Rookie Leaders Podcast

Every leader wants to be an excellent leader. But the loneliness and isolation of being at the “top” can make excellence feel like mission impossible. Aaron Walker has been in small business and community leadership for over 42 years. Aaron joins me on the podcast to share the secret to defeating isolation and loneliness as a leader. It doesn’t have to feel lonely at the top. Aaron says isolation is the enemy of excellence. In this podcast episode, he will share the secret to leadership excellence. Hello Friend. This is the Rookie Leaders podcast. It’s the podcast offering leadership lessons to newbies. My name is Michael Tanner, and with 30 years of leadership experience, it is my mission is to help YOU become the leader everyone loves and wants to follow. So YOU can positively impact business results and the lives of those you lead. Personal Takeaways I’d rather fail in front of a few than everyone Vulnerability is key to success No one pushes through a ceiling alone If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with someone. Get into a group now, not when a crisis hits Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind Group https://www.viewfromthetop.com/   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

Do you have a team member that is underperforming, but you are afraid to give them a bad performance review? Giving performance reviews, especially for poor performance, are typically the first scary act for a new leader. But you can deliver a performance review that addresses poor performance and yet remain a leader that your teammate loves and wants to follow. Forget the compliment sandwich and other similar gimmicks. Deliver a performance review with confidence that properly addresses the poor performance. Hello Friend. This is the Rookie Leaders podcast. It’s the podcast offering leadership lessons to newbies. My name is Michael Tanner, and with 30 years of leadership experience, it is my mission is to help YOU become the leader everyone loves and wants to follow. So YOU can positively impact business results and the lives of those you lead. Before we start talking about performance reviews, let me quickly make you aware of our Leadership Calculator. You are listening to this podcast because you want to improve your leadership. To improve your leadership, you must first measure it. Our free calculator provides you with an objective leadership score and details for improving your leadership based on your result.  I’ll share more about our Leadership Calculator at the end of the show, but for now let’s talk about delivering performance reviews. Show Outline: Abandon the ANNUAL performance review Even if it’s the HR policy Utilize regular 1-1 meetings Too awkward to talk about things that happened 6 months ago Establish selfless motive Serve Build relationships Find out why poor performance Address performance, not person You are trying to change the performance, not the person Can eliminate defensiveness Have documented evidence Be their coach Game plan Mentor Cheerleader Do this also for good performance reviews If you need to deliver a poor performance review or you want to be prepared to do so, then start with our Leadership Calculator so you can understand how to establish those all-important relationships and pure motives we talked about earlier! All you have to do is head over to theleadershipcalculator.com. Until I speak with you again next time, remember that I love you because that is what leaders do, and want you to be blessed & lead well.   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

Do you have a workplace bully on your team? Have you dealt with that bully yet? Are you worried about the impact this bully is having on the rest of your team? Dealing with a workplace bully is difficult and scary - especially for a leader that doesn’t like conflict. But it doesn’t have to be difficult or scary, and it doesn’t have to lead to firing the bully. In this episode, I will share my experience in dealing with workplace bullies. Hello Friend. This is the Rookie Leaders podcast. It’s the podcast offering leadership lessons to newbies. My name is Michael Tanner, and with 30 years of leadership experience, it is my mission is to help YOU become the leader everyone loves and wants to follow. So YOU can positively impact business results and the lives of those you lead. Before we start dealing with workplace bullies, let me quickly make you aware of our Leadership Calculator. You are listening to this podcast because you want to improve your leadership. To improve your leadership, you must first measure it. Our free calculator provides you with an objective leadership score and details for improving your leadership based on your result.  I’ll share more about our Leadership Calculator after the show notes, but for now, let’s talk about dealing with workplace bullies. Show Outline: Shout-out to Ashley Not physical bullying or harrasment Story of new team member (not recruited, inherited) with specific technical skill our team was moving into. Personality was abrasive, impatient, arrogant Other team members offended, wanted bully fired Consider the Golden Rule - episode 103 Establish policy regarding bullying Address bully privately Confront the actions or behavior, not the person Explain the policy Explain the impact to team and performance Explain the consequences if it continues Create a plan of improvement If you need to deal with a workplace bully or you want to be prepared to do so, then start with our Leadership Calculator so you can understand how to establish those all-important relationships and pure motives we talked about earlier! All you have to do is head over to theleadershipcalculator.com. Until I speak with you again next time, remember that I love you because that is what leaders do, and want you to be blessed & lead well.   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator  

Are you in a temporary or interim leadership position? This is often the pathway to a permanent leadership position. There are certainly nuisances to interim positions that can be difficult to navigate. In this podcast episode, we will be learning from Deborah Coviello. Deb Coviello is an advisor, author, podcast host, and Founder of Illumination Partners, a consulting firm for CEOs navigating change. A trusted partner to C-Suite Leaders, Deb brings 25+ years of experience and strategy in Quality and Operational Excellence roles combined with her 20 years in the Flavors and Fragrance industry to support her clients as they work together to identify, assess, and solve the issues that are preventing their business growth. Certified as Lean and Six Sigma Blackbelt in Process Improvement, she has developed powerful programs devoted to helping CEOs identify emerging leaders, understanding “People’’ is the greatest tool in your toolbox. Deb is a board member of Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce, (WFFC), an avid Curler with the Cincinnati Curling Club, a mother of three, and resides in Cincinnati Ohio with her husband Dan of 32 years. My Key Takeaways To succeed in an interim leadership position can-do attitude model good leaders around you get and act upon feedback envision yourself as the leader you want to be How to determine if leadership is what you want permanently Ask if it serves your needs, serves your wants, and serves your passion   Connect with Deborah LinedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahacoviello/ Website: https://dropinceo.com/ Podcast: https://dropinceo.com/drop-in-ceo-podcast/ Book: https://dropinceo.com/book-page/   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

I’m often asked leadership questions that follow the form, “how would you lead in a situation where ________?” And they fill in that blank with whatever difficult situation they are facing at the time - where you need to fire a team member, you have a team member destroying the morale of the team, you have to reprimand a team member for bad behavior, and the list of difficult situations could go on forever. I know it’s frustrating initially to the person asking me this sincere question, but I always answer that question with a question. “How would you want to be led if you were that person?” As the person considers my question and we talk through it, the knowledge and courage to lead through their stated difficult situation become apparent. It’s simply the golden rule applied to leadership. Taking some creative liberties with the rule, I’ve changed it up to address leadership specifically. Lead others the way you would want to be led. I’ll further explain the golden rule and its value to you as a leader in this podcast episode.   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

In a recent parenting failure, I learned a really important leadership lesson. This lesson is related to the question if your team knows that you believe in them. Do you believe in your team’s ability to succeed? Do they know you believe in them? Our youngest son just graduated from high school. On the night before his graduation ceremony, he and I were sitting on the front porch going over the logistics of the next day. He half-jokingly made the comment to me, “I bet you never thought this day would come.” You see, school does not come naturally or easily for our youngest son. He took after me, rather than his mom, in this case. I brushed the comment off with the response, “of course I knew you would graduate.” It was later that night that it occurred to me, “my son isn’t aware that I believe in him.” His comment was only half-joking. The other half was truly a question in his mind. I had to make it right. I had to have a good conversation with him letting him know just how confident I am in his ability to succeed. Again I ask you, does your team know you believe in them? What if you really don’t believe in them? This is your fault as a leader. You can’t fake belief in them. If you don’t believe in their ability to succeed, you must train them, educate them, & lead them in a way that brings you confidence in their ability. How to express your belief in your team. Be explicit Be specific Be consistent   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

I often hear leaders complaining about the burden of problems. They are referencing the fact their team members are consistently bringing problems to them. I’m always quick to point out this is exactly what leaders are supposed to be. As a leader, you must welcome team members bringing problems to your attention. That said, I acknowledge the fact this can be a tremendous burden. Decision fatigue is a real thing. The pressure and stress of trying to solve every problem can be overwhelming. There is one key tool available to you for dealing with problems your team will bring to you. It’s the suggested solution. In this podcast episode, I’ll quickly share with you the magic behind the suggested solution.   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

It's a celebration! The Rookie Leaders Podcast hits 100 episodes! To celebrate the milestone, I revisit the story behind the podcast. Me  Leadership credentials - listen to episode 1  Fear of rejection  Dyslexic  Maybe ADD   Credible Leadership Group  Purpose: Serve others with leadership development so they can win  Why  Definition of success - serve others  Enjoy seeing others win  How  Course  Coaching  Workshops  Speaking   Podcast  Content creation of the business  Audience  New leaders  Unsupported leaders  Business doesn’t train leadership  Can only find executive-level coaching   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

 “Free your inner critic to inner confidence so that you have more impact as a leader” - Olivia Carter Imposter syndrome impacts us all differently. While I’ve understood imposter syndrome for some time, I’ve never recognized how our individual personalities are impacted differently. In this podcast episode, Olivia Carter will literally read your mind. At least she read my mind. You will gain great insights into how you are impacted by imposter syndrome and, more importantly, how to overcome it. Be sure to use the links below to register for Olivia's upcoming Masterclass and to connect with her on LinkedIn.   Resources Mentioned: Imposter to Impact Free Masterclass Connect with Olivia on LinkedIn The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator  

Firing a team member is a difficult situation, especially for a new leader that has never done it before. There is no advice I can give you that will make it easy, but there are ways to ensure you do it correctly. In this podcast episode, we will talk about why it’s important you fire a team member correctly, why you would need to fire a team member, and then how to actually fire them. Why Firing Correctly Is Important  Right thing to do  Impacts remaining team members  Protects the team and business Why You Would Need To Fire A Team Member Poor individual performance Poor business performance Legal or ethical violation How To Fire A Team Member  Gather supporting evidence  Align the support needed  Stay focused on activity, not the person  Avoid discussions  Maintain their dignity  Address the remaining team   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

I’m often asked to identify the best leaders I’ve worked for. I’ve been very fortunate to work for some really good leaders. Additionally fortunate, I’ve also worked for some really bad leaders. So I can easily tell the difference. Good leadership isn’t identified by a title, position, attitude, or even actions. I can’t make a list of actions to take that make a good leader. Ultimately, good leadership is recognized by the way it makes those following feel. Let’s identify a few feelings that indicate good leadership. Secure Good leadership will always make team members feel secure in being who they are. Every team member is different and therefore must be led differently. Good leadership will accept the differences among team members. This acceptance enables team members to feel secure, never needing to hide their personal nature or cover themselves with excuses. Heard Every team member has ideas, concerns, and opinions that are important to them. Good leadership will always make team members feel like they have the opportunities to voice them. In addition to the opportunities to share, team members need to feel leadership is truly listening to them. Cared For Performance, contribution, and goal achievement are important for every team member. Team members are keenly aware of the concern leadership applies to these aspects of a team. However, good leadership will also ensure each team member feels cared for as a person. Leadership is about relationships and building good relationships demonstrate genuine care for a team member.  Empowered Empowerment is a popular buzzword in the work world. But the feeling of empowerment is much more important to a team member than we typically recognize. Empowerment includes training and trust. To have team members feel empowered, they must be trusted to complete the mission and properly trained to do so. Challenged Especially in the servant leadership model, challenging and pushing a team are often overlooked. So much focus is placed on building good relationships and being liked, that leaders forget to push their team. Good leadership will always make the team feel challenged, stretched, and pushed - even to a point of concern related to the feasibility of accomplishing the mission.   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

Students of our Leadership Accelerator course recently brought up a question about politicians. The question was essentially, “should we view politicians as examples of good leadership?” “Well, no.” While my response to the question is definitive, it needs a little explanation. While a politician may be a great leader behind closed doors (that is within their team), the general public will never be allowed to see that side of the politician. So my response speaks more about the political system of the US than it does the individual politician. Let me explain why you should not look to politics for examples of good leadership. Never accept blame or admit wrong A political system will not allow a politician to accept blame for a failure or to admit when something is wrong. It is critical to effective leadership that a leader accepts the blame for any failures of a team. Additionally, a leader has to be transparent enough with their team to admit when something is wrong. A politician may behave this way behind closed doors and in front of their team, but they will never do so publicly for us to see. Instead, a politician will shift blame elsewhere or spin a situation to make it appear positive. Never say they don’t know Another quality a good leader must have is a willingness to admit when they don’t know something and solicit advice from members of the team.  A politician does not have that luxury publicly. When asked about a topic, a politician must respond in a way that makes it appear they know all about the topic. This is why it often feels like a politician says a lot to answer a question, but never really answers the question. Everything is PR scripted Very little about good leadership is scripted. Every day brings new challenges and unique situations that make scripted responses an impossibility. This isn’t the case with the public view of a politician. In public, a politician must be well scripted. Every speech, announcement, and even press conference answer is scripted ahead of time to ensure the first two points made above are maintained. So again, this isn’t a statement about individual politicians. It’s more a response describing the realities of a political system. So don’t watch politicians on television and follow their example - you aren’t watching good leadership.   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

“I’ve just been promoted to a leadership position. What is the most important thing I should do first?” I get this type of question all the time. Now that I’m a leader, what do I do first? I’m always glad to see new leaders asking themselves such questions. Almost without exception, however, those leaders seem disappointed in my answer. They seem to think I’m going to tell them how to charge into their team and show them they are the boss. Instead, I tell every new leader the first and most important step they should take as a new leader is to subordinate their ego. Subordinating your ego means to suppress your inner emotions that make you view yourself as more important than others. As a new leader, you must view your team members as more important than you. They are the people doing the bulk of the work. They are the ones accomplishing the task. Ego is the number one downfall of leaders While coaching a leader through a struggle they are experiencing with influence within their team, we almost always narrow the culprit down to ego. Ego issues are often difficult to identify. Left unchecked, ego will ultimately be the downfall of any leader. Demonstrates you are a leader, not a boss The word boss is regularly used with a negative connotation. Your new team is asking themselves “is he/she a leader or a boss?” In that question, boss is used negatively. Your team wants to know if you care about them and their contributions or if you just care about yourself and results. Control over your ego provides your team with a clear answer to this question. Creates culture of teamwork A leader’s uncontrolled ego will always create a culture of avoidance and CYA within the team. Ego can be demonstrated in outbursts of anger but is most often demonstrated as disappointment and blame. In this type of culture, your team members will worry more about protecting themselves than effective teamwork.   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

I am obviously unqualified to tell you about the unique challenges that women face in leadership. But that is certainly not the case with my guest, Nichole Harrop. Nichole is a leadership and career coach. She is a wife, mother of two daughters, and most important to this episode, a female leader. Nichole believes the world needs more female leaders, and through her efforts at nicholeharrop.com, she intends to create them.   Resources Mentioned: Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop nicholeharrop.com How to Confidently Ask For a Raise Next Level Leaders podcast  The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator

Very early in my corporate career, I went to my boss to request some leadership training. I was the new leader of a small group of software developers and I wanted to be the best leader I could be. My boss seemed excited that I was asking for training and was eager to send me to what he considered to be top-notch leadership training that was developed in-house by the company's training department. I should have known by the title this training wouldn’t be all that beneficial for me. The training was entitled “Perfecting Your Executive Presence.” The 2-day workshop was all about dressing like an executive, where to sit during a meeting, and body language during a presentation. So did any of that training help me? Well, I can say with confidence my team didn’t see any real change in my leadership ability after I returned from the training. But, it did make me realize that appearance does matter. Just not near as much as some people think. Appearance isn’t about impressing your team The training focused on maintaining an executive appearance for the purpose of impressing others. However, the real value in maintaining a good appearance isn’t in the impression it makes on others, but in the impact it makes on you. There are real psychological benefits to getting all dressed up for an important event or activity. We’ve all experienced the mental and emotional boost we feel when we put on our finest clothes to attend some fancy event.  The same can be said for your mental and emotional state each day while leading your team. When you feel better about yourself, you’re a better leader. The real impression your appearance leaves on your team Your team isn’t all that impressed with your fancy clothes. However, your appearance does leave an impactful impression on your team. If you are squared away (as we called it in the Marine Corps), then your team knows you are working to take care of yourself. Your team needs and deserves the very best version of you as a leader. When you dress well and maintain a healthy appearance, your team feels valued by your efforts to provide your best self to them. On the other hand, your sloppy and unkept appearance will convey to your team that you don’t care. You will appear to be just going through the motions. You will not inspire maximum effort from your team if you aren’t willing to take care of yourself. Better to underdress than overdress One benefit of leading in the military is that everyone has the same uniform. The only way to differentiate yourself with your uniform is to make sure it is more squared away than everyone else - it’s cleaner, pressed better, etc. We would starch and press our camouflage utilities so much the cargo pockets wouldn’t properly open. But in the corporate world, there isn’t always a standard uniform. In this case, be careful that you aren’t overdressed. When you are overdressed it becomes difficult for your team to relate to you. The organizational chart already presents artificial boundaries that hinder your team from building a good relationship with you. Don’t make that even worse with your overdressed appearance.   Resources Mentioned: The Leadership Calculator The Leadership Accelerator - use promo code MADNESS for 50% discount