where he is today.
The challenges and misconceptions around what networking really means.
What it takes to build those authentic relationships that can propel you and your career forward.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/74

Resources:

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 73 - How to be a Kick-Ass Boss: Being Radically Candid to Propel You and Your Team Forward with Kim Scott

Connie Steele — Tue, 12 May 2020 06:00:00 -0500

We’ve all had our share of bad bosses and we’re familiar with the negative impact they can have on our ability to grow and thrive. Kim Scott, co-founder of Candor, Inc. and author of the NYT & WSJ bestseller ‘Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss without Losing your Humanity’ has made it her company’s mission to rid the world of bad bosses by helping organizations create BS-free zones at workplaces around the world.

Her breadth of experiences have given her an in-depth perspective on the conditions that people need to do their best work. She was a startup founder and CEO, led AdSense, YouTube, and Doubleclick Online Sales and Operations at Google and then joined Apple to develop and teach a leadership seminar. Further, Kim’s been a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and several other tech companies.

And what she’s learned is that it takes being radically candid as a manager - caring personally while challenging directly to create the right momentum.

In this episode, Kim shares:

Where some of the bad boss behavior emanates from
The challenges that many leaders face when it comes to knowing how to guide their teams effectively
The concepts, applications and benefits behind the Radical Candor framework
How to deliver praise and criticism in a way that is helpful

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/73

Resources:

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Ep. 72 - Understanding and Overcoming Social Anxiety to Propel Your Career Forward - with Mark Metry

Connie Steele — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Whether you’re the leader of a company or a new hire, understanding and developing your EQ is essential to career success. But if you are one of many with social anxiety, breaking out of your comfort zone to build meaningful connections with others is challenging. And if you manage someone with social anxiety, you might mistake their behavior for a lack of motivation, but really that’s not the case.

For Mark Metry, learning how to overcome his own struggles with mental health while reframing his mindset was critical to driving his career. Mark is a 22-year-old entrepreneur and the author of Screw Being Shy: Learn How to Manage Social Anxiety and Be Yourself in Front of Anyone, and he’s on a mission to spread awareness about social anxiety and help others learn to overcome it.

In this episode, Mark shares his personal journey, the science behind social anxiety, advice for breaking through to meet your potential, and how to better understand those who may suffer from this social disorder.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/

Resources:

Visit markmetry.com
Buy Screw Being Shy

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Ep. 71 - Office Politics (Part 2): Learning to Manage and Master Political Maneuvering

Connie Steele — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we’re looking at various solutions and courses of action you can take to mitigate, manage, or navigate office politics more effectively.

In “Office Politics Part 1” (Ep. 68), a panel of business leaders joined us to share their individual experiences with and perspectives on politicking in the workforce. Today, the group returns to explore what it takes to manage common political situations and how to build those skills that can help you anticipate and maneuver those tricky circumstances in the future. Ultimately, it comes down to understanding power dynamics, developing your emotional intelligence (EQ) to build better relationships, and creating a strategic plan to fall back on in political situations.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/71

To learn more about how one’s deep-seated emotions, plus power dynamics, leadership styles and rewards structures in an organization can lead to negative politics, check out Episode 68 here.

Resources:

Jim Brady LinkedIn | Twitter
Kimberly Henning Linkedin
Preston Lewis Linkedin | Website
Jen McDonald LinkedIn | Twitter
Tony Orlando LinkedIn
Jennifer Trzepacz Linkedin | Website

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Ep. 70 - Building and Sustaining Effective Teams: The Balance Needed to Drive Momentum - with Jennifer Trzepacz

Connie Steele — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Many of us realize how important team dynamics are to the success of a business. And recent events have made that all the more relevant as many businesses have needed to quickly adapt and adjust to operating in a new way out of necessity.

Jennifer Trzepacz - known as JT - is the Chief Operations Officer and Partner at Wildcat Venture Partners. She’s been involved in implementing human resource strategies and managing operations at several transformative and industry leading companies including Yahoo, Salesforce, Electronic Arts and Living Social. She inherently understands the impact that the workforce, workplace and macro environment at large has on the business and the team dynamics within them. These evolving factors are more important than ever in the current situation we find ourselves in on every level.

In this episode, JT shares her perspective on:

Critical factors leaders and individuals need to consider when establishing and being part of high performing teams
Common challenges that affect the ability to develop the right team dynamics
What it takes to break through to create and sustain those levels of productivity and impact regardless of business size

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/70

Resources:

Jennifer Trzepacz Linkedin
Wildcat Venture Partners

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Ep 69 - Remote Work: Tips on Effective Virtual Meeting Facilitation During the Coronavirus Pandemic - with Michael Wilkinson

Connie Steele — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0500

With COVID-19 necessitating the rapid shift to working remotely, we felt it would be particularly relevant to share insights from a favorite past guest of ours — Michael Wilkinson — because our goal is always to help you navigate through the change we are all facing so you can create the right momentum to move forward.

Michael preaches the tenets of process and preparation that enable leaders to boost collaboration, productivity, and morale among their teams. In this episode, we highlight his specific tips and advice for facilitating virtual meetings.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.flywheelassociates.com/podcast/69

Resources:

Connect with Michael via Email | Linkedin
Learn more about Leadership Strategies
Buy Michael’s Books on Facilitation

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 68 - Office Politics (Part 1): Understanding The What, How, and Why to Navigate Workplace Dynamics Effectively

Connie Steele — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0500

While many of us would rather avoid office politics or pretend it’s not necessary to understand them, the reality is that we can’t — and if you ignore them, you could end up left behind. So what does it take to build that political know-how that will help you get unstuck and thrive?

This is the first in a series of episodes that brings together a range of business leaders to share their perspectives and experiences from different roles, industries, and company structures. They offer insights that will help listeners build political competence in order to navigate office politics effectively.

In this episode, we get the lay of the land by exploring what office politics really means, the positive and negative sides of it all, and most importantly, what drives the political behavior at its core. Because being able to navigate politics efficiently starts with understanding the “why” behind human behavior.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/68

Resources:

Jim Brady LinkedIn
Kimberly Henning Linkedin
Preston Lewis Linkedin
Jen McDonald LinkedIn
Tony Orlando LinkedIn
Jennifer Trzepacz Linkedin
Michael Wilkinson Linkedin

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Ep. 67 - Evolution of Entrepreneurship: Perceptions, Realities and Finding the All-Important Truths - with Bryan Stolle

Connie Steele — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Between the draw of Silicon Valley and the success of shows like Shark Tank, entrepreneurship and startups are undoubtedly more trendy than ever — and in some ways, it’s become an obsession.

Some view entrepreneurship as an outcome, while others see it as a necessity, or even as a habit and a practice. Technology has also seemingly made it easier to achieve success. But is that really the case?

Bryan Stolle has created more than $1 billion in realized liquidity for his investors as a founder of multiple companies. And as founder and CEO of Agile Software, Bryan led the creation of a new category now called product lifecycle management (PLM). He’s overseen the creation, go-to-market, and market growth of product and service offerings that have achieved more than $2 billion in revenues, and has raised more than $1 billion in venture, public market and investment management capital.

In his current role as a Founding Partner at Wildcat Venture Partners, he focuses on investments in FinTech, InsureTech, PropTech, and software as a service (SaaS).

In this episode, Bryan shares his perspective on the perceptions and realities of entrepreneurship, the myths and misconceptions that are still prevalent, and what an aspiring or current entrepreneur needs to consider to create momentum for success.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/67

Resources:

Connect with Bryan: LinkedIn | Twitter | Email
Visit Wildcat’s website
Read Bryan’s blog on Forbes

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Ep. 66 - Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Creating a Safe Environment to Fail to Propel You and Your Business Forward - with Rick Lindquist

Connie Steele — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 06:00:00 -0500

“Fail fast, fail often” is a common business concept that many apply (or desire to) in order to drive growth for their organization.

While this mindset and approach is something that many say they embrace, it isn’t always fully realized in a way that builds the right forward momentum. So what does it take to create an environment where failure isn’t feared but rather is used as a building block for mindful learning - for you and your organization?

Rick Lindquist is the founder of LegUp Ventures and former CEO of Zane Benefits now People Keep. Rick was put at the helm of the company at the ripe of old age of 22 and spent the next 10 years quickly learning and iterating in his role. From the highs and lows of that experience, he has gained a deep appreciation of the importance of learning from failure.

Now in his mid thirties and in the next phase of his career, he is focused on using what he has learned to help underdogs get a leg up, as an entrepreneur, author and consultant.

In this episode Rick shares:

What ‘Fail Fast. Fail Often.’ really means when it comes to creating that positive approach for you and your organization
How to create an environment that makes it safe to fail professionally and personally
The importance of intentional self-reflection to truly see the potential lessons learned and grow from it

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/66

Resources:

Connect with Rick on Twitter and LinkedIn
Visit Rick’s website

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 65 - Mentorship Success: Creating a Program to Motivate Employees, Deliver Value and Build Meaningful Connections - with Julie Kantor

Connie Steele — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

Business success is dependent on employee engagement and development. Mentorship is a proven component of a healthy and thriving workforce, but helping employees build meaningful mentor-mentee relationships is not as easy as you would think.

Julie Kantor, founder and CEO of Twomentor, has made it her mission to help people and the companies they work for create mentorship programs that deliver real value. In fact, she has more than 20 years of workforce development experience, delivering keynotes on mentorship and entrepreneurship around the globe. Today, Twomentor works with clients to build sustainable inclusion mentoring and sponsorship initiatives to drive employee engagement and retention.

In this episode, Julie walks us through how companies can step up (or create) their mentorship programs and explains what so many people are getting wrong that prevents them from fully reaping the benefits of their mentor-mentee relationships.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/65.

Resources:

Connect with Julie via Email
Visit Twomentor's website
Watch “Four Ways to Start Your Corporate Mentoring Program”

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 64 - Pivoting to Find One’s Voice, Define a Career and Build a Business - with Joe Saul-Sehy

Connie Steele — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

As we begin a new season of the Strategic Momentum Podcast, we are covering a topic that we commonly observed among many of our previous guests - changing your career trajectory to better align with a specific passion, or to find greater fulfillment and achieve one’s own potential.

But it can be a struggle to find what that path or profession may be. Some may say it’s still best to stay in your current lane for stability sake. But for those searching for something more, what does it take to find your own professional purpose?

Joe Saul-Sehy is the host of the #1 Financial advice podcast, The Stacking Benjamins. Joe was 40 when the resignation of a mentor in the Financial Planning industry left him re-examining his own career path.

He chose to make a career pivot, taking him from being a successful financial planner - and one of the select group of spokespeople for Amex - to becoming an award-winning podcaster who leverages the science of play to build financial literacy among his listeners.

And this non-linear journey has involved constantly testing and learning from his roles, cherry-picking the aspects he has a passion and aptitude for, and creating his voice by combining these skills and experiences.

In this episode he explains:

-The positives to be gained from a multi-faceted, non linear career path
How to overcome fear and create a mindset that facilitates opportunity
The importance of learning from others - and applying this knowledge to you

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at strategicmomentum.co.

Resources:

Connect with Joe via Email
Follow Joe on Twitter
Stacking Benjamins Website

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 63 - Season 3 Trailer: Helping You Understand the Business of Work

Connie Steele — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This is a bonus episode to let you know what’s in store for the coming season — because we have some exciting changes for 2020!

In conducting interviews with more than 60 progressive leaders so far, we’ve found that the nature of business is becoming more non-linear, collaborative and fluid. And a major factor in achieving your full growth potential is learning how to navigate this dynamic environment. So as we move into this new season, the Strategic Momentum Podcast will be honing in on what we call “understanding the business of work,” so that you can get the work and career advice you need to power through to get to the top.

In 2020, we’ll have experts on to talk about pressing topics, including:

Handling a career pivot
Mentorship
And navigating internal politics and conflict

And that’s just the beginning. It’s our hope that this community will continue to grow and that we can support each other with work and career advice from as many perspectives as possible. Thank you for listening to the Strategic Momentum Podcast, and here’s to helping you and your company reach your full growth potential in 2020!

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/.

Resources:

Connect with Connie: Email | LinkedIn
Visit Our Tips and Advice Page
Share Your Feedback and Suggestions

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep 62 - 2019 Lessons Learned in Breaking Through Business and Career Challenges to Propel You Forward - with Connie Steele and Alexis Anthony

Connie Steele — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 06:00:00 -0500

In the past 61 episodes, we’ve heard from a range of guests across a variety of industries—all of whom shared many different perspectives on how to break through the common challenges in business and career development today.

Every interview has come with its set of valuable lessons and key takeaways that help us to understand the business of work— from how to be effective in sales and implementing AI to learning how to be an active upstander as well as identifying how to best motivate and engage your workforce.

In this episode, Connie flips the script to reflect on this year’s episodes to highlight some key themes and important lessons our guests have shared. She is joined by Alexis Anthony, Strategic Momentum’s marketing manager, who has been with the show from the very beginning. They discuss their favorite moments on the podcast in 2019 and share their own tips and advice for breaking through business and career inertia to reach your full growth potential.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at https://www.strategicmomentum.co/episodes/

Resources:

Connect with Connie: Email | LinkedIn
Connect with Alexis: Email | LinkedIn
Share Your Feedback and Suggestions

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 61 - Aligning Personal and Corporate Purpose: Redefining Philanthropy Through the Power of Small Actions - with Bryan de Lottinville

Connie Steele — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 06:00:00 -0500

While many have this desire for greater meaning, purpose and impact, the “how” isn’t always aligned with their own “why.”

The traditional approach to charitable giving and corporate philanthropy programs is often times limited and narrow. As a result, it doesn’t enable individuals in an organization to truly fulfill their personal “goodness” goals, nor does it allow for a company to tap into their employees passion to support a higher order purpose. So how do companies tap into that innate need they have while also translating that into something bigger?

Bryan de Lottinville, Founder and CEO of Benevity, is a self-described “recovering lawyer” who found his higher purpose by changing the way companies can do well by doing good. And that involves harnessing the power of individuals and the small actions they collectively take.

In this episode Bryan shares:

What led him to make that career pivot and start his goodness platform.
The challenges with the existing model around charitable giving and corporate philanthropy.
The importance of shifting the why around giving and corporate social responsibility to be sustainable and personal.
The benefit of enabling the power of one to create that ongoing iterative contribution, which can now be done through technology

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at http://strategicmomentum.co/episodes/61

Resources:

Find us on Social Media:

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Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 60 - Startup Success: Engineering A Market to Traverse the Traction Gap - with Bruce Cleveland

Connie Steele — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 06:00:00 -0500

It takes guts, determination, and a healthy dose of optimism to attempt building a startup of your own. And even with that passion to innovate, inspired by a dedication to change or improve the way we do things, the unfortunate reality is that most startups fail.

So the big question is why? And more importantly, what’s the difference between those that fail and those that succeed? What’s the secret to success?

Bruce Cleveland is a Founding Partner of Wildcat Venture Partners and author of the book Traversing the Traction Gap. What compelled Bruce to write his book was to answer that very question around why the startup failure rate was so high and what entrepreneurs could do about it. He’s seen first-hand what’s required to take an idea from startup to category leader, with over three decades of experience building early and growth-stage companies in Silicon Valley before becoming a venture capitalist. And as an investor, he’s been involved with some exciting companies, including Marketo, C3, and Vlocity.

In this episode, Bruce shares:

Why many startups fail and how “market-engineering” separates the winners from the losers.
What the Traction Gap Framework is and the important milestones and pillars that make up the approach.
The necessity to have a market-first mindset and ways to capture that all-important Market IQ.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at strategicmomentum.co.

Resources:

Connect with Bruce via LinkedIn | Email
Follow Bruce on Medium
Learn more about Traversing the Traction Gap
Buy the book
Wildcat Venture Partners Website

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 59 - Overcoming Impostor Syndrome and Knowing Your Worth: Insights & Advice from Female Business Leaders

Connie Steele — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0500

This year, Forbes published its list of the 100 Most Innovative Leaders in business. Sadly, only one female executive made the list.

This fact highlights the nationwide problem that women are significantly underrepresented in business leadership. Despite nearly 100 years of political and economic progress, women hold only 25% of C-Suite positions in the top 1,000 companies, and only 6% of CEO positions.

So what are the biggest barriers keeping women from rising up the corporate ladder?

We’ve had a number of female executives and entrepreneurs on this show who’ve shared their perspective as a business leader and as a woman in the workforce. In this episode, eight of these women discuss some of the biggest barriers they’ve collectively seen that inhibit women from reaching their full potential—plus these accomplished guests provide tips and advice for breaking through that inertia to create the momentum women are looking for in their professional and even personal life.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at strategicmomentum.co.

Resources:

Forbes Most Innovative Leaders 2019
Women in the Workplace
Amanda Thomas: Instagram
Bhavna Dave: Linkedin
Cara Silletto: Linkedin
Imani Greene: Linkedin
Ines Lebow: LinkedIn
Meghan French Dunbar: Linkedin
Yao Huang: Linkedin

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Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 58 - Women in Business: Finding Empowerment and Control by Building Your Own Business and Brand Story - with Amanda Thomas

Connie Steele — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 06:00:00 -0500

It can be a struggle to feel empowered in our work and personal life, a challenge that is often more difficult for women as we often negotiate against ourselves and endure the self-doubt that can negatively affect professional momentum.

How does one build a passion-driven career that allows risk-taking but delivers the life and relationships we want? And who are the role models we can learn from?

Amanda Thomas is an entrepreneur, marketing leader, and host of a women’s empowerment podcast. She’s the Founder and President of Two Score, a boutique marketing firm that focuses exclusively on helping small to mid-sized credit unions grow and reach their full potential.

In this episode Amanda shares:

What led her to building her agency business
How to direct your career path in the direction you want to go
Why you should take risks, trust your gut, and give yourself permission to do everything you want to do

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast/58.

Resources:

Find us on Social Media:

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 57 - Productivity and Time Management: How to Prioritize What Matters Most to Drive Extraordinary Results - with Geoff Woods

Connie Steele — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 06:00:00 -0500

With growing demands on our time, being able to manage it all professionally and personally is a universal challenge.

It is not always easy to create focus and clarity that will drive positive momentum for you and your company. Many of us succumb to lies of productivity, rather than implementing an effective goal-setting process.

So what does it take to create the focus necessary to drive positive momentum for you, your company, and your career?

Geoff Woods is Vice President of The ONE Thing, the training company that teaches people how to live a life of focus so that they have more by doing less, based on the top-rated business book of the same name by billionaire Gary Keller and his NY Times best selling co-author Jay Papasan.

In this episode you will learn:

The importance of clarity, control and community around your target goals
The lies of productivity and the common daily work habits that get us stuck when it comes to time management
The valuable goal-setting processes that leads to doing more of what matters most.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast/57.

Resources:

Find us on Social Media:

FACEBOOK: Strategic Momentum Podcast
INSTAGRAM: @strategicmomentum
TWITTER: @flywheelassoc
LINKEDIN: Flywheel Associates
YOUTUBE:...

Ep. 56 - Building Wellness into the Fabric of Your Corporate Culture to Drive Workforce Momentum - with Michael Heinrich

Connie Steele — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 10:00:00 -0500

Investment in corporate wellness continues to gain momentum as many companies acknowledge the importance of keeping their workforce healthy, happy, and, ultimately, more productive and engaged. Yet the implementation of these programs aren’t necessarily translating into sustainable health outcomes.

Michael Heinrich has made it his mission to help companies create healthier and happier environments for their employees, and for him it begins with nutrition. He is CEO of Oh My Green, a concierge-style provider of healthy food and wellness services for corporations of all sizes. In this episode, Michael shares what it takes to truly deliver on workplace wellness.

You learn:

The experiences and drivers that led Michael to starting Oh My Green.
What wellness really is and what inhibits a company’s ability to establish an environment that optimizes employee well-being, productivity, and engagement.
What it takes to implement a sustainable culture of wellness throughout an organization.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Michael: Email | Twitter
Oh My Green Website

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 55 - Building a Conscious Company: Delivering Sustainable Benefits for People, the Planet, and Your Business - with Meghan French Dunbar

Connie Steele — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 10:00:00 -0500

There is a continual trend towards companies thinking and operating in a more “conscious” way. And while there is the desire in many companies to do so, not all are able to fulfill on that promise. But those that do end up taking a more comprehensive approach to delivering a spectrum of positive effects have been proven to outperform the market financially.

Meghan French Dunbar is Co-founder and CEO of Conscious Company Media, the nation’s leading multi-media hub dedicated to purpose-driven businesses and social enterprises. The company’s flagship product — Conscious Company Magazine — was the first nationally distributed print publication in the U.S. to focus exclusively on sustainable and conscious business practices.

Meghan has dedicated her life to using business as a driving force for positive change in the world. And in this episode, she shares the career journey that brought her to the Conscious Business world, as well as her perspective on what the conscious business movement is and what it takes to deliver sustainable benefits for people and the planet, as well as yourself – not just your business – all to help everyone move forward.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Meghan via Linkedin
Learn more about Conscious Company Media

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 54 - The Power of Virtual Reality: Learning by Doing to Drive Business and Social Impact - with Yao Huang

Connie Steele — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 10:00:00 -0500

In today’s era of rapid innovation, companies of all sizes must constantly evolve in order to remain competitive. Disruption can happen at any time, so staying ahead of the curve is no longer a differentiator, but a necessity. But innovation for innovation’s sake is not enough.

With continued consumer expectations that products and services focus on the greater good, businesses have a new opportunity to disrupt markets through purpose-driven innovation. Yao Huang is the Founder and Managing Partner of The Hatchery, an organization instrumental in developing the New York technology ecosystem with an international advisory consultancy and incubator.

Named by Forbes as one of eleven women at the center of New York’s digital scene, by Beta Beat as one of 25 Women Driving New York’s Tech Scene, and as one of TechWeek’s 100 most influential people in tech, Yao believes in leveraging technological disruption and innovation to scale social impact. One of those areas is Virtual Reality (VR).

In this episode, Yao shares how VR is redefining the way we learn for the better and the value of harnessing this form of learning by doing to propel businesses forward.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 53 - Bridging the Gap between Generations to Drive Retention and Workforce Momentum - with Cara Silletto

Connie Steele — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 10:00:00 -0500

Bridging the generational divide is a major challenge for business leaders today. There are three generations in the modern day workplace, each with their own diverse career aspirations and expectations.

Creating an environment that leverages the talent, value, and strengths of this new workforce requires a keen understanding of their different perspectives and using an approach that ensures they collectively build momentum for your organization.

Cara Silletto is workforce thought leader in employee retention and the author of Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave and How to Keep Them Longer. As President and Chief Retention Officer at Crescendo Strategies, she works with companies to reduce unnecessary employee turnover by bridging generational gaps and making managers more effective in their roles.

Today, Cara shares insights into the mindset differences of Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers and how to apply these important perspectives to effectively manage and retain your workforce -- because a sustainable and productive one can only be achieved when everyone has a common understanding of one another.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Cara via Linkedin
Crescendo Strategies Website

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 52 - Driving Impact through HR: Aligning the People Strategy with the Business Strategy - with Bhavna Dave

Connie Steele — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 10:00:00 -0500

How do you provide the right environment for your employees to flourish, while also driving your business forward?

The modern workplace is constantly evolving and has become ever more diverse. Industry leaders are required to rethink how to best align the business dynamics with the people dynamics.

Bhavna Dave is Chief People Officer at Frontpoint Security and she has consistently built effective HR organizations across several high growth companies, by understanding and implementing processes that merge the business, talent and people strategy.

In this episode, she shares her insight on the current challenges faced by HR leaders in attracting, developing and retaining talent, as well as solutions they need to consider to truly deliver business impact.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Bhavna via Linkedin
Frontpoint Website

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Crate Media

Ep. 51 - Driving Innovation and Leading Change: Perspectives from an Intrapreneur and Entrepreneur - with Jim Brady

Connie Steele — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 10:00:00 -0500

In today’s ever-evolving world, companies are realizing the importance of being agile, innovative and forward-thinking in order to stay relevant and keep up.

As an intrapreneur however, it can be difficult to drive that change inside an organization or even get buy-in for new ideas and processes. But even as an entrepreneur where you have much more control, driving towards the outcome you intended doesn’t always net out the way you expect.

Jim Brady, former executive editor of WashingtonPost.com and CEO of Spirited Media, has been on both sides of the coin. He’s been at the forefront of digital journalism from being part of the original WashingtonPost.com launch team and then serving as their executive editor where they won several awards, to managing News and Sports Programming at AOL, and then leading other major news media organizations and their innovation initiatives like Digital First Media before running his own venture.

In this episode, Jim shares the lessons learned on what it took for him to create that momentum for change and innovation in his various roles -- because transformation doesn’t start with technology or systems and processes, it starts with building that winning team.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Jim via Email
Follow Jim on Twitter @jimbrady

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 50 - Work Advice from Industry Experts: Tips and Insights to Build Career Momentum and Reach Your Full Growth Potential

Connie Steele — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 10:00:00 -0500

The focus of the Strategic Momentum Podcast has always been helping listeners understand the strategies, approaches and perspectives needed to solve the common challenges plaguing businesses today. But another factor in breaking through business inertia is developing the foundational hard and soft skills needed to thrive today and in the future.

The guests on this show have been through a lot of trying situations as their careers have progressed -- from dealing with leadership conflicts or watching their startups fail, to losing their jobs, and jumping from company to company in search of the right fit. And these experiences taught them valuable lessons that ultimately lead to career success in the long run.

So for our 50th episode and the first major milestone for the Strategic Momentum Podcast, we’ve decided to round up the best career advice our guests have given on this show so far. Because it is our mission to help up-and-coming leaders gain the personal and professional skills needed to navigate their career and reach their full growth potential.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 49 - Building Relationships Through Direct Response: The Strategy to Drive Customer Demand and Engagement - with Anita John

Connie Steele — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 10:00:00 -0500

How do you win customers and keep them coming back?

Driving growth, for any business, requires a solid customer acquisition focus and retention plan. However, many struggle to determine the right retention and acquisition strategies to employ and the most effective way to execute them.

So, what’s the best way to deal with the ever-changing buyer’s journey, limited marketing budgets, and the need to keep up with both the latest technologies and your competitors?

Anita John has spent years helping brands break through these very obstacles. She’s the Founder of ARJ Consulting, a marketing consultancy that provides expertise in igniting demand and creating true customer engagement at every touchpoint so that businesses are efficiently maximizing revenue and customer loyalty. Anita brings more than 20 years’ experience working in direct response roles for companies including Intuit, StubHub, and Time-Life.

In this episode, she shares her advice on how to build and execute campaigns that effectively build relationships, retain customers, and realize business objectives.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Anita via Email | Linkedin
ARJ Consulting Website

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 48 - Building a Successful Podcast: Prioritizing Authenticity, Consistency & Relationships to Drive Engagement and Value - with Crate Media

Connie Steele — Tue, 21 May 2019 10:00:00 -0500

In episode 44, we explored the entrepreneurial journey of the three founding members of Crate Media, the production company and media agency behind the Strategic Momentum Podcast. The trio shared the challenges they faced growing a remote startup, the lessons they learned, and the passion for podcasting that keeps them going.

Through their experiences, they’ve come to learn how to master the technical and strategic elements of their industry and navigate a still nascent medium while driving momentum for their clients and their own business.

In this episode, the team returns to share what they’ve learned along the way and provide their take on the podcasting space – from what it takes to create a successful podcast to the common challenges and misconceptions that cause many to get stuck.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast/48.

Resources:

Learn more at crate.media
Connect with Cody: https://www.facebook.com/codydboyce
Connect with Hayden: https://www.instagram.com/backpackdigital/
Connect with Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bengregson/

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 47 - The Business Architecture Approach: Realizing an Organizational Transformation from Strategy through Execution - with Pierre Hadaya

Connie Steele — Tue, 07 May 2019 10:00:00 -0500

With continued market and competitive pressures impacting organizations today, companies are required to transform themselves to remain relevant.

But many are still struggling to effectively work through these transitions, despite the various practices they have adopted to help.

To breakthrough that inertia, Pierre Hadaya believes it can only happen when thinking and operating in an integrated fashion. He is the author of Business Architecture - The Missing Link in Strategy Formulation, Implementation and Execution, full professor at the School of Management of the Université du Québec à Montréal, and cofounder of ASATE Group Inc., a management consultancy helping businesses transform effectively to become more innovative and competitive.

In this episode, Pierre discusses how to realize that organizational transformation through a Business Architecture approach - the building of a blueprint, a master schedule, and an architecture team to effectively guide you from strategy to execution.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Pierre on LinkedIn
Visit ASATE Website
Buy Pierre’s Book
Register for Pierre's Session at the ASP Conference
Learn more about ASP: The Association for Strategic Planning
Register for Strategy and Your Business Ecosystem Conference

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep 46 - Navigating and Managing Your Business Ecosystem Pt. 2: Facilitating The Common Workplace Challenges To Drive Business Forward - with Michael Wilkinson

Connie Steele — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 10:00:00 -0500

In the last Strategic Momentum episode, we learned the secrets of meeting facilitation from Michael Wilkinson, the founder and managing director of Leadership Strategies – The #1 Facilitation Training Company.

In this episode, Michael returns to explore specific use cases of his facilitation techniques, especially in the virtual, multi-generational work environment. He talks about how to facilitate collaboration when technologies, hierarchies and varying workplace considerations like age and skills come into play. In the end, coming together to drive initiatives forward takes understanding group dynamics, using differences as strengths, and valuing solutions no matter who they come from.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Michael via Email | Linkedin
Learn more about Leadership Strategies
Buy Michael’s Books on Facilitation
Register for Michael Wikinson’s Masterclass: The Secrets of Facilitation
Learn more about The Association for Strategic Planning
Register for Strategy and Your Business Ecosystem Conference

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep 45: Navigating and Managing Your Business Ecosystem: Mastering Facilitation to Realize Effective Outcomes - with Michael Wilkinson

Connie Steele — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 10:00:00 -0500

In today’s interconnected business ecosystem, collaboration and teamwork are critical to moving initiatives and activities forward. To accomplish these objectives and tasks, we often have to schedule and run various meetings to facilitate progress. But so many people are frustrated by the number of meetings they have that don’t produce results.

That’s where meeting facilitation comes in. Michael Wilkinson has spent his career mastering the methodologies and systems behind successful facilitation. He is the founder and managing director of Leadership Strategies -- The #1 Facilitation Training Company in the US, and the accomplished author of several books on facilitation.

In this episode, he shares how to avoid the common myths and misconceptions companies have around running effective meetings. Because, at the end of the day, facilitation isn’t just about running better sessions. It’s about eliminating dysfunction and maximizing efficiency to drive your business and its ecosystem forward.

Michael is also teaching a three-hour masterclass at the 2019 Association for Strategic Planning’s Annual Conference that’s being held on May 15th in Denver.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Michael via Email | Linkedin
Learn more about Leadership Strategies
Buy Michael’s Books on Facilitation
Learn more about The Association for Strategic Planning
Register for Strategy and Your Business Ecosystem Conference

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Crate Media

Ep. 44 - Unexpected Entrepreneurs: How a Passion for Storytelling & Experimentation Built a Successful Podcast Business - with Cody Boyce, Hayden Lee, & Ben Gregson

Connie Steele — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 10:00:00 -0500

Today’s episode features the people behind the scenes of the Strategic Momentum Podcast -- the founders of Crate Media, the podcast production company formerly known as Podcast Masters.

Cody Boyce, the founder of Crate Media, turned to editing podcasts when his career in music hit a wall. As he built his company, he used social media to find Hayden Lee, a sound engineer and fellow musician, as well as Ben Gregson, a writer and editor. From one employee to a talented collective of passionate writers, audio engineers, designers and composers, Crate Media has now produced a broad range of shows across a variety of clients from individuals wanting to share their own point of view to small businesses and up through F500 companies and is just getting started.

In this episode, Cody, Hayden and Ben share their challenges, lessons learned in building a business, and the fuel that keeps them going. Because in the end, it’s a business built on their passions.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Crate Media Website
Connect with Ben Gregson
Connect with Hayden Lee
Connect with Cody Boyce

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 43 - The Consulting Success Mindset: Building Relationships, Exchanging Value, and Narrowing Your Scope to Drive Business - with Michael Zipursky

Connie Steele — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 10:00:00 -0500

Starting a consulting business is something many aspire to do but few do well. It’s often wrought with challenges that can make or break your business, like how to identify your core offerings, find clients, and create your pricing structure.

Michael Zipursky is an author, entrepreneur, and the CEO of ConsultingSuccess.com. He’s written 5 books on consulting and marketing, including his most recent best-seller, The Elite Consulting Mind.

In this episode, he shares important tips and perspectives on what it takes to build momentum for your consulting business, and businesses in general, in order to reach your full potential.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Michael via his Website
Consulting Success Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook
Download the Consulting Success Blueprint

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 42 - Driving Business Momentum Through Kindness & Altruism with John Newtson, Beth Freedman, John Keeling, Dan Yu, Dr. Phil Zimbardo, and Dr. Richard Shuster

Connie Steele — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Are we really there for each other?

I recently published an article on Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global about altruism, kindness and business after hearing several of my guests mention kindness in their advice for breaking through business inertia.

In their own ways, they stressed the importance of doing good and paying it forward, not just as an organization, as we commonly talk about these days, but as an individual. Because when you look around, the reality is that altruism in business really isn’t as common as we’d like to think.

In this episode, I revisit these interviews today to highlight the valuable points these guests have made and explore this topic further. What we’ll find it that being kind and helpful is simply good business sense.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Dr. Phil Zimbardo: Ep. 18 - How To Stand Up, Take Action And Be An Everyday Hero
Beth Freedman: Ep. 19 - Prioritizing People Development To Propel You And Your Business Forward
Dan Yu: Ep. 23 - Finding The Right Strategic Fit For Any Role (For Your Company Or Yourself)
John Keeling: Ep. 25 - Investing In The Value Exchange In Business Development
Dr. Richard Shuster: Ep. 28 - The Science Of Altruism: How Being Mission-Driven Fuels Personal Fulfillment And Business Success
John Newtson: Ep. 30 - Taking Responsibility For Other People’s Ambitions & Successes: A Unique & Valuable Approach To Event Marketing

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Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 41 - Media Planning & Advertising: The Strategy to Finding Balance - with Imani Greene

Connie Steele — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Media strategy, planning, and ad buying is a science that even the most seasoned marketers struggle with. What’s the best way to allocate the budget? What are the most effective channels? To break through, you have to understand the balance required to get to the desired outcome.

Imani Greene, Founder of Greene Consulting Group, has spent years finding and implementing this balance. She’s transitioned from high-ranking positions at big agencies in New York and D.C. to operating her own consultancy, where she takes a hands-on approach to managing advertising campaigns.

In this episode, she shares how this move has helped her to prioritize what’s important in her campaigns, her business, and her life – and how her start-small, test-and-learn mentality has propelled her and her clients’ businesses forward.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Greene Group Website | Twitter
Imani on Linkedin | Instagram

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 40 - The Art & Science of Digital Persuasion: Selling Smarter to Propel Your Business Forward - with Erin Gargan King

Connie Steele — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

How do you capture someone’s attention online in a matter of seconds? A matter of words? For businesses, breaking through the ever-crowded web of news and conversations to reach consumers and inspire action is a particular challenge.

Erin Gargan King has spent years mastering the art of activating audiences online, and in this episode, she shares how to get noticed online, build real relationships, and positively influence the people on the other side of your screen.

Erin is the founder of Socialite Agency, a global social media firm, and the best-selling author of Digital Persuasion: Sell Smarter in the Modern Marketplace.

Resources:

Erin’s website: https://eringarganking.com
Socialite Agency: http://www.socialite.agency/
Erin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eringarganking/
Buy Digital Persuasion

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 39 - Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Transforming Businesses, & Being Agile: Understanding the Power Formula to Propel Your Career Forward - with Ines Lebow

Connie Steele — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

The experiences women have in the workplace today are vastly different from how they were 50, 20, and even 10 years ago. Now, more and more women are moving up the corporate ladder holding executive positions or even running their own companies.

However, there are still career challenges and misconceptions holding women back from fully living up to their growth potential.

Today’s guest, Ines LeBow, founder and CEO of Enterprise Transformation Solutions, had the odds against her nearly her whole life, but skillfully worked her way up the corporate ladder while running various companies that were primarily male-dominated. She shares her personal transformation as well as tips and advice on the importance of career agility and what it takes to break through the business inertia and the glass ceiling.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Send Ines an Email
Connect with Ines on LinkedIn
Learn more about Enterprise Transformation Solutions: www.transformationsolutions.pro

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 38 - The Millennial ‘Business’ Mindset (Pt. 2) - Driving Community Value by Delivering the Right Product for the Right People - with Mehtab Bhogal

Connie Steele — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0500

In the last episode, we talked to Mehtab Bhogal, a co-founder of the private equity firm Karta Ventures, about how he and his partners drive value for their businesses and the businesses they advise. If you haven’t already, you can listen to that episode here.

Today, Mehtab joins us again to share Karta Ventures’ approach to product development and marketing.

We dive into deep into what Mehtab and Karta Ventures believe is important to take into account when launching a new business. It’s the notion of starting very small and then testing and learning to hone in on your audience and create the products they want.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 37- The Millennial ‘Business’ Mindset (Pt. 1): Driving Value Through Processes and People - with Mehtab Bhogal

Connie Steele — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 11:00:00 -0500

Mehtab Bhogal successfully launched and scaled several bootstrapped direct-to-consumer brands and eCommerce ventures to over 7-figure revenues within 12 months of inception, ranging from a reputation management brand to a men’s hair product company.

Today, Mehtab is only 25 and Co-Founder of the private equity firm Karta Ventures. In this episode, we will examine the uniquely Millennial mindset that that has guided Mehtab and his firm’s approach to building successful businesses. He’ll share their unconventional philosophy related to partnering and finding the right people, as well their specific way to create value and drive business growth in today’s business environment.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more at http://kartaventures.com/
Connect with Mehtab on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehtab-bhogal/

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 36 - Personal and Professional Authenticity: The Fuel Powering a Different Kind of Content Development Business - with Stephane Fitch

Connie Steele — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 11:00:00 -0500

In the world of journalism, connecting to your audience is paramount. Yet, making that connection is a common struggle that those in the profession face day-in and day-out.

But to do your best work, and ultimately gain upward mobility, being in the right environment is key. However, there are common misconceptions of what that entails.

Our guest Stephane Fitch, former Forbes Bureau Chief and now founder of the content strategy planning, and development company FitchInk, didn’t want to trade life in a sub-par environment for a chance at upward mobility. So he forged a different path to find that momentum and reach his own personal and professional potential.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more at https://fitchink.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanefitch/
Twitter: @StephaneFitch

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Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 35 - The Data-Gut Conflict: Bridging the Gap Between Gut-Driven & Data-Driven Decision Makers - with Steve Brown, Dr. Mary Lamia, Kyle Loudermilk, & Jen McDonald

Connie Steele — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 11:00:00 -0500

In the last episode, we looked at how people make decisions in a world increasingly flooded with data. I talked with a panel of experts to understand whether gut-based or data-based decision making was more effective in business. What we deduced is that the best decisions are made when balancing both styles – and the worst decisions are made when you lean too hard one way while neglecting the other.

But when you work with a team or with clients, your own decision-making style isn’t the only one that matters.

So today, we’re looking at how to deal with different decision-making styles in order to alleviate potential conflicts and, ultimately, work better together with your bosses, your clients, and your colleagues.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Steve Brown on LinkedIn
Connect with Kyle Loudermilk on LinkedIn
Connect with Jen McDonald: Twitter | LinkedIn
Connect with Dr. Lamia at MaryLamia.com

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Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 34 - Data-Driven vs. Gut-Driven Decision Making: What’s Most Effective? - with Steve Brown, Dana Cavalea, Dr. Mary Lamia, Kyle Loudermilk, & Jen McDonald

Connie Steele — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 11:00:00 -0500

In business today, being data-driven can be a major factor in whether you and the company you work for succeed or fail.

The wealth of information that’s now available is helping us make decisions big and small, strategic and tactical... but we didn’t have all of this data in the past and people were still making good decisions every day.

Without a world full of data, people were just relying more on their gut, their instincts.

Given this shift towards data and analytics in decision making, I wanted to understand – is one style of decision making now more effective than the other?

To help me answer this question, I talked to a number of experts across different fields to get their take:

Dr. Mary Lamia, a psychologist who has spent her career studying and encouraging emotional awareness. Dr. Lamia has joined us twice on the show before, back in episodes 9 and 12, to discuss emotions and motivational styles.
Jen McDonald, the Executive Director of Client Engagement at global marketing agency VMLY&R. As a 20 year marketing veteran, she’s worked across a variety of industries and has been at the forefront of the digital and data revolution.
Kyle Loudermilk, the President and CEO of GSE Systems, which provides professional and technical engineering, staffing services, and simulation software to clients in the power and process industries.
Steve Brown, a Director at Salesforce that’s inspiring growth of Salesforce Einstein by leading a team of talented Specialists committed to driving customer success.
And Dana Cavalea, our guest in episode 24 and the former Director of Strength and Conditioning and Performance Enhancement with the New York Yankees Organization. Dana helped pioneer data-driven performance optimization in baseball, and now, Dana brings those same performance optimization techniques to business leaders, entrepreneurs, and pro athletes around the world.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Dana Cavalea: DanaCavalea.com | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Connect with Steve Brown on LinkedIn
Connect with Kyle Loudermilk on LinkedIn
Connect with Jen McDonald: Twitter | LinkedIn
Connect with Dr. Lamia at MaryLamia.com

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Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 33 - What it Takes to Build Sales Momentum: Resilience, Survivalism, and Continually Refining Your Craft - with Tom Schuh

Connie Steele — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Tom Schuh, founder of Optimum Effect Group, spent over a decade in the military before landing a job in sales with American Express. Despite lacking a college degree or any sales training, he worked his way up the corporate ladder before transitioning into being an entrepreneur.

Tom’s journey in the military mirrored his career arc in the corporate world and then into entrepreneurship. And that experience he gained early on in the battlefield certainly provide guidance and focus throughout his corporate and entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode, he shares his perspective on the challenges that he commonly sees in the sales profession and what it takes to build that strategic momentum.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 32 - Finding Your Path: How a Habit of Experimentation Can Accelerate Your Career - with Deepak Shukla

Connie Steele — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Traditionally, we view career growth in a linear progression; but for the Millennial generation, professional journeys are more commonly taking a non-linear or “meandering” path.

For Deepak Shukla, founder and CEO of the SEO agency Pearl Lemon, the meandering path was not just a byproduct of his curiosity, but an incubator for personal and professional growth. From art school to tax consulting to running a recording studio to a tutoring company and now to an SEO agency, Deepak’s habit of experimentation accelerated his skills development and helped him find his value and passion for marketing.

In this episode, Deepak shares how to overcome the fear of the course, act on your impulses, create accountability, and test and learn your way to career success.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more at deepakshukla.com
Connect with Deepak: LinkedIn | Twitter
Listen to Deepak’s podcast: Life, Love and Entrepreneurship

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Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 31 - A Culture of Experimentation: Fuel for a Mission-Driven Business - with Joseph Ney

Connie Steele — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Building a marketing and communications agency, much less any business from the ground up, isn’t easy. Finding new business, hiring and retaining great talent, and consistently delivering quality work can be an ongoing struggle. And that can be particularly challenging when you are servicing the government and non-profit sector, given their budget limitations.

But Joseph Ney, Creative Director and Partner at Reingold, has done just that. Along with his partners, they have built Reingold into a leading firm that has achieved incredible growth over the past few years. But it took continuous experimentation and evolution to get to where they are today, and they are still tweaking.

And that path, of course, wasn’t linear – but they were always mission-focused.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more at reingold.com
Connect with Joseph on LinkedIn
Follow Reginold: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 30 - Taking Responsibility for Other People’s Ambitions & Successes: A Unique & Valuable Approach to Event Marketing - with John Newtson

Connie Steele — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 10:00:00 -0500

In business, we often get so focused on our own needs that we forget or possibly don’t care to learn about another person or businesses and their potentials needs.

Even when you go to a networking or marketing event, you’re still focusing mostly on you and your business – and so is everyone else. The end result is a bunch of conversations that aren’t very productive and, frankly, aren’t very interesting.

But today’s guest, John Newtson, has co-created a B2B business development ecosystem that takes a fundamentally different approach to event marketing. His conference, the Financial Marketing Summit, helps shake people out of their me-centered mindset and break through the business inertia by doing more together.

By encouraging everyone to take responsibility for each other’s ambitions and successes, he’s been able to deliver unique value to every person attending – and these attendees, ultimately, are able to bring more value back to their organizations and that bottom line.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more at financialmarketingsummit.com
Connect with John on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 29 - Media Relations + PR: Generating Buzz, Defining Your Story & Building Grassroots Momentum - with Keith & Chris Blackman

Connie Steele — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 10:00:00 -0500

In today’s multi-channel, 24/7 news cycle, it can be difficult to get your company story to stand out much less even get it shared by media outlets.

Chris and Keith Blackman are brothers who, combined, have a lifetime of media experience. They both have extensive backgrounds in network television, although they had different career journeys before segueing into media relations and PR roles – “what my friends at NBC call the dark side,” Keith says.

Now, as Principals of Blackman Media Consulting, they are much sought after for their strategic media training and storytelling skills.

And in today’s episode, they share their perspective on what it really takes for any company to build that buzz and foster ongoing momentum.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Chris: LinkedIn | CBlackman1118@Gmail.com
Connect with Keith: LinkedIn | KeithKBlackman@Gmail.com

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 28 - The Science of Altruism: How Being Mission-Driven Fuels Personal Fulfillment and Business Success - with Dr. Richard Shuster

Connie Steele — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Over the past decade, there's been a trend towards, or even movement of, mission-driven companies and organizations. Brands are focusing on being a force for good – and many of these organizations are also succeeding in business.

And there’s science to support the idea that being altruistic, being mission and purpose-driven, is a potent recipe for both personal fulfillment and business success.

To learn more about the science of altruism and why purpose is more than just trendy, I talked with Dr. Richard Shuster, a former IT executive turned licensed clinical psychologist and the host of the popular, internationally downloaded podcast, The Daily Helping.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 27 - Developing an Effective Strategy: Choices, Communication, & Iteration - with Kevin Garton

Connie Steele — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 10:00:00 -0500

What does it take to develop a sound business strategy? Kevin Garton, Chief Operating Officer of Context Capital Partners walks us through what it takes and just as important, the misconceptions many people have around what a strategy actually is.

The idea of creating a strategy may sound simple, even obvious, but as you’ll learn in this episode, the choices you have to make almost never are.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Connect with Kevin: LinkedIn | Twitter

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 26 - The Gig Economy: The Momentum and Impact of the Independent Worker - with Steve King

Connie Steele — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 10:00:00 -0500

We are witnessing an evolution in the composition of the workforce: the continual growth and increased impact of the independent worker, otherwise known as freelancers, contractors, or independent consultants.

And with the gig economy, as many like to call it, the profile of these independents have also been shifting – they reflect people across a variety of knowledge-intensive industries like management consulting as well as those from creative occupations. The commonality, though, is that many have chosen to pursue an independent path.

And companies increasingly want and need these workers in order to adapt to the ever-changing business environment!

To learn more about the trends in the independent workforce and the impact that independent workers are having on businesses, we’re talking to Steve King, Partner at Emergent Research. His research and consulting company studies the future of work, particularly the trends of this independent workforce.

Learn more and find the complete show notes at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more at smallbizlabs.com
Connect with Steve at emergentresearch.com

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 25 - Investing in the Value Exchange in Business Development - with John Keeling

Connie Steele — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 10:00:00 -0500

In business development, it’s all about the “value exchange” because the best learning comes from reciprocal relationships. So to help break through the inertia that may exist in organizations, you have to understand that BD involves so much more than this perception of sales to help drive a business forward.

John Keeling, SVP of Business Development at The Motley Fool, joins us for this episode. John has had a unique career journey – he’s been an academic, started a web development company, held product management leadership roles, and all before being a business development executive.

His diverse experiences have inherently fostered an interdisciplinary mindset – one that enables him to understand the value in cross-pollinating perspectives across cross-functional teams, which in turn leads to improved efforts on all sides. And what he’s learned most in his career is that “sometimes it takes an interdisciplinary approach to drive innovation.”

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more about The Motley Fool at fool.com
Connect with John on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 24 - Optimize Your Performance Like the New York Yankees - with Dana Cavalea

Connie Steele — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Dana Cavalea spent 12 years with the New York Yankees Organization, including many years as the Director of Strength and Conditioning and Performance Enhancement. He had the opportunity to train greats such as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Justin Verlander.

Today, Dana brings those same performance optimization techniques to business leaders, entrepreneurs, and pro athletes around the world. We discuss the challenges and struggles business leaders face today, the parallels that exist between sports and business, the common challenges problems Dana sees with his executive coaching clients, and the strategies you can apply to how you can optimize your own performance.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more at DanaCavalea.com
Connect with Dana: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 23 - Finding the Right Strategic Fit For Any Role (For Your Company or Yourself) - with Dan Yu

Connie Steele — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Recruiting the right talent can be a challenging process – and for leaders looking for their next opportunity, finding that perfect position for your particular talents isn’t easy either.

But whether you’re looking for a job or trying to hire someone, taking a strategic approach to your search can help you overcome the challenges to finding that perfect fit.

Our guest today, Dan Yu, is the Founder of FastBook Advisors, a new kind of talent agency that focuses on strategic consultation in sales and marketing, organizational structure and design, talent acquisition, and human capital management.

We discuss the biggest challenges faced by both hiring managers and job hunters, and how both can more effectively navigate their way through this process by having a clear a strategy.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more at fastbookadvisors.com
Connect with Dan on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the Strategic Momentum podcast:

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 22 - Staying True to Your Brand While Testing & Learning to Deliver Unpredictable Fun - with Aline Cox

Connie Steele — Tue, 22 May 2018 10:00:00 -0500

WGN Morning News is the #1 morning news show in Chicago. As a station that has been around for 70 years, they have a unique brand that people trust – a brand that today’s guest, Executive Producer Aline Cox, strives to maintain.

It’s not necessarily easy separating opinion from fact to deliver real news today. It can be an ongoing challenge in retaining an audience because the battle for their time and attention is even more intense.

Today, Aline shares how the WGN Morning News team continues to evolve, every day, testing and learning to determine what makes good TV, while staying true to their brand.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast/22.

Resources:

Check out the WGN Morning News: wgntv.com/category/morning-news/
Connect with Aline: acox [at] wgntv.com

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 21 - Rethinking Research: Taking an iterative approach to get the perspective of ever-evolving consumers - with Stephanie Balderrama

Connie Steele — Tue, 08 May 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Technology is giving consumers more options and power than ever before – and as a result, businesses need to stay on top of what they want, need and how they behave in order to create those experiences that align to their needs.

If you don’t, they’ll move on to another company that can keep up and offer something they DO want.

Stephanie Balderrama, President of Consumer Insights Group, has been on the forefront of understanding technology’s impact on consumer behavior since the early days of the internet. And she’s seen the need to evolve traditional research approaches to adapt to these rapidly changing behaviors.

She shares how businesses are still struggling with research today, especially large brands, and what your organization can do to get a better understanding of your customers, particularly in today’s agile environments.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more about Consumer Insights Group at CIGresearch.com
Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 20 - The Key to Implementing AI in Your Organization: Be Agile with Steve Brown

Connie Steele — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 10:00:00 -0500

What does it take to implement artificial intelligence to create business momentum? Steve Brown, Director of Einstein Analytics Specialists at Salesforce, says being agile is the key.

With experience in startups as well as F100 companies, Steve has been on the forefront of operationalizing new technologies to help build and grow businesses for much of his career. Now at Salesforce, he’s at the tip of spear of not only bringing their technology to market but also helping to socialize and evangelize the the benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more about Einstein Analytics at: https://www.salesforce.com/products/einstein-analytics/overview/
Check out Einstein Trailhead: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/home
Contact Steve at steve.brown(at)salesforce.com
Connect with Steven on LinkedIn

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 19 - Prioritizing People Development to Propel You and Your Business Forward - with Beth Freedman

Connie Steele — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Beth Freedman is the managing director of gyro:UK, a leading global B2B creative agency, and has spent her career working for some of the biggest agencies in the world, including Saatchi & Saatchi and Fallon.

Beth believes real business momentum happens when service-based businesses invest in the growth and development of their people. It’s the human part that agencies often forget. She attributes her own upward mobility to those who nurtured her talents and bolstered her potential throughout her career. And as a result, it is an imperative that she is championing in her leadership role today.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast/19

Resources:

Connect with Beth at bethfreedman.com
Check out www.gyro.com

Strategic Momentum is produced by Podcast Masters

Ep. 18 - What Makes a Hero - in Business and in Life with Dr. Phil Zimbardo

Connie Steele — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 10:00:00 -0500

In this interview, Dr. Zimbardo, a renowned social psychologist, gives us a look into the foundation and purpose of his latest initiative, The Heroic Imagination Project. The project explores everyday heroism and how to train “ordinary”people to be heroes, with the rallying cry: “Stand Up, Speak Out, Take Action Against Injustice.”

He takes the concept into the workforce and explains how anyone can be a “hero” at anytime if they have the mindset to challenge the evil around them (prejudice, harassment, inequality, thievery). “The idea is heroism really starts in the mind, in the imagination, and the first thing I did was I said we have to change the usual conception of a hero….Anyone can be a hero. It's not the person. It's the action.”

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Note to listeners in the San Francisco area:

The Heroic Imagination Project is hosting a Hero Roundtable on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22 at the Marine Memorial Theater. It will be a gathering of “two dozen extraordinary heroes, everyday heroes, superheroes, people have done research on heroism, people have written comic books." For event information, visit www.heroroundtable.com/sf.

Resources:

Learn more about The Heroic Imagination Project at www.heroicimagination.org
Learn more about Dr. Zimbardo: zimbardo.socialpsychology.org
Connect with Dr. Zimbardo on Twitter

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 17 - Create Leadership Momentum by Leading Self - with Joanie Rufo

Connie Steele — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 10:00:00 -0500

Joanie Rufo, Founder of Initiate Consulting, is a Certified Leadership Coach with nearly 25 years of experience helping leaders be more purposeful and effective. In that time, she’s found that the key to effectively leading others is, first, learning to effectively lead yourself – a concept she calls Leading Self.

Leaders are always under a spotlight – every action, every word, and every behavior is constantly being evaluated. As a result, leaders have to overcome the challenge of Leading Self before they can lead others; you have to understand your own patterns of behavior, what your triggers are, and other people's experience of you.

But for many leaders, this can be a dramatic mindset shift. There’s a lot on their plate, so time to reflect feels like a luxury they don’t have – but if you don’t make the time, you’ll probably never lead effectively.

In this episode, Joanie dives deeper into the challenges that prevent us from effectively leading ourselves and the solutions to help us breakthrough that inertia.

Learn more, and find the complete show notes, at flywheelassociates.com/podcast.

Resources:

Learn more at InitiateConsulting.com
Connect with Joanie: LinkedIn | Twitter

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 16 - Building a Business to Motivate, Engage & Inspire Others Using Hollywood Movie Clips (Pt 2) - with Scott DiGiammarino

Connie Steele — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 11:00:00 -0500

In today’s world of shrinking attention spans and decentralized work forces, Scott DiGiammarino, CEO of MovieComm, believes that how you communicate your message makes all the difference in the world.

In the last episode, Scott shared his story of how he transformed one of the worst-performing offices at American Express into the best-performing office by applying a creative solution to motivate and engage a geographically distributed, expanding, and increasingly younger workforce.

A core component of Scott’s secret sauce was his use of movie clips to build a positive and productive work culture. This proven success at AMEX, coupled with a desire to impact not just thousands of people but millions and millions of people, is what drove him to ultimately start MovieComm, a technology company that helps leaders harness the power of Hollywood movie clips to communicate, engage, and inspire their organizations more effectively.

Today we explore the challenges that Scott faced when transitioning from leading a large organization to launching his solo venture, how he persevered to break through the business inertia, and how he identified the ideal audience, positioning, product experience, and pricing that led MovieComm to where he is today.

Resources:

Check out MovieComm.com
Connect with Scott on LinkedIn

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 15 - Creating a Culture of Leadership and Engagement Through the Power of Movies (Pt 1) - with Scott DiGiammarino

Connie Steele — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 11:00:00 -0500

Scott DiGiammarino is the CEO of MovieComm, a technology company that helps leaders lead through the power of movie clips.

Prior to MovieComm, Scott was a senior executive at American Express. During his tenure, he turned around one of the worst performing offices and achieved the top ranked spot in a year, then held that spot for 20 years.

In this episode, we discuss the challenges Scott faced at American Express, how he grew the business significantly, and the creative solutions he implemented to motivate and engage a geographically distributed, expanding, and increasingly younger workforce.

Resources:

Check out MovieComm.com
Connect with Scott on LinkedIn

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 14 - Employees & Customer Relationships: Key Components to Delivering a Customer-Centric Experience - with Lee Sommers

Connie Steele — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 11:00:00 -0500

Lee Sommers is the owner of Purpose Personal Fitness, a leading athletic training and consulting services company. He’s been involved in the fitness industry for almost 20 years and has worked with athletes of all levels, including Olympic champion Katie Ledecky. He has seen the industry evolve over that time with a primary focus on profit over people, which Lee believes is a mistake, in the long term.

In the fitness industry, Lee believes that you need to be customer-service oriented to deliver an optimal experience; in other words, be customer-centric. And he’s not the only one: as we discussed with Mike Renner back in Episode 8, customers have more influence than ever in today’s digitally focused environment.

So it’s critical to keep a pulse on what your customers need because, obviously, you can't stay in business if you're not turning a profit – and “a service mentality is what really feeds profit.”

Resources:

Connect with Lee: Instagram | LeeSommersPT (at) gmail (dot) com
“How Much Does Employee Turnover Really Cost?”

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 13 - Machine Learning: How to Implement It & Drive Business Momentum - with Jason Hunter

Connie Steele — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 11:00:00 -0500

Jason Hunter is the Data Science business lead for CapTech consulting and, for 15 years, he has been using data to help businesses drive impact. Now, with the advent of machine learning, he sees the world of businesses analysis changing forever as organizations gain the ability to truly look at their data.

We discuss what exactly machine learning is, and what it will take to effectively apply machine learning to break through the inertia to drive impact in your organization.

Resources:

Learn more at CapTechConsulting.com
Connect with Jason on LinkedIn

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 12 - Motivational Styles of Successful People: Task vs. Deadline-Driven - with Dr. Mary Lamia

Connie Steele — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 11:00:00 -0500

Returning guest Dr. Mary Lamia is a psychologist who has spent her career studying and encouraging emotional awareness. She is the author of numerous books for kids, teenagers, and adults, including What Motivates Getting Things Done and the upcoming The Upside of Shame (releasing 2/6/18).

We explore the different motivational styles of successful people – task-driven and deadline-driven – and why understanding your own natural style of getting things done, while embracing those of others, will help you build and maintain strategic momentum in your business environment.

Resources:

Learn more at MaryLamia.com

Read: What Motivates Getting Things Done: Procrastination, Emotions, and Success
Pre-order: The Upside of Shame: Therapeutic Interventions Using the Positive Aspects of a "Negative" Emotion (release date: 2/6/18)

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 11 - Marketing Strategy to Execution: What inhibits and facilitates success - with Greg Johnston

Connie Steele — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 11:00:00 -0500

Many companies develop what they believe will be an effective marketing strategy, and then the execution falls short of expectations – but, with proper planning in addition to an awareness of how one’s own emotions and pretense can impact the outcome, this can be avoided.

Greg Johnston, SVP and Creative Director of AgencyQ, returns to the Strategic Momentum podcast to share his perspective on what organizations need to consider in aligning strategy to execution in order to lay the groundwork for future success.

Resources:

Learn more about AgencyQ
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 10 - Creative-Led & Brand-Driven: Creating content that delivers business momentum | with Mark DeVito

Connie Steele — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 11:00:00 -0500

Mark DeVito has been in the business of creating compelling content for much of his career, starting with television and music videos. Now, as President of Bates Creative, he delivers digital strategy, branding, campaign, and collateral solutions that start with their clients’ mission and build into customized experiences.

We discuss what’s needed to create compelling content in today’s digital environment: doing your audience research, deeply understanding your client’s brand, and being agile.

Resources:

Learn more about Bates Creative: BatesCreative.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Connect with Mark on LinkedIn

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 9 - Emotions are Motivators - Not Just Business Momentum Inhibitors | with Dr. Mary Lamia

Connie Steele — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 11:00:00 -0500

Dr. Mary Lamia is a psychologist who has spent her career studying and encouraging emotional awareness. She is the author of numerous books for kids, teenagers, and adults, including What Motivates Getting Things Done and the upcoming The Upside of Shame.

We discuss how both positive and negative emotions motivate us, and the importance of our emotions, which can help us in business.

Resources:

Learn more at MaryLamia.com
Read: What Motivates Getting Things Done: Procrastination, Emotions, and Success
Pre-order: The Upside of Shame: Therapeutic Interventions Using the Positive Aspects of a "Negative" Emotion

Ep. 8 - Digital Transformation = Business Transformation | The goal, the challenges, and how to truly make the change | with Mike Renner

Connie Steele — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 11:00:00 -0500

The Digital Revolution has brought about fundamental changes in the way businesses operate inside and out much like the Industrial Revolution. As a result, organizations have to undertake a ‘digital transformation,’ which often requires rethinking the business itself.

Mike Renner has over 20 years of executive management experience leading technology services and consulting companies that focus on aligning everything within a business to create exceptional value around technology. As CEO of MPRE Digital, a digital transformation consultancy, he focuses on bringing Digital Products, Customer Experience, and Data/Analytics to the core of his clients’ businesses.

Resources:

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn

Ep. 7 - Empathizing with your customers - The role it plays in product strategy | with Jim Gregoire

Connie Steele — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 10:00:00 -0500

Jim Gregoire is the Chief Product Officer at Openbay, an award-winning online marketplace for auto repair and provider of SaaS-based offerings for the auto care industry. Unlike most product leaders, Jim started in marketing and shifted to his current role.

We discuss what an effective product strategy entails (it needs to be truly customer-centric vs. taking an inside-out point of view), how a product leader creates the momentum that garners stakeholder buy-in and enables them to get the resources they need – and, ultimately, why establishing a product experience that delivers intrinsic value requires you to empathize with your internal and external customers.

Resources:

Connect with Jim on LinkedIn
Learn more about Openbay

Ep. 6 - Emotions and Fear - Its impact on business momentum and you

Connie Steele — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 10:00:00 -0500

Today we explore how fear affects us in business through the eyes of the incredible industry experts who have shared their wisdom on the show, as well as a subject matter expert who offers a lot of insight into the psychology of fear and motivation:

Kareen Walsh, Founder and Solutions Strategist at Revampologist
Andy Musliner, Founder and CEO of InRoad Toys
Greg Johnston, SVP and Creative Director at AgencyQ
Will Choi, President and CEO of Vertical Apps
Dr. Mary Lamia, a psychologist who has spent her career studying and encouraging emotional awareness. She is the author of numerous books for kids, teenagers, and adults, including What Motivates Getting Things Done, as well as the upcoming The Upside of Shame.

Resources:

Dr. Mary Lamia:
- MaryLamia.com
What Motivates Getting Things Done: Procrastination, Emotions, and Success
The Upside of Shame: Therapeutic Interventions Using the Positive Aspects of a "Negative" Emotion
Will Choi:
- VerticalApps.com
Greg Johnston:
- AgencyQ
Andy Musliner:
- InRoadToys.com
Kareen Walsh:
- Revampologist.com

Ep. 5 - Agile Transformation & The Government: Changing Culture & Process - with Will Choi

Connie Steele — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 10:00:00 -0500

Will Choi is the President and CEO of VerticalApps, an IT consulting company focused on facilitating the agile transformation of the federal government… which is quite a daunting task.

We discuss strategies and advice for creating momentum in product development. This forward movement requires breaking down the norms, not just in the way they work but down to their fundamental culture

Resources:

Learn more about VerticalApps
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn

Ep. 4 - Self-reflection and Listening: The Key to Propelling You, Your Agency and Your Client’s Business Forward - with Greg Johnston

Connie Steele — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 10:00:00 -0500

Greg Johnston is the SVP and Creative Director of AgencyQ, an award-winning digital agency that transforms the way organizations reach, engage, and inspire their key audiences.

From the mail room to the C-Suite, Greg Johnston has achieved success throughout his career by recognizing the need to constantly innovate, iterate, and evolve over time. And this mindset has been relevant and applicable to the agencies that he has worked with particularly given the impact of technology on marketing.

Yet it takes self-awareness, self-reflection and listening to realize how to create that forward momentum.

You will learn:

What inhibits many agencies and even their clients from evolving to address the ever-changing customer dynamics.
The need to listen and what to listen for
The importance of achieving that agency, client and customer relationship - Agencies need to listen to their clients, clients need to listen to their agencies, and both need to listen to the customers.

Resources:

Learn more about AgencyQ
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 3 - From Tech to Toys: Creating the momentum to build a new business - with Andy Musliner

Connie Steele — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 10:00:00 -0500

Today’s guest has a fascinating entrepreneurial journey that has led from tech to… well, tape.

Just a couple years ago, Andy Musliner was a Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at an award-winning mobility company. Now Andy is the Founder and CEO of InRoad Toys, an award-winning toy company. Their premiere product, PlayTape, has revolutionized how the world plays with toy vehicles.

You will learn:

How Andy’s mindset of continually thinking outside of the box as a result of his career in innovation lead to the creation of PlayTape.
What it took to start InRoad Toys with no industry knowledge or experience in the toy industry – observation, data gathering, research and analysis on every facet of the toy business.
The importance of finding top notch talent when it’s time to expand, and what it takes to attract them even as a startup.

Resources:

Connect with Andy on LinkedIn
Learn more about InRoad Toys: InRoadToys.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 2 - Revampology (Part 2): Adapting and Aligning Process & Technology for Forward Momentum

Connie Steele — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 10:00:00 -0500

Challenges in a business vary, but it always falls within one of three buckets: people, process or technology.

In the last episode, we talked to Kareen Walsh, Founder of Revampologist, about the People component to this triad. Today, we’re diving into Process and Technology – specifically, how organizations need to understand and work through the ever-changing dynamics that impact these two components in order to ensure forward momentum

You will learn:

Process management through change
Understanding and balancing internal and external (i.e. customer) technology needs and it’s alignment to an organization’s business objectives.
Importance of data and measurement in optimizing technology and overall operations.

Resources:

Learn more at Revampologist.com
Connect with Kareen: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Production & Development for Strategic Momentum by Podcast Masters

Ep. 1 - Revampology (Part 1): Identifying and Aligning Personal and Professional Fit

Connie Steele — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 10:00:00 -0500

Welcome to the first episode of the Strategic Momentum podcast!

Every month, we’ll be sharing the perspectives, recommendations, and approaches that progressive executives have used to break through their business inertia and move their businesses forward. These interviews will be with leaders across a variety of roles and industries because valuable insights should – and do – come from everywhere.

Challenges in a business vary but it always falls within one of three buckets: people, process or technology.

With the people part of this three-legged stool, personal and professional fit are critical, but there’s often a gap. Kareen Walsh from Revampologist shares her perspective on how companies need to ‘Mind the Gap’ in order to get that necessary alignment to drive company success.

We will learn:

The key gaps that plague an organization
How to diagnose and assess the personal and professional challenges of ‘people’ that impact a firm’s performance
Addressing the issue of fit to drive towards business and team alignment

Resources:

Learn more at Revampologist.com
Connect with Kareen: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram