Reality-Based Leadership (Cy Wakeman and Alex Dorr)

Boy, are we learning a lot about ourselves and others during this quarantine! Have you stopped to notice and pay attention? This podcast is all about listening to what you have discovered about yourself during this time. What has been better? What has been worse? What has surprised you? The more we tune into how this time has changed us, the more we can grow.

Ask me your questions on this week's Facebook Live on Thursday, May 7, 12:00 PM CST: https://bit.ly/3d05ox1

This week's guest is the amazing Steve Glaveski - an inspiring founder and CEO, Steve says his life mission is to unlock the latent potential of organizations and people to create more impact for humanity and lead more fulfilling lives. We had a great talk.

If you haven't yet, leave a rating and a review wherever you're listening - I'd love to hear your thoughts and get some feedback!

By the way, Season 2 of Life's Messy, Live Happy is going strong! Have you tuned in yet? I'm answering questions from you guys so I'd love to hear from you. Check it out here: facebook.com/lifesmessylivehappy

This is a very special edition of No Ego because in this episode, I brought on Cathy Frost, my very best friend. She's known me for years so our conversation was just amazing. We talked about Mother's Day, our moms and all lessons we learned from each other. Cathy is a life coach specializing in helping people live beautiful, soul-filled lives while living with metastatic breast cancer.

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In today's episode I want to talk about conflict. As a researcher, I've spent so many hours dissecting and trying to understand conflict and why it happens. What I've found is this: so much of the time, the root cause of conflict is ambiguity. And a leader's job is to facilitate clarifying conversations. Listen in for more on this and what else I've discovered are the best ways to fix it.

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One of my great teachers and a leader on the science of happiness is joining me today on the podcast. Fred and I talk about choices that lead to happiness, grieving, forgiveness, and venting. He answers the age-old question, is it ever ok to vent?

Here are two great pieces of Fred’s work if you want to dive deeper:

What is forgiveness? https://bit.ly/2MCEizT

The Science of Happiness: https://bit.ly/2G7Ns6B

Have a question for me? Submit yours anonymously and I may answer it on an upcoming video: https://bit.ly/2DEv2Zz

This week, I'm taking you through the steps and actions that go into defusing drama and how you can do it in your own workplace or worldplace. It can feel daunting approaching drama, but through thoughtful questions and a few other tips I have for you, you'll be well on your way. 

In this podcast, Cy and Alex discuss an important leadership concept they discovered while working on content for Alex's new book.

Traditional leadership advice often focuses on identifying the source of drama or conflict, and then applying a single tool to address it. However, Cy and Alex have found that the reality is often more complex - sometimes a sequence of tools is needed to help someone work through a barrier or frustration they're facing.

The framework they'll be covering is called the "Greatness Framework", and it involves three key steps: 1) Cleaning up - reflecting on the unpreferred reality or problem at hand, 2) Thinking - finding your space for impact, and 3) Taking the next right action.

The key insight is that you can't just talk someone through this process - it requires a more iterative, self-reflective approach using reality-based leadership tools. Cy and Alex believe this framework provides a practical way to apply the various leadership concepts they teach, in a structured sequence that helps people move towards "greatness." Tune in to learn more about this powerful new framework and how it can elevate your leadership abilities.

This week I'm answering 4 of your questions as we continue to find our way through this challenging time. My biggest hope is that you can find peace amidst the chaos.

Questions answered:

- I want to continue working from home, while my co-workers are at the office. How do I ask for what I need?

- I feel anxious and distracted working at home right now. How can I refocus and get back to productive work?

- I am extroverted and realize that I get a lot of my motivation and confidence from others. How can I nip that insecurity in the bud and stop being such people pleaser?

- How can I help my team and co-workers rise above the chaos, drama, and anxiety and stay focused on the task at hand?

Join me on Facebook Live this Thursday, 4/16 12:00 PM CST https://bit.ly/2Vkv7ca

In today's episode, Alex and Cy talk about a pattern they're seeing out there that is really hurting leaders, creating conflict and burning them out. It's that they are over managing and under leading, and this is a sign of leaders being a little under-skilled to handle some challenges in their current reality. In that, Cy and Alex, talk about a simple, but very powerful concept to support leaders and making sure they're not over managing and under leading called goals, roles, and procedures.

And a big breakthrough for all listeners, is that as a leader, if you're clear on goals, clear on roles, then brace yourself you don't have to get so involved in procedures and execution, and in the weeds and jumping into fix and firefighting, so this is a really important concept to decrease conflict on your team, increase clarity and also empower everyone to fully step into their roles, even in times of change.

So Cy and Alex dive deep into how leaders can figure out are they part of the what, as far as strategy or what we're trying to do and or whether they're supposed to be into the how in the execution to deliver on that what. Cy and Alex discuss many ways that leaders are consistently getting into control and doing too much, and then they're leaving their teams believing they're the victims and this is how they can rise up evolve and really call their teams to greatness.

This episode packs a punch and will give you tons of clarity to improve your leadership of your team for the rest of the year Be sure to share this episode with all of your team members and discuss your biggest insight or takeaway.

I love this week's guest, as she takes an evidence-based approach to prepare and engage working moms (aka "LeaderMoms") in the sometimes wonderful, sometimes rocky, professional path. This episode is great for moms and employers alike as we find a way to address real business problems of unwanted turnover and gender equality, while reducing the guilt, anxiety, and fear that comes along with being a LeaderMom.

Learn more at LeaderMom.com

Follow on social @LeaderMomOfficial

If you're loving this podcast, leave me a rating right here. I'd love to know what you think!

When I hear people talk about trust in the workplace, I get concerned because we make it sound like something we can create for another. But that leaves us dependent on other people, and creates situations where people end up waiting to be offered something. When you say there is a lack of trust in your organization, is it due to leadership or due to your own choices? That's what I want to get into today. Whether or not you trust someone has a lot to do with you.

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In this episode, the last of the exclusive book club calls, I talk about why I believe our approach to change management has been one of the biggest fuels of drama in the workplace. We are asking ourselves, how can change be least disruptive to our team? But what we should be asking is: how can we make change least disruptive to our business? By making sure our teams are always ready for what's next.

In this episode, I'm switching things up a bit! Recently I had an exclusive call with all the members of my No Ego Book Club where I talked for a bit and answered questions. But the content was so good, I am now releasing it here for all of you to hear as well! Enjoy. 

Alex and Cy connected with Mike Lee to talk about the new rules of the future of leadership. Although these rules are simple rules that you might already know, the key insight is that for years, they have been nice to have, and now they're really the new rules to lead the up-and-coming workforce.

In the podcast, they cover some of the solid fundamentals of leadership, how keeping it simple as a leader is the most impactful. Going through what's called mental rehearsal to be a more prepared leader, the power of visualization, how modern leaders are legacy driven instead of outcome driven. And also some great ways to support people by loving them up and calling them up to greatness with some of Mike's best techniques.

This is an action packed episode with an individual who's worked with some of the top, high-performing people in the world.

Be sure to share this episode with all of your team members and discuss your biggest insight or takeaway.

I think you're going to love this exclusive 4-part Q&A session with our Certified Facilitators where I talk candidly about:

- the toggle switch concept, and why it's important for both leaders and employees

- how to effectively use self-reflection questions to bypass ego

- how leaders hinder accountability

- managing employees who vent and share unhelpful opinions

- how to create shared accountability in meetings

- why engagement has everything to do with us; not our circumstances.

Learn about our Certification Program: https://bit.ly/2KQDqYM

Back by popular demand, Cy and Alex sit down to talk about the latest topics in leadership as they are out speaking on the circuit with the top leaders across the globe. The hottest topic that is coming up is all around trust and how it fits with leading in a Reality-Based way. How does trust fit in? Can you use the tools and principles you are talking about if trust isn't there?

Trust is absolutely important on a team and in a leadership moment when you are calling teams to greatness. However, trust can be layered with so many other things as a way for someone to avoid a call to greatness that could help them evolve.

Cy and Alex do a deep dive into trust in the workplace, some misconceptions with the topic, how it affects the team, and how trust isn't solely the responsibility of the leader to create.

So if you are looking for tips and ideas to:

• Create more trust on your team
• Build more trust in your culture
• Understand how to truly create sustainable trust at work
• Clarify why trust is such a hard thing to build with others
• Become more trustworthy in your life in a variety of work situations

Then this is the podcast for you.

Be sure to share this episode with all of your team members and discuss your biggest insight or takeaway.

Download the Edit Your Story Tool. 

Cy Wakeman is the President and Founder of Reality-Based Leadership. Alex Dorr is VP of People Evolution at Reality-Based Leadership and has been standing side-by-side with Cy for almost a decade. Together, they have been helping leaders modernize their approach to leadership and to ditch the drama in the workplace.

To learn more or to book Cy or Alex to speak at your next event or training be sure to visit Reality-Based Leadership or fill out this form to connect with the team!

What better way to get into the holiday season than with an inspiring chat with the incredible Lisa Bilyeu? Lisa is co-founder of the billion dollar company Quest Nutrition and President of Impact Theory. She works alongside her husband Tom Bilyeu to delivery inspiring content and videos to hundreds of thousands of people a day. What I find most awesome about her is her rich background in adapting to change - she's done it all, and she's succeeded in so many different parts of life. Enjoy our conversation and let me know which part was your favorite! I'm @cywakeman everywhere. 

Are you loving this podcast? If you are, please leave a rating and a review wherever you're listening. Ratings are how other people find the podcast, so they mean everything to us. 

This week, I wanted to share a brief overview of the top 5 sources of drama at work that I found in my research. I know many of you have heard me talk about ego as a main source of drama, but did you know there are 4 other major contributors? Here's the great news: If we can understand these sources of drama, and work to manage them for ourselves and our teams, there’s nothing that can stop you from producing amazing results and reaching your potential, not to mention living a happier and more peaceful life. I hope you enjoy listening in.

More info about the sources of drama in my book, No Ego. https://amzn.to/2vqHWIE

On this episode, I'm so excited to introduce you all to Ricardo Palomares, and international keynote speaker and author and one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. He's been faced with seemingly insurmountable hardship in his life but has always prevailed. I often speak about how true freedom is having nothing to lose. It's the perfect recipe for no ego moments. We broke down some of his standout stories from his life. 

Would you believe it if I told you that recent surveys suggest 90% of workers are ‘disengaged from their work?’ My friend, and guest on the podcast this week, Robb Holman, started with this alarming statistic, and has used it to inform his philosophies at Inside Out Leadership. Join us as we discuss the inherent problems facing today's leaders, and our ideas on how we can fix them.

Do you mentor someone? Are you in a mentoring relationship? If so, have you really thought about what it means to be a mentor? Many times, when we are in a mentoring relationship, we need to take a step back and evaluate - are we moving the needle towards good? And what is the goal of the person looking to be mentored? There are so many ways to mentor and today I want to give a glimpse into how I mentor and why. 

By the way, I'm @cywakeman everywhere. Find me on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. 

Are you loving this podcast? If you are, please leave a rating and a review wherever you're listening. Ratings are how other people find the podcast, so they mean everything to us. 

In this episode, I want to share an interview I did with Workhuman Radio at this year's conference on why engagement is broken. As leaders, we've gotten way off track in terms of engagement, and we're going about it the wrong way, which is leading to an entitled workforce. Listen in as we discuss how to truly create engagement without all the drama.

Be sure to follow @workhuman on social for how we can work to change the world of HR!

Have a question for me? Submit yours anonymously and I may answer it on an upcoming episode: https://bit.ly/2DEv2Zz

Happy Monday everyone, and welcome to a brand new episode of No Ego! In today's episode I sit down with the incredible Marie Forleo, entrepreneur, B-School founder, philanthropist, and host of MarieTV. I have been a fan of Marie's for some time now and it was an absolute honor having her on the show. In this episode (a must listen!), we discuss the freedom we can all achieve in today's world, what it takes to get things done, the power of engagement, getting rid of drama in our lives, and so much more! 

By the way, make sure you tune into Season 2 of my video show, Life's Messy, Live Happy where I'm answering all your questions!

Check it out here:

facebook.com/lifesmessylivehappy

Welcome to episode 2 of the brand new season of No Ego! As we move forward in the season, you'll notice that every other episode has a guest, and in between, you get me solo. So welcome to a solo episode, your "one on one with Cy" for the week.

Today we're going to talk about bringing your whole self to work. While I totally understand where this concept is coming from, it has a lot of flaws in it. I advocate for your evolved self, not your whole self. For more on that, tune in to today's episode.

Want more from me? There are so many places I share amazing content! Find me all over social media: 

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As leaders, we are being stretched to use get fluent in a variety of new competencies and this week, I will be going deep into the art of “Holding Space” in order to maximize the impact our current world can have on the evolution of you and your team. 

On this episode I deliver an advanced lesson in going beyond ego in response to a trend in the questions being sent in, “How should I handle the tough conversations that need to happen at work?’  Leaders are looking for what to do and how to do it right when it comes to addressing the conversations happening in the world as they are brought to work.  Here’s the reality, jumping directly into action is premature.  Now is the time to ensure that many are being heard and that is at times uncomfortable. 

In this week's episode, Cy and Alex were able to take a fan question that was submitted through the website. The question focused on what to do about negativity at work, and in particular this was part of a group that was going through a residency program.

And so in this episode, Cy and Alex take a look at the question and go into some of their favorite techniques to reflect on the situation that has become negative.

What are some ways that you could reset the negativity and maybe come out at a different angle? What are some tried and true techniques to be able to influence the negativity and hopefully turn it into a better spirit and a better environment of how we could make things better?

Lots of good information and techniques in this episode, so if you've ever been on a team or situation where negativity becomes the norm or people get into patterns of negativity, and you're not sure how to stop it or shift that energy, you'll really love this discussion and find some good takeaways from there.

Be sure to share this episode with all of your team members and discuss your biggest insight or takeaways.

Join Cy in her interview with the amazing Dr. Laura, an Industrial/Organizational and Career Psychologist who has over 20+ years experience in the field. She is also a keynote speaker, thought leader, author and hosts her own podcast Where Work Meets Life. In this episode, they discuss how to lead your team effectively and efficiently while working remote. How to create a workplace, that supports people's mental well being. You can find Dr. Laura's work on her website at DrLaura.live 

Doug Claffey, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Energage joins Cy to share some surprising research results on employee engagement during the world health crisis. Bottom line -  it appears that the Top Workplaces get even better in the midst of a crisis. Cy and Doug unpack the research in the increase of engagement levels since COVID-19 hit and working from home became the new norm. Curious to find out what is driving increased employee engagement? Here is a hint - great communication, high levels of appreciation, and frequent connections. Tune in to hear lessons learned that will help drive engagement and great culture regardless of organizational challenges.

The Ditch The Drama Tour - Now Virtual | August 28th, 2020

Get your tickets and register now!

https://www.realitybasedleadership.com/dtd2020/

Do you ever assume that mindfulness is what we do outside of the workplace to try and deal with the stress inside the workplace? That practices like meditation and gratitude are personal and that work is well all about achieving results?  Then join me for a great paradigm-shifting conversation with Eric Holesapple, successful developer and entrepreneur and author of Profit with Presence and hear about how he has used mindfulness to transform his life and business and helps others to do the same.  For more about Eric and his practices visit Livinginthegap.org.

This week, I want to talk about how we can hold space for others, widen our perspective of what others are going through, and not allow our ego to make quick judgments right now. I also want to discuss how we can make what I call repair attempts (AKA: mulligans, do-overs, making amends!) when we screw up.

Join me on Facebook Live this week on Thursday, May 14 at Noon CST. https://bit.ly/2SNhEcy

Bestselling Author Dr. Sasha Shillcutt joins Cy in this episode to offer guidance and practical tools to help us all set boundaries to protect our physical and mental health and to live an empowered and peaceful life. This episode is full of great content as both Cy and Sasha share their personal and professional expertise on how we can overcome burnout and take back control of our time and our life by learning to set clear work-life boundaries.

In our culture we often try shoulder through adversity and difficulty with a focus on “mastery” - how can I figure it out, master the skills required, and move through what is happening in a way that limits my pain? In this episode, one of my suggestions is that a great counterbalance is to focus on building the emotional and mental muscle required to live in the mystery of the moment and the times. I discuss ways to use current experiences to evolve one’s capacity to do challenging things that ultimately lead to great peace and happiness in life like “letting go” and creating space for the creative to arrive.

If you want to up your game personally and professionally, you don’t want to miss my new program the Life’s Messy, Live Happy Group starting in October. A year-long experience filled with monthly group experiences, exclusive new content, and a ton of new ways to explore your internal world and grow beyond your past abilities. Don’t miss out, get registered now and bring your friends and colleagues. Register in the link below!

info.realitybasedleadership.com/lmlh)

Join Cy and Alex on this episode as they chat through the times someones shares, "But, we don't really have drama here." This is often where the loud drama (venting, complaining, gossip around the water cooler) isn't a big issue, but silent drama is out to play. Curious about the difference? You're not going to want to miss this episode.

Just a hint, silent drama often shows up as subtle lack of alignment to the strategies your organization is laying out or chronic resistance to change. These tougher to recognize workplace drama culprits really slow a team down and cause work to be more challenging than ever.

Download the Thinking Inside-The-Box tool: https://info.realitybasedleadership.com/box

To learn more or to book Cy or Alex to speak at your next event or training be sure to visit Reality-Based Leadership or fill out this form to connect with the team!

Welcome to the last episode of Season 1 of the No Ego podcast! What's next, you might be wondering - well, stay tuned for a special announcement next week. Season 2 is going to be amazing and I can't wait to share it all with you.

For today's final episode of Season 1, I'm bringing you a conversation with the amazing Randy Harrington, PHD. He is CEO, owner of Extreme Arts & Sciences and co-founder, owner
of Strategic Arts & Sciences and Best Practices Media. We talked about so much, from millennials in the workplace to accountability to where drama comes from. 

Want more from me? There are so many places I share amazing content! Find me all over social media: 

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Thank you for your patience as I got this week's episode ready! I wanted it to be perfect and I'm so excited to share it with you.

In this episode, I tackle Me Too. Compassion, understanding, and open dialogue are called for in this "me too, what’s next" time in our work lives. How do we move into a relationship with each other, while also evolving and growing? I share a few tips I have on this topic in this episode today.

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In this intimate conversation, Cy and Charlie Pleasant, LCSW dive into the messy beauty of being human in today’s challenging environments — exploring how we navigate fear, uncertainty, and the complexity of our inner worlds. From the transformative power of anger to the importance of boundaries and truth in relationships, they unpack how Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy can be integrated into everyday life. At the heart of it all? A deep call to self-care, love, and community.

 Every pinpoint is a portal for your own evolution. If you are wondering what the invitation of your current discomfort and stress might be: it is to go inside and emerge evolved by your current situation. Whether you're familiar with IFS or just curious about emotional healing, this episode offers rich insights for anyone seeking grounded, reality-based leadership — both within and without.

To benefit from Charlie and her work, check her out on IG @charliethattherapist and charliepleasantlcsw.com

Be sure to share this episode with all of your team members and discuss your biggest insight or takeaway.

One of the top three biggest questions we get at Reality-Based Leadership is, How do I get my team to buy-in? How do I get them to buy into what needs to be done? How do I get them to buy into strategies? How do we get people to buy into changes the organization needs us to execute on?

And the next question after that is, what do I do If I thought I had buy-in, and then it turned out it was fake, or it seems to be where people say they're bought in, but the behaviors are different?

So in this podcast, Cy and Alex talk about this pattern, if it's happening and how you might be able to address fake buy in, how you can go after more buy in, and the truth is, buy in is the first step of accountability.

It's about commitment. Buy in is a verb and if an individual isn't able to offer up their buy-in, it's really game over when it comes to happiness results in engagement at work.

So Cy and Alex do all they can to come up with our best techniques to help you go after buy-in, secure buy-in, but remember you can only work with the willing, you can't buy someone else in, and this podcast will give you some techniques to figure out what's really going on.

If you're a leader that is currently leading your team through change, transformation, innovation, and noticing that there is a lot of resistance concern or fear, this is the podcast for you.

Cy and Alex dive deep into what they call Business Readiness, which is their modern take on traditional change management. In short, change management has been the name of the game in leadership for years and in many ways still is, but Reality-Based Leadership is starting to see that it is not ready for the modern workplace. It is a model that responds to change.

It notices change happening and then starts to manage it, where Business Readiness is a forward, thinking, leaning in to ensure that people are ready, willing, and able to deliver on what the business needs. This shift and mindset will help you transform in the way which your team embraces and sees it as an opportunity to capitalize on it, so where change management focuses on change being least disruptive to the people, Business Readiness is a model that helps you ensure that change is least disruptive to your customers, your patients, and your organization.

Cy and Alex go back-and-forth on how this connects to resilience and how you can build resilience in your people and readiness in your systems in your organization. And this sweet spot is how to disruption-proof your workplace and ensure that it can handle whatever change comes its way. You don't want to miss any word in this podcast, so be sure to tune in.

The final episode in this Q&A series has more great workplace drama topics, including:

• how to have tough conversations with employees
• how to roll out the employee value equation with your team
• overcoming your fear of speaking up, especially when dealing with someone in power

Learn about our Certification Program. Our next class is on March 18-20, 2020! https://bit.ly/2KQDqYM

Season 3 of the Podcast starts Jan. 13, 2020! I'll be answering your in-depth "Dear Cy" letters. Submit your own letter here: https://bit.ly/35jTfiX

If there is one thing we have learned in recent times, it's that we do not have to do it alone! Resiliency is not about being the toughest in the room, it's about finding the genius in the collective. In this interview, Cy talks with social workers Lori Gunther and Melissa Gehl, co-owners of Synova, whose mission is to create rewarding programs for Nurse Leaders. Listen in for tips to help hope make a comeback, lead a revolution of recovery, and succeed in spite of the facts. You will also learn about the new RBLNP program to help develop and retain your healthcare leaders! 

Today's podcast is a rapid-fire of questions all related to how we're doing - emotionally - during this pandemic. No two people are experiencing this pandemic alike. While some have too much time and feel lonely, others are overwhelmed and wish they had more time. Still, some others are losing their jobs and those they love most, causing incredible grief and stress. One thing is for sure is that we are getting a good lesson in how to process all of these emotions. I hope this episode will help you do just that.

Join me on Facebook Live on Wednesday, April 29 for live Q&A: https://bit.ly/2Kw0GuN

This is a special episode I am reposting this week as it deserves to be heard again at this very difficult time in our country. It's a conversation with a great friend of mine in the HR world, Sarah Morgan of @thebuzzonhr. Her Leading in Color podcast, blog and #BlackBlogsMatter challenge are amazing and I appreciate her work to evolve HR practitioners and workplaces everywhere. The topic of our conversation is about a blog she wrote: "What's in an Ally?" and the 5 things that make you an ally and how to deal with tough issues surrounding diversity and inclusion at work.

Resources:

Blog: https://bit.ly/2k25yOG

Book: We Can't Talk About That at Work: https://amzn.to/2kgevnK

Book: Me and White Supremacy: https://amzn.to/2kgeEaM

When you meet up with team members in a project and acknowledge together that where you're going is unknown, everyone is able to put their ego aside and get into a beginner's mind. Nothing is impossible when everyone is learning together. This is one of the topics that kicked off my conversation with the amazing Matt Johnson, a lead consultant at The Frontier Project, an organizational transformation company. He's a trained mathematician, former frontman of a punk rock band, and a Pentagon policymaker. There’s no fitting Matt into any sort of box. I hope you'll enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Keep leaving those reviews for this podcast! Reviews go such a long way on iTunes and they mean a lot to me!

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Dear Cy has returned to Season 3 as Cy responds to listeners emails on their current challenges. In response to a great email from a fan asking for ways to immediately impact racial equity at work, Cy invited Pam Bourne, Employment attorney and friend to share ideas for where to begin. Cy and Pam talk openly about their own realizations of their own racism and ignorance along with concrete ideas to turn awareness into action at work for leaders and HR. Listen in to hear how you can act the part of leader ally at work. 

To send me a letter or ask me your questions, click on this link!

https://share.hsforms.com/1a49pq87BSTeMkAD7GXKNMQ4mjbd

Register for the HROI Summit!

https://mailchi.mp/137ae04a4814/register-now-for-the-hroi-summit?e=[UNIQID]

Alex and I are answering a fan letter this week from a mom who writes about working hard to get a degree in early childhood education but then finds herself in a completely different role as a cook in the center where she is working. How she can find the opportunity in this role when she has worked so hard to obtain a career in teaching? We're going to talk about how your ego gets in the way and reframing this situation to grow where you are planted.

Send me your Dear Cy letters! I'd love to answer your question. Submit it anonymously here: https://bit.ly/35jTfiX

Another great episode for you guys today - last month I hosted a number of informal, exclusive, member-only chats for everyone in my book club. Excited to share the second one with you all now, just for my podcast listeners! Listen in.

Today's guest, Lauren Zajac, Chief Legal Officer at Workhuman, joined me in Boston on International Women's Day for a special podcast about how to create work-life balance and better navigate the work world as a woman. One great tip that she shares is that you will always be successful if you are fully present with the current experience.

Learn more about Lauren and resources for women at Workhuman: https://bit.ly/2TNEwdG

Can you ditch the drama for 30 days? 5 minutes a day for 30 days. Creating habits for a drama-free life. Starts April 1. Sign up by March 31 to get in! https://bit.ly/2F4i1rI

When I hear people talk about trust in the workplace, I get concerned because we make it sound like something we can create for another. But that leaves us dependent on other people and creates situations where people end up waiting to be offered something. When you say there is a lack of trust in your organization, is it due to leadership or due to your own choices? That's what I want to get into today. Whether or not you trust someone has a lot to do with you.

I asked for your questions about the philosophy a week or so ago and got over 100 responses! I'm answering 2 of them today with Alex Dorr, our VP of People Evolution.

"I don't always have 10 minutes to react without emotion. Sometimes I feel like I need 10 hours to respond with grace! However, a response is often needed in 10 seconds. How can I maneuver these 'right now' situations?" - Suzy Kraemer

"How can I coach the highly-engaged but low-accountable employee, especially when there is a group of them?" - Angela Feldkamp Beck

SBAR Tool: http://bit.ly/2InNWFQ

With the vaccine situation improving, you are likely thinking about, or in the process of returning to the office. Gleb and I cover helpful benchmarking and best practices to aid in your return plan. 

Find the full white paper here: https://tinyurl.com/TheOfficeReturn

In this week's episode, I answer the often asked question, “How do I make someone change?” with a surprising answer. You can’t make anyone do anything - but, you can stop enabling them. When you stop enabling your teammates, it 's the quickest way to ensure that their relationship with reality is a direct one and that they have the best information possible with which to make better decisions. 

I'm excited to introduce you to Safi Bahcall, a physicist, entrepreneur, and the bestselling author of Loonshots. Safi talks about the competing forces in a company that suddenly change from embracing wild new ideas to rigidly rejecting them. So many organizations are focused on culture, but Safi emphasizes the importance of small shifts in the structure of an organization that can have a radical breakthrough in group behavior.

Buy Loonshots: loonshots.com

Follow Safi @SafiBahcall

Hey folks! We're taking this week off and will be back next week with a brand new season, dedicated to your questions. I'm not just talking one sentence, but in-depth letters about what you're experiencing in the workplace as your work to live and lead drama-free. See you next week!

Join us on the Dich the Drama Tour 2020! https://bit.ly/2s7hG4W

The Carvery with Alex Dorr Podcast:

iTunes: https://apple.co/38YDxfw

GooglePlay: https://bit.ly/2PGdZMz

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/38XyBYd

I return to you all with a solo episode to respond to the many questions from leaders wondering if accountability is still relevant in times of crises.  The answer - absolutely - in fact fostering accountability is the key to growing teams and evolving people into high value talent today and in the future. Accountability and empathy are not mutually exclusive and accountability doesn’t have to hurt. I advocate for increasing the support rather than lowering the standards and as always, give listeners great practical guidance for how to care about your people, honor their unique circumstances in their lives AND call them to greatness.

Get your tickets for the Ditch The Drama Tour - Now Virtual! on August 28, 2020:

https://registration.sonburst.com/cywakeman/virtualroadshow

Erica Dhawan, author of Digital Body Language, joins me this week to discuss her new book and building connection in the digital era. 

Two themes are emerging for me in your pandemic questions this week: finding space for others and getting perspective. Our egos are flaring up right now and seeing insult where there isn't any, and we have to be ready to combat it.

Q's answered:

1. I am a nurse manager. How can I give good communication to my team and help them focus on the task at hand when there is so much fear, anxiety, and stress?
2. My director is micro-managing me and not letting our team do our jobs.
3. What are your tips for defusing my anger when I get unwanted feedback?

Join me on Facebook Live this Thursday, April 23 12:00 PM CST

I'm going to pause on my current podcast series so I can come to you weekly with my thoughts, reflections, tips, and techniques for how to move through this time together successfully. How can we simply survive this time we have been given, or dare I say, thrive? I'm going to talk about two mantras that are so powerful for me right now: Love Wins & Evolve Yourself

I'd love to hear your questions! What challenges are you facing? How can I help?

Send me your questions anonymously here and I may answer it on an upcoming episode! 

Today on the podcast, I'm honored to bring on my good friend Sarah Morgan as we discuss the ins and outs of coming into an organization fresh. What do you do when you come into a leadership position above a group of people who for so long haven't been managed and don't want to be? Sarah told me the story of one of her first instances of using reality-based leadership in a workplace. 

Want more of my content? Find me here:

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Today my guest is Martha Bird, a Business Anthropologist with ADP. She and I are talking all about how we can use the discipline of anthropology to evolve and transform the way we work, our technology and products with curiosity and seeing the world through the lenses of others.

Find Martha on social @anthro_tweeter

Follow me everywhere @cywakeman

Loving this podcast? I'd love your feedback! Please leave me a review and a rating!

Today, I want to talk about a concept called "Co-Creation". Most of us don't know we have the access to it and how important of a resource it can be in our day to day life. 

For this episode today, I want to go a little bit deeper into how exactly you can get your team to understand what great looks like quickly. How can you say to your team with confidence "Go be great"?

Today I have a short version of my most recent keynote addressing living Reality-Based in these challenging times!

Excited to be introducing you all to another guest today, Craig Ross. His new book, "Do Big Things", aligns so well with my philosophy around how leaders don't manage people, they manage energy. It's a leader's job to facilitate movement away from "why we can't" to "how we could". Tune in to today's episode for more!

On today's episode, I want to look back on Thanksgiving and reflect on some different aspects of it - my own stories, the untold story of the holiday we didn't learn in school and more. One thing for sure: I know I'm looking forward to spending time with family. Hope you enjoy this special episode!

Have you tuned into Season 2 of my Q&A show Life's Messy, Live Happy? I'm answering fan questions - and you can submit one too!

Check it out here:

facebook.com/lifesmessylivehappy

I'd love to come to you as often as possible during this strange and confusing time. Right now, maybe you're like me and feeling A LOT of emotions. That's why I thought it would be important to talk about how to process these emotions and to not let them turn into your suffering.

Please let me know in the comments if these are helpful and if you would like to see more!

I'd love to hear from you.. what questions do you have for me? Submit yours anonymously here.

Today's episode comes to you from...the NASA headquarters! I was lucky enough to head down to Washington, DC to speak with Billy McMillan, the Human Innovation Officer at NASA. When we think about NASA, we typically think about scientists, engineers...but you don't often think of the other roles that play such a huge part in creating the discoveries that are made today. It was such a thrill to talk to Billy about some of the amazing things he is working on and how our philosophies intersect. 

What does innovation mean to you? Tell me by finding me on one of my many social channels:

facebook.com/cywakeman

instagram.com/cywakeman

youtube.com/cywakeman

This week I am sharing a conversation I had on Facebook Live about resilience. I think many of us are learning a lot about ourselves since this pandemic started about our own resiliency and the resiliency of our team. I get asked all the time about how to teach teams how to be more resilient. I'll address all of this and more in this episode.

Loving this podcast? I'd love to hear from you! Leave me a rating and a review.

This week, we’re going to a more vulnerable place. We’re going to talk about things or people in your life you are feeling resentment towards, or are feeling a large degree of frustration or annoyance with. Have you noticed this in yourself lately? You'll hear real experiences from my fans both in work and personal settings, and I'll share how to reframe your thinking and move forward.

Have a question you want me to answer? Submit it anonymously here. 

In this week's episode, I sit down with the extraordinary Tim Gallwey. Tim is an author who has written books on a methodology he invented called The Inner Game. He is a pioneer in his field and has worked with team and companies on overcoming and battling stress. He is truly a legendary thought leader and I am honored to have him as a guest on No Ego.

Want more from me? Find me all over social media for more original content: 

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instagram.com/cywakeman

youtube.com/cywakeman

My first guest of the new year is the incredible Monica Hawkins! CEO. Founder. Leader in diversity and inclusion. Faculty member at Georgetown. The list goes on and on. I was struck by her brilliance and it was instant love - I'm so excited for you all to meet her on today's episode. 

By the way, I'm @cywakeman everywhere. Find me on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. 

Are you loving this podcast? If you are, please leave a rating and a review wherever you're listening. Ratings are how other people find the podcast, so they mean everything to us. 

A leader recently asked Alex and Cy, “What happens when you're trying Reality-Based Leadership or using a tool and everything goes silent? Does that mean that the tools not working? What do I do when there's silence? What do I do when that silence feels like it has some extra tension attached to it, is it working?”

All of these questions came up and in this podcast, Cy and Alex explore their own experiences in coaching with running their own business facilitating tools that have led to silence. And what that really means from a Reality-Based Leadership perspective.

Many people believe that something is not working when there's silence after introducing a tool technique, coaching question, but we would say that actually means you are just beginning Reality-Based Leadership and getting to the good stuff, cultivating accountability. Self reflection is the foundation of accountability, and self reflection often includes silence.

So in this episode, we're going to share with you ways to use silence to better your leadership and prove your use of the tools and most importantly, moving people from why we can't to how we could. And moving people from where they're stuck into where they're hoping to be.

You'll love this episode. We had fun doing it and can't wait to hear your feedback on ways you can use these tools in your leadership.

After a pivotal moment surviving a life-threatening bike accident, Michael decided it would be his last bad day. In his recovery, he made a commitment to stop chasing happiness. Now as a coach, speaker and author, he is on a journey from being a human doer to a human being. This episode will inspire you to look at your life differently and consider making today your last bad day.

Learn more about Michael at MichaelObrienShift.com

Loving this podcast? Please leave me a rating and a review!

This week I'm excited to have Peter Barron Stark of The Peter Barron Stark Company as my guest. Peter and company are recognized as nationwide leaders for executive, employee and workplace excellence, that over the past 25 years, has surveyed and trained a quarter of a million managers and employees across a broad range of industries. Love chatting with Peter about all things workplace optimization as it pertains to executive development, employee engagement, and creating a workplace that gets people excited to come to each day. This is definitely one you don't want to miss so make sure to tune in for more!

Want more from me? There are so many places I share amazing content! Find me all over social media: 

facebook.com/cywakeman

instagram.com/cywakeman

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You're in for a treat with today's guest: Meliessa Ogrodowski, HR pro and Director of Learning and Development at Craft Brew Alliance. She shares a behind-the-scenes look at how she built a learning and talent development culture from the ground up at CBA, using RBL philosophy as the foundation. In doing so, they transformed their hiring process, performance reviews and appraisals, employee survey, and so much more. You'll be blown away by their amazing results!

Learn more about our Train the Trainer Certification program: https://bit.ly/2UPHpMm

Join Cy in her interview with Adrian Koehler, host of The Naked Leadership Podcast where they discuss his transition from pediatric intensive care to running his own consulting company, being comfortable with what you don't know, managing your own needs, narrating your own story, and pushing through sources of fear. Find him on Instagram @adrian.k or his website takenewground.com

Happy Monday everyone, and welcome to a brand new episode of No Ego! In today's episode, I want to spend some time pulling out and deconstructing some topics my guest Tim Gallwey and I discussed last week on the podcast. My goal here is to, coming out of that conversation, put things together in a way that allows you to act on the advice and make changes in your own life right away.

By the way, last week I launched Season 2 of my show Life's Messy, Live Happy where I'm answering your questions! Check it out here:

facebook.com/lifesmessylivehappy

Ladies, I'm so excited to share this series with you, posting every Wednesday for the next 4 weeks. Dr. Sasha Shillcut and I are going to be breaking down the most common limiting beliefs that hold women back and ultimately limit our success and happiness. This week we're going to tackle a major thought distortion we all struggle with: All or nothing thinking! We'll also talk about how perfectionism keeps us from doing brave new things.

Follow Sasha @become_brave_enough

Have a question for us? Submit it anonymously here: https://bit.ly/2Pc9LKa

You guys are going to adore today's episode. My guest is the incredible Vernice FlyGirl. She is a keynote speaker, a motivational speaker, and a business coach. She's also a former United States Marine Corps officer who was the first African-American female naval aviator in the Marine Corps and the first African American female combat pilot in the U.S. Armed Forces. Basically, she is incredible. We had a great conversation in Dallas ahead of our keynotes at Evanta and we had a blast. Can't wait for you guys to listen in.

Also, quick note for you guys - for whatever reason, reviews go such a long way on iTunes and they mean a lot to me! If you love this podcast and have a moment to leave one, please do! I love reading them and they help a lot.

Want more of my content? Find me here:

facebook.com/cywakeman

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Cy and Alex got looking ahead at their schedules and couldn't believe we're already a month away from National Nurse's day, National Nurse's week, National Hospital week, and they had healthcare on their mind for this week's podcast.

They wanted to talk about some of the trends they're seeing in healthcare and with the healthcare professionals they're working with in their sessions and in their coaching and wanted to share some ideas and tips on getting back to the basics, getting back to helping hope make a comeback and talking about ways that energy management can help us do the great work that we signed up to do in healthcare.

They hope this is a podcast that inspires a bit of hope, talks a bit about how Reality-Based Leadership might be the support that your teams are craving and why we'd love to be there in your system whether it's virtually or in person in the next month or so for the celebrations, so let's celebrate on this podcast, any healthcare professionals you have in your life and Cy and Alex share opportunities to hear some Reality-Based Leadership content soon to honor those amazing healthcare professionals.

In this podcast, they talk about getting back to the basics, why Reality-Based Leadership actually drives engagement and hope, and decreases burnout. Cy shares several stories, in which even in challenging circumstances with some tools of Reality-Based Leadership, people can get back to believing it's possible, believing it's doable, and Alex jumps in as well to share several stories of how teams are able to turn towards each other and succeed, in spite of challenging circumstances if they have some of the basics of RBL, and we're able to get them these tools. So this is a fun episode and pass it on to any healthcare professionals that you know and let them know that RBL is here to help them.

Be sure to share this episode with all of your team members and discuss your biggest insight or takeaway.

As you might notice by now, this new season of No Ego is special in that every other episode is a guest, while the episodes in between are me solo. This new format is meant to showcase all the different angles and philosophies of Reality-Based Leadership, but also bring fresh topics and perspectives from people in my network.

Today's episode is going to get into the nitty-gritty of buy-in: why it isn't optional, what it truly means to be bought in, and how you can best introduce the concept into your workplace and worldplace. 

Want more from me? There are so many places I share amazing content! Find me all over social media: 

facebook.com/cywakeman

instagram.com/cywakeman

youtube.com/cywakeman

Recently I've been reminded of Post-Traumatic Growth and our ability to transform after some pretty difficult experiences. Many are wondering at this time in our history if we will recover, not just economically but as a team and as a nation. We have proven to be a resilient human race throughout history and studies. Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) suggest that not only we will recover, but we will demonstrate the immense human capacity for resiliency and growth.

Cy calls for leaders to instill hope in their teams, calling for the ability to imagine many beautiful and positive outcomes so that we can emerge from the traumas of the past months as better humans and more cohesive teams. Leaders need to facilitate not just surviving, but profound growth that will fuel the creation of a better workplace.

I have two assignments for you this week:

#1. Sit down and spend time with the envisioning of many possible positive outcomes.

#2. Find ways to commit to them without attachment.

You know those times when you get into an awesome conversation and then later you wish you had recorded it? Well, this time, I lucked out. I captured my entire conversation with Brent Phillips, president and CEO of Regional Health, a health system that serves the Black Hills of South Dakota. You get the opportunity to listen in - it was an amazing chat.

Welcome to another episode of No Ego! In keeping with our new format, this week is a solo episode with me. Next week we'll be back with another great guest, so be sure to stay tuned for that. On this episode today, I'm telling you guys "how to start" - where do you begin with the Reality-Based Leadership philosophy and how can you start implementing it? 

Have you tuned into Season 2 of my Q&A show Life's Messy, Live Happy? I'm answering fan questions - and you can submit one too!

Check it out here:

facebook.com/lifesmessylivehappy

Keith Ferrazzi, the networking guru and author of “Never Eat Alone” joins Cy on this episode to share the  findings and very practical high value practices for succeeding in the new world of work that resulted from his intensive research conducted during the pandemic.  Keith’s new book, “Competing in the New World of Work” is HBR’s top pick in post pandemic books and Keith shares highlights for transforming your business models, redesigning you workforce and going forward to work in this new world instead of back to old work ways.

Coined the Eckhart Tolle of the internet, James is one of those guys that will help you in the pursuit of your own evolution. In his book, Sh#t Your Ego Says, he writes about his inner battler between the Ego and the Higher Self. Listen in as he shares his transformation after becoming homeless in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Follow James McCrae on social @shityouregosays

Are you ready to ditch the drama for 30 days? Join our challenge starting April 1, and get a daily email with a 5-minute task each day for 30 days. Sign up by March 31! https://bit.ly/2F4i1rI

In this week's episode, I'm answering two fan questions about how to handle difficult employee situations, including coaching the difference between sharing feelings and venting, and getting people to focus on their own business and "stay in their lane."

Questions answered:

- What is the difference between sharing a feeling vs. venting?

-Do you have any tips on helping keep employees in their own lane?

Season 3 of the Podcast is coming! Submit a letter to me with your workplace drama questions and I may answer it on an upcoming show! https://bit.ly/2Pc9LKa

Today, Alex Dorr and I discuss a huge trend around consensus-based decision-making. Many leaders focus on getting everyone's input on decisions but are running into challenges. Without accountability, it is creating chaos.

We answer: How can we ensure we are getting the best input from all of our teams with diverse backgrounds and build true organizational alignment without additional drama?

Additional Resources:

The Carvery Podcast with Alex Dorr: https://linktr.ee/alexmdorr

Negative Brainstorming Tool: https://bit.ly/1PfbFS9

Today I am so excited to introduce Joe Topinka to my podcast. He is the founder of CIO Mentor and CIO at SnapAV. Like me, he is an advocate for big change in the workplace. His philosophies align closely with mine and his ideas are invaluable to me. He also brings a fresh new perspective from the technology side of things. Listen in for more.

When you are blaming others for your circumstances and not taking control of your own actions, that is when your ego really comes out swinging. And I want to get into today one of the major factors of blame, something I like to call learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is the opposite of accountability, and personal accountability is the death of the ego. And we all know that when you ditch your ego, it allows for growth and collaboration. Tune in for more.

Want more of my content? Find me here:

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Hello No Ego listeners, today's podcast is a very special one. I'm so thrilled to bring on the amazing Mastin Kipp as a guest. Mastin is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and renowned public
speaker. He is the creator of Functional Life Coaching™, an innovative, unique and accelerated approach to creating lasting personal and business change.
 
Mastin is also recognized by coaching industry contemporaries and some amazing people you may have heard of like Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins, Arianna Huffington, and Caroline Myss. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Thank you so much for tuning in.

In today's episode, I talk about why you should live your life with great expectancy instead of expectations. There's a big difference, so I want you to dive into it with me and see how drastically different it can make your day to day.