Manage Smarter

Urs Koenig, author of 'Radical Humility,' explores the shift from heroic to humble leadership. Learn how to develop self-awareness, build trusting relationships, and foster a growth mindset. Discover practical tips for improving leadership skills and creating a leadership factory. SHOW NOTES: Urs Koenig, a former United Nations military peacekeeper and seasoned executive coach, discusses the importance of radical humility in leadership. He emphasizes the need for leaders to develop deep self-awareness, build meaningful relationships with their team members, and view mistakes as opportunities for learning and growth. Koenig also highlights the importance of regular feedback and after-action reviews in improving leadership skills and performance. Our guest today says you can be a badass leader AND a good human, going from heroic to humble in your approach. It's all via the concept of Radical Humility. Urs Koenig can help you Manage Smarter! He is a former United Nations military peacekeeper and NATO military pe

Frank Somma, a sales and communications expert, shares his insights on the importance of interpersonal communication in the age of AI in this episode. He discusses the findings of a study by Professor Vanessa Bonds from Cornell University, which revealed that in-person communication is the most effective, followed by phone calls, with emails being the least effective. Somma also shares tips on using Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) to improve communication and build rapport with clients. He warns against the dangers of relying too heavily on AI in sales and emphasizes the power of listening. SHOW NOTES: Frank Somma is a sales and communications expert, speaker, author, and lifelong charity fundraiser.  Frank holds a degree in NLP, Neuro-Linguistic Programming widely accepted as THE communications science, and has been speaking professionally for over 15 years winning accolades from such notable organizations as DLL Bank, GE, Xerox, EMC and several Big I associations. His latest book is B2B is really P2P How

 Ryan Ruud, founder and CEO of LakeOne, shares his unique perspective on the role of technology in marketing. He argues that the rise of automation systems, mass email systems, and AI has made marketers lazy, leading to mass-produced, impersonal content. Ruud emphasizes the importance of the human touch in marketing and suggests that marketers should think about what would resonate with them as consumers. He also sees potential in AI, but cautions that it should be used in conjunction with human input and output. SHOW NOTES: Ryan Ruud is the Founder & CEO of Lake One, a modern marketing partner that helps B2B companies drive sales and marketing transformation. Lake One embeds virtually with their clients to provide strategic guidance and hands-on support as they build and optimize revenue systems. He started the firm in 2014 and has led it through double digit growth every year since, attracting funded startups to enterpriseclients. Prior to launching Lake One, Ryan established his career by merging a love of

Richard Weylman, author of 100 Proven Ways to Acquire and Keep Clients for Life, shares his insights on the importance of personalizing and humanizing every customer interaction. He discusses the role of AI in enhancing the customer experience and the need for companies to shift their focus from products to the customer experience and outcome. Weylman emphasizes the power of kindness, thoughtfulness, caring, and empathy in building strong customer relationships. He also shares his belief that a great customer experience can turn customers into advocates for the company. SHOW NOTES: Richard Weylman, at age 6, Richard was orphaned and lived in nineteen foster homes and attended eleven different schools. Rather than becoming victim of those circumstances he overcame them and has had remarkable business success including as an award-winning general sales managerof Rolls Royce to heading sales and marketing for the Robb Report- A Magazine for the Luxury Lifestyle from its inception until its record liquidity event

Joel Garfinkle, executive coach and author of 'Executive Presence: Step into Your Power, Convey Confidence, and Lead with Conviction,' discusses the nine essential competencies that define executive presence. These include confidence, command, charisma, authority, decisiveness, boldness, influence, vocal expression, and clarity. Garfinkle explains how these traits are crucial for building credibility and advancing in leadership roles. Whether you're an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, mastering these competencies can significantly impact your career and organizational influence. SHOW NOTES: Joel Garfinkle has been an executive coach for 20+ years and is the author of 11 books, including “Executive Presence: Step Into Your Power, Convey Confidence, & Lead With Conviction." Joel is well-known as one of the most effective and innovative executive coaches in the country. His passion and energy is infectious, motivating and encouraging. He has a no-nonsense style in which he advises, challenges, provokes,

Dr. Jean Oursler, also known as the Results Queen, is our guest in this episode. With a PhD in business psychology, she is considered one of the country's top business consultants. Dr. Oursler shares her insights on achieving business success through a results-oriented approach and the implementation of the Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS). She also introduces the concept of 'Caveman Brain' and discusses the role of confidence in leadership. As the author of 'Give Up Goals and Results Are Yours', she provides valuable advice for business owners and leaders. SHOW NOTES: With us today is Dr. Jean Oursler, otherwise known as the Results Queen! Dr. Jean has a Ph.D. in business psychology and is considered one of the country’s top business consultants, a top-rated speaker, and a world class business performance coach. She is the author of "Give up Goals and Results are Yours”. Dr. Jean works with entrepreneurs and their leadership teams to implement a comprehensive business management system called EOS which i

Wendy Swire, an expert in executive and leadership coaching and author of 'Anytime Coaching', joins us to discuss the difference between a sage brain and a saboteur brain. She explains how to recognize when you're in saboteur mode and how to shift to sage mode. Wendy also shares the five sage powers: empathy, exploration, innovation, navigation, and activation. She offers advice on managing change and building mental fitness. Wendy's insights are based on over 20 years of expertise in leadership consulting and her unique background as a former Wall Street banker and trained diplomat. SHOW NOTES: Wendy Swire brings more than twenty years of expertise in executive and leadership coaching, organizational change management and leadership consulting. Working with Fortune 50 senior executives, as well as governmental and international organizations, Wendy specializes in teaching techniques for rewiring the brain to provide increased adaptability, resiliency and cognitive fitness. Her background as a former Wall Str

Stephanie Brown, founder of Creative Career Level Up and author of 'Fired, Why Losing Your Job, is the best thing that can happen to you', shares her insights on how being fired can be a blessing in disguise and an opportunity for career development. She discusses strategies for career progression, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the importance of feedback and reflection for self-improvement. SHOW NOTES: Stephanie Brown is the Founder of Creative Career Level Up, a program that helps those in marketing, creative, and tech industries accelerate their careers and secure their next perfect role—along with a promotion and a salary increase. Stephanie has spent the last 15 years working in the marketing, creative and tech industries, and what makes her program stand out and a proven system is she used her 13 years’ experience working as a senior marketing executive at Nike (8 years in total) and Apple (5 years) to develop its curriculum. She’s been fired twice and took both opportunities to reframe her career.

Luis Scott, a respected attorney and consultant, shares his insights on the difference between a manager and a leader, how to develop a predictable business, the role of mediation in management, and when to involve a lawyer. He also discusses how to overcome low credibility in professions like law through continuous education. SHOW NOTES: Luis Scott is a respected attorney and consultant. He is the owner of Bader Scott Injury Lawyers and 8 Figure Firm Consulting, specializing in helping legal professionals optimize and grow their practices. Over his 20 years as a legal professional, he has been recognized by various legal organizations, and was managing partner of a successful law firm with almost 200 employees. In this podcast for managers, Audrey, Lee and Luis discuss:   ·Luis' three different categorizations of employees in large firms ·Managing employees with large egos ·Managing and mediating diametrically opposed employees ·Luis’ advice on how to grow your business and differentiate yourself from compe

Justin Nelson, founder and CEO of Sphere Rocket VA, shares his journey from overcoming addiction to building a leading virtual workforce company. Discover the top functions of virtual assistants, the impact of AI, and how small businesses can leverage VAs for growth. SHOW NOTES: Justin Nelson is the Founder and CEO of Sphere Rocket VA, an industry leading virtual workforce company. Since 2020 Sphere Rocket has placed more than 5,000 virtual assistants, serving 1500+ growing small businesses. Justin began in real estate at age 17, running marketing, lead generation, and inside sales campaigns. After getting licensed, he quickly became a top producing agent, generating $320,000 in gross commissions his first year using social media and marketing growth hacks. In 2019 Justin started coaching new and veteran agents to create leverage in their businesses through social media, hyper growth strategies, and eventually virtual assistants. The need for a service to help small business owners hire and effectively utiliz

Dr. Carla Fowler is an MD PhD and elite executive coach. For the last decade, she has been a secret weapon for scores of CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other senior leaders. Carla’s unique approach combines the latest research from performance science with timeless best practices to help top performers level up and achieve their goals. In this podcast for managers, Audrey, Lee and Carla discuss:   ·   Performance Science—how is it defined and measured? ·   Mental Clarity—Why do leaders need it and how does a person get it? ·   Dr. Fowler’s 3 elements of performance science ·   Why embracing uncertainty will push your leadership performance to higher levels "People are always looking for the "hack" or silver bullet as a shortcut to high performance. There are always great tips/hacks out there... but I've found that an important piece of high performance is not just getting a certain set of results, but also that the path you take to get those results is important to developing your foundation as a performer.”– Car

David Horsager, CEO of the TrustEdge Leadership Institute and author of 'The Trust Edge,' discusses the pivotal role of trust in leadership and organizational success. Learn how trust influences retention, engagement, and performance, and discover practical strategies to build and sustain trust within your team. SHOW NOTES: David Horsager, MA, CSP, CPAE is the CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute, Trust Expert in Residence at High Point University and The Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Trust Edge, The Daily Edge, and Trusted Leader. He is also a podcaster, creator of the Enterprise Trust Index™, and director of one of the nation’s foremost trust studies, The Trust Outlook. ® Horsager has advised leaders and delivered life-changing presentations on six continents, with audiences ranging from Delta, FedEx, and Toyota to the New York Yankees, MIT and the Department of Homeland Security. His work has been featured in prominent media such as Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and MSNBC. Through sp

Maria Victoria Albina (she/they) is a Master Certified Somatic Life Coach, UCSF-trained Family Nurse Practitioner and Breathwork Meditation Guide with a passion for helping humans socialized as women realize that they are their own best healers by reconnecting with their bodies and minds, so they can break free from codependency, perfectionism and people-pleasing and reclaim their joy. She is the host of the Feminist Wellness Podcast, holds a Masters degree in Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health and a BA in Latin American Studies from Oberlin College. Victoria has been working in health & wellness for over 20 years and lives on occupied Munsee Lenape territory in New York’s Hudson Valley. FREE MEDITATIONS FOR MANAGE SMARTER LISTENERS: victoriaalbina.com/salesfuel In this podcast for managers, Audrey, Lee and Victoria discuss:  -Signs and signals leaders should look for indicating they aren’t well -Why people pleasing and likability are a recipe for bad health for leaders -How past tra

Steve Shenbaum is the founder of Game On Nation, a nationally recognized communication firm that employs game dynamics and improvisation to teach high-performance teamwork as well as communication, story-telling, public-speaking and presentation skills. In this podcast for managers, Audrey, Lee and Steve discuss:  ·        How gamification can help you become a better manager and leader ·        Why younger workforce members respond more to games within the workplace ·        Tangible exercises for you to use to bring out your team members’ authentic selves and to learn more about what they REALLY want to succeed. ·        Specific ways to run your staff meetings to create a higher level of engagement and enthusiasm "I hope people will learn that we are all presenters, and that presenting is not exclusive to the noisiest, the loudest, the most dynamic person in the room…especially when we define “presenting” as any interaction with others..”– Steve Shenbaum Build Credibility and Effective Leadership with the

Eddie Yoon, co-founder of Category Pirates LLC and author of 'The 22 Laws of Category Design', shares his expertise on category strategy and super consumers. Learn how businesses can leverage weird data to drive growth and why companies like Tesla and Starbucks excel in category design. Eddie offers actionable tips for scaling up by managing weirder, making this episode a must-listen for anyone looking to redefine their market and achieve superior growth. SHOW NOTES: Get ready to dive into the fascinating world of category strategy with a true authority in the field. We are thrilled to have Eddie Yoon as our guest. He's the Co-Founder of Category PIrates, LLC...a business writing band and top 10 business Substack. He's also a distinguished author and expert who has contributed extensively to the Harvard Business Review on category strategy. With his unparalleled knowledge and expertise, Eddie is set to share groundbreaking insights from his latest book “The 22 Laws of Category Design,” His other book is calle

Today's guest says she's an optimistic person but her favorite word is NO. Andrea Waltz is the co-founder of Courage Crafters, Inc. and co-author of the best-selling book, Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There. For almost two decades, Andrea has been teaching people in virtually every business and industry how to think and feel differently about failure, rejection, and the word, “no” to achieve their goals and dreams. A member of one of the highest regarded professional groups of women in sales, Women Sales Pros, Andrea is considered a top sales influencer online, featured on lists curated by Hubspot, Salesforce.com, Live Hive and many others. The book, Go for No! reached #1 on Amazon’s “Sales & Selling” list in 2010, and has remained in the top 50 Sales books for the last 13 years, having now sold over 500,000 copies. Her latest book with co-author Richard Fenton called, “When They Say No” was released in February 2023. In this podcast for managers, Audrey, Lee and Andrea discuss:  ·    

Steve Gielda is co-founder of Ignite Selling and author of Ignite Your Sales Strategies: A field guide to accelerating the pipeline - an Amazon Top 10 Sales Book! the book helps sales teams be able to think and act strategically, construct a seamless sales pipeline process, understand your customers’ buying factors for each unique sale, proactively manage the key influencers, navigate the competitive landscape and quantify the true value of your solution. Steve's company has trained over 25,000 salespeople and sales leaders worldwide. MENTION MANAGE SMARTER PODCAST WHEN CLICKING ON STEVE’S BOOK ON IGNITESELLING.COM GETS THE BOOK FREE In this podcast for managers, Audrey, Lee and Steve discuss:  -Five assumptions that cause new products to fail -Steve’s latest sales pipeline management strategies -How to better understand customers’ buying factors "The #1 mistake managers and leaders make is NOT challenging the critical thinking and common assumptions of salespeople. Let's face it, managers have a lot on their

Brynne Tillman is the LinkedIn Whisperer and CEO of Social Sales Link. For over a decade she has been teaching Entrepreneurs, sales teams and business leaders how to leverage LinkedIn for social selling. As a former sales trainer and personal producer, Brynne adopted all of the traditional sales techniques and adapted them to the new digital world. She guides professionals to establish a thought leader and subject matter expert brand, find and engage the right targeted market, and leverage clients and networking partners for warm introductions into qualified buyers. In addition, Brynne is the Co-host of the Making Sales Social podcast and author of The LinkedIn Sales Playbook, a Tactical Guide to Social Selling. In this podcast for managers, Audrey, Lee and Brynne discuss:  -Why and how to keep your social channels authentic -Overhauling your LinkedIn.com profile for a different audience -Mindset shift for managers on their social media profiles/channels -AI use in social selling/ChatGPT usage tips "The numbe

Darren Horwitz is the Founder of TenTen, a brand implementation firm that helps organizations plan, build, and manage brand change. Darren and his team work with clients to help them navigate the complex process of planning, executing, and bringing brands to life. In just over 8 years, TenTen has helped 100+ companies rebrand, across industries and around the world. Darren and TenTen’s work has benefited the U.S. Army, GE Healthcare, Lincoln Financial, and J&J to name a few. Before founding TenTen, Darren established implementation and brand governance as integral disciplines at FutureBrand. He successfully deployed and governed global brands like American Airlines, Cadillac, and USAA. Prior to this, Darren defined brand management systems at Interbrand, working with notable clients such as Humana and Thomson Reuters. As a founding partner at Pixeljockey LLC, he played a crucial role in managing brand rollouts for AT&T and MasterCard. Darren excels in tackling challenges and guiding clients to achieve measura

Crista Grasso is the go-to strategic planning and systems expert for online businesses when they want to scale. Known as the "Business Optimizer", Crista has the ability to quickly cut through noise and provide clarity on the core things that will make the biggest impact to scale a business simply and sustainably. She is the founder of the Lean Out Method, creator of the Lean Business Scaling System, and host of the Lean Out Your Business Podcast. In this podcast for managers, Audrey, Lee and Crista discuss:  ·        What mistakes she made with her business that prompted her to start her company ·        Time chunking methodology ·        4 Pillars of the Lean Out method ·        What the biggest mistakes are for small business entrepreneurs in scaling "A 2-hour focus block with the right conditions in place to stay laser focused from start to finish can result in getting a massive amount FINISHED. But a 2-hour focus block without the right conditions in place can look like spending the 1st 30 minutes frustr