The Driven Leadership Podcast

Welcome to the Driven Leadership Podcast – a show for and by leaders who refuse to accept the status quo in business leadership development. Driven was born 15 years ago with the dream of waking people up not just in their business, but in their lives as well. So, what does this look like practically? It means giving people permission to bring everything they have to every part of their life. It means building a culture that sticks, achieving record profits in their business, fostering healthy conflict, building a strong marriage, and forming authentic relationships with their kids – the impact is limitless! And we’ve seen it hundreds of times in our trainings. We’re bringing you this podcast to help you discover that level of true, authentic leadership

The conversation revolves around the topic of leadership and what qualifies someone to be a leader in a business or team. The Driven team discuss the common mistakes of promoting high performers to leadership positions without considering their leadership skills. They emphasize the importance of emotional intelligence in leaders and suggest ways to measure it, such as observing how well they connect with others and their ability to handle adversity. The conversation also touches on the natural leadership qualities seen in children and the need to define what leadership means in a specific role and organization. They also highlight the need for curiosity and the value of utilizing individuals who may not have leadership qualities but possess other valuable skills. The hosts stress the significance of finding the right person for the organization’s culture and the importance of ongoing support and development for leaders.

In this conversation, the team discuss their worst experiences with leadership conversations. They share stories of mishandled conversations and the negative impact they had on relationships and team dynamics. The hosts reflect on the importance of empathy, understanding, and collaboration in these conversations. They also discuss the need for leaders to take responsibility for their actions and to create a safe space for open dialogue and problem-solving. The conversation highlights the significance of building trust and strong relationships with team members to navigate difficult conversations effectively.

This week’s conversation revolves around the topic of ROI on leadership development. Eric, Mary, Austin and Connor discuss the importance of investing in leadership and the potential return on investment. They emphasize the need for training to be immersive, practical, and emotionally impactful in order to produce meaningful results. The conversation also touches on the role of culture in supporting leadership development and the challenges of measuring the quantitative and qualitative ROI of training.

Today we are joined by Michael Venidis from Ryno Strategic Solutions! This conversation revolves around the importance of goal setting and consistency. Mary and Mike discuss their personal experiences with goal setting and how it has impacted their lives. They emphasize the significance of writing down goals and the power of visualization through techniques like vision boards. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the role of why in goal setting and the importance of aligning actions with intentions. Mike emphasizes the need to have a strong Why and passion behind your goals, as well as the importance of character and building leaders. He shares practical tips such as using sticky notes and creating a journal to stay consistent. Mary highlights the significance of having hope and a clear vision, as well as the power of small actions and measuring progress. They discuss the role of mindset and the need to be coachable and open to learning. The conversation concludes with a focus on helping others and the importance of connection and empathy.

Engagement is a key aspect of leadership, but many leaders struggle to understand and measure it. Engagement can be categorized into three groups: engaged, disengaged, and actively disengaged. Engagement is influenced by management, with 70% of engagement determined by the manager’s leadership style.

This week the Driven Team is back to continue the conversation of a previous episode on engagement. We discuss practical ways to create and sustain engagement in a business. Throughout the episode, we emphasize the importance of developing managers who care about their teams and building strong relationships. We also discuss the role of intrinsic motivation in engagement and the need for genuine care and concern for employees. We’ll highlight the importance of creating a sense of community and fostering connections within the team. Creating engagement in a team requires authentic connection, time, and fun. Leaders should prioritize giving their team members time and showing genuine care. However, it’s important for leaders to consistently show up and follow through on their commitments. After listening, we hope you reflect on your own leadership style and make necessary changes to create a culture of sustained engagement.

This week we’re introducing Player-Led Teams! Driven Leadership works with university athletic programs across the country to develop this concept of a player led team. We discuss our experience working with university athletics teams and the overall concept of what player-led teams really look like. We’ll share how we got involved in the sports industry and the importance of teams being able to solve problems on their own. The conversation explores the concept of a player-led team and its application in both sports and business. Some key themes include the importance of self-discipline, leadership, and creating a strong team culture. We believe that coaches play a crucial role in setting the vision and expectations, while the players take ownership and responsibility for their performance. The player-led team is characterized by clear communication, accountability, and a focus on controllables.

In this conversation, we talk with long time friend and partner David Roditi, head coach of TCU Tennis. He shares his insights on building a successful team culture, the importance of individual player development along with the strategies he employs to create a player-led environment. He discusses the challenges of recruitment, maintaining engagement among players, and balancing personal and professional life.

Today, Eric, Connor and Tony react to submissions from the Leadership subreddit. They explore how leadership and startups can balance a fast-paced environment with building a strong and supportive culture. They also discuss how to develop a vision for a plant and change its culture. Finally, they answer a pretty big question: what is the end game of being a leader and what motivates individuals in leadership roles? Submit your own questions or challenges here: https://forms.gle/GGFk7VqbBLtRAoaw6