Nick's Winecast

Don’t miss this leadership interview with Kevin Lawrence. Kevin Lawrence is a strategic advisor and coach to CEOs and executive teams across North America and internationally. Driven by a relentless passion to help business leaders get what they really want, in business and life, Kevin has coached clients across a wide range of industries during the past 20 years. His unique perspective in working with hundreds of leaders inspired him to write Your Oxygen Mask First. The book deals with the dark side of the leadership dichotomy and offers 17 practical steps to triumph in business, without being trampled in life. Using his deep knowledge of how to take a good company and make it great, Kevin helps leaders build high-performance leadership teams, expand into new markets, attract profitable customers, and increase productivity and profits. CEOs across the globe count on Kevin to facilitate their strategic planning sessions, to align their leadership teams, and to stay focused. Kevin is also a key contributor to Scaling Up (Mastering the Rockefeller Habits 2.0). He enjoys participating in motorsports of all kinds and lives in Vancouver, Canada with his family. His interview with TheSchoolHouse302 is powerful for leaders in any field. He addresses the topic of a winning team and much, much more. Don’t miss what Kevin says about busting the belief that we have to accept mediocre team performance. “Top talent wants to be around top talent.” You’ll want to grow your team after listening to this. He learns from the greats, like Jim Collins, and he recommends Scaling Up. Don’t miss what he says about these selections. He explains what it means to have “resilience rituals” for body, mind, and spirit alignment and the dedicated time we need for ourselves, daily. Wow. Listen to him talk about wanting to fly a helicopter one day. The freedom, movement, power...all aspects of leading and serving others. He tells us to embrace our problems. Only then can we truly learn to grow. When we master this, we end up with new problems, which is the key to personal development. He used to think that it was incredibly difficult to be amazing. Don’t miss what he thinks about that now. Kevin’s interview is filled with practical advice for instant results. Most importantly, everything he says is about the habits of high achievers--how we can all thrive in leadership and life and how we can build the best teams ever. Please follow, like, and comment; it really helps. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. We hope to see you at theschoolhouse302.com. Joe & T.J.

Don’t miss this leadership interview with Lolly Daskal. Lolly Daskal is one of the most sought-after executive leadership coaches in the world. Her extensive cross-cultural expertise spans 14 countries, six languages, and hundreds of companies. As founder and CEO of Lead From Within, her proprietary leadership program is engineered to be a catalyst for leaders who want to enhance performance and make a meaningful difference in their companies, their lives, and the world. Based on a mix of modern philosophy, science, and nearly thirty years coaching top executives, Lolly’s perspective on leadership continues to break new ground and produce exceptional results. Of her many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc Magazine. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and others. Lolly’s proprietary insights are the subject of her book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness. Her interview with TheSchoolHouse302 was incredibly insightful, all on the topic of minding your mental map, and much much more. Don’t miss it. Lolly eloquently describes how there are two competing sides, a polarity of character, within each of us that can lead us to greatness or completely derail our effectiveness. You can’t miss her describe how one minute we can be confident and poised for greatness, while the next minute, we are sabotaging ourselves and playing to our weaknesses. Additionally, you must hear about her balloon analogy and how she ties that to the worst advice she’s ever heard regarding leadership. For knowledge and inspiration, Lolly tells us how she is a student of life and looks to learn from every situation. She talks about how great leaders wake up before everyone else, which enables her to read a book a day. We found this part of the conversation to be absolutely remarkable. We are still in awe! Lastly, you can’t miss how the work of Frankl, Campbell, and Jung influenced her life and work. She advises us to not think about what we are doing but rather who we are being. Her advice on self-discovery as a leader is profound. Lolly also talks about how much she doesn’t know, and by acknowledging this truth, she is able to remain humble. She reminded us that our impact on others is critical, and it’s always important to ask ourselves, “what mark will you leave?” You can’t miss her thoughts on the power of daily rituals and how they are key for ongoing development and daily  growth. She details how this process helps us develop the ability to lead from our strengths and silence the parts of us that undermine our greatest efforts. Lastly, you can’t miss her reveal her own insecurities and how she, herself, has fought off the imposter syndrome. Her story is simply inspiring. Lolly’s interview is filled with practical advice for systematic growth. Most importantly, as any great executive coach does, Lolly reminds us that our greatness comes from within and can be obtained by anyone. Greatness is not limited to a select, chosen few. To find out more visit: https://www.lollydaskal.com/blog/. Please follow, like, and comment; it really helps. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. Joe & T.J.

Don’t miss this leadership interview with Christine Comaford. Christine’s coaching, consulting, and strategies have created hundreds of billions of dollars in new revenue and company value for her clients. The potent neuroscience techniques she teaches are easy to learn and immediately applicable to help leaders see into their blind spots, expand their vision, and more effectively influence outcomes. Christine was recently named one of the Top 50 Human Behavior Experts to Follow in 2017. She is also one of the Global Employee Engagement Influencers. As an entrepreneur, she has built and sold 5 of her own businesses with an average of 700% return on investment. She has served as a board director or an in-the-trenches advisor to 36 startups. Christine has consulted to the White House twice (Clinton and Bush), 700 of the Fortune 1000, and over 300 small and medium-sized businesses. She has repeatedly identified and championed key trends and technologies years before market acceptance, due in part to her work as a software engineer in the early days of Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe. Christine is a leadership columnist for www.Forbes.com and she lectures at Harvard Business School. She has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, FOX Business Network, PBS, and CNET. And the Stanford Graduate School of Business has done two case studies on her unconventional rise to success as a woman with neither a high school diploma nor a college degree. Her three bestselling business books are: Power Your Tribe: Create Resilient Teams in Turbulent Times, SmartTribes: How Teams Become Brilliant Together, and Rules for Renegades. Her interview with TheSchoolHouse302 was incredibly insightful, all about building your tribe and much, much more. Christine identifies three critical areas that we are constantly craving as humans--Safety, Belonging, and Mattering. Listen to her breakdown these areas, including the 10 powerful questions you can ask to assess your own environment so that people are functioning at an optimal level. She talked about being open to learn by being still and finding silence. Paying attention to the Japanese concept of ma, the space between the noise that holds richness and value. She advises us to meditate. to slow down for inspiration and take control of our thinking, which is incessantly repetitive. Listen to her morning routine to make sure that you start your day off right. The one thing she said she wants to do is to be compassionate all the time, to meet people where they are and not where she may think they should be. Don’t miss it. She talks about the powerful work of Michael Singer and his incredible book, Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself. She also dives into the powerful, Outcome Frame, to help us understand what we truly want. Lastly, you can’t miss her emotional story about her mother and how she learned that stress can be controlled. Christine’s interview is filled with practical advice for leaders and it really speaks to how we can behave and act to perform at higher levels and influence others to do the same. She reminds us to Power Your Tribe and build emotional resilience. To find out more visit: https://smarttribesinstitute.com/subscribe. Please follow, like, and comment; it really helps. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. Joe & T.J.

Don’t miss this leadership podcast with Brad Lomenick. Brad is from Oklahoma and a passionate follower of Christ. He has had the privilege of leading and directing a movement of young leaders called Catalyst for the last 12 years. This role empowers him to equip, inspire, and release the next generation of young Christian leaders, and do this through events, resources, consulting, content, and connecting a community of like-minded Catalysts all over the world. He recently moved into a strategic advisor role with Catalyst, along with several other organizations. Brad is a leadership consultant, speaker, founder of BLINC, and author of The Catalyst Leader and H3 Leadership, which are both powerful books on remaining humble, staying hungry, and always hustling. He writes about leadership, the next generation, creativity, innovation, social media, teamwork, and personal growth. His interview with TheSchoolHouse302 was fun engaging and packed with great advice. Check it out. Listen to what he says about humble, hungry, and hustle being a three-legged stool. You can’t sit well when one of the legs is much longer than the others. He talks about self-awareness, servant leadership, and satisfaction. Don’t miss it. He follows and reads tons of great leaders for inspiration and personal growth, Pat Lencioni, John Maxwell, Simon Sinek, Dave Ramsey, Daniel Pink, Chip and Dan Heath. Listen to what he says about filtering and selecting great authors. Brad talks about curiosity: “Everywhere you go is a classroom.” “Be more interested than interesting.” Wow. He wants to learn how to speak Spanish, play piano, and gain a greater expertise in fitness. Listen to what he says about globalization. He tells us to work on our who and our what will take care of itself. Don’t miss how he describes working around people who will make you better. There’s no sense is worrying about haters. Find out how he has redirected his energy away from “the noise.” Brad’s interview is truly one of our best. His experience and wisdom provides powerful insight for leaders. Be sure to listen and share so that we can all learn to be humble, stay hungry, and keep hustling for more fulfillment in work and life. Please follow, like, and comment. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. Joe & T.J. @ theschoolhouse302.com

Don’t miss this leadership interview with Neen James, @neenjames. Neen is the author of Folding Time™ and her latest book Attention Pays™ is available at bookstores around the world. Over the past two decades Neen has been advising some of the coolest companies in the world, including Viacom, Comcast, Paramount Pictures, and even the FBI, on how to improve their strategic planning, communication, and leadership development. When she is not speaking on stage, you might find her on the back of a Harley Davidson. Originally from Sydney Australia, now a proud new US citizen, Neen is a speaker, an author, and an insanely slow runner (she told us to reveal that for folks), we were incredibly grateful for the time we were able to spend with Neen to produce this interview. Her leadership podcast interview with TheSchoolHouse302 was fun, energetic, and practical. Check it out. You have to hear her incredible insight on how we can prioritize our priorities and how 15 minutes a day can truly make all the difference in the world. She talks about the common mistakes that we tend to make regarding time management, and she reminds us that it’s our attention that we manage, not our time. The one person she mentions that we could all benefit from following is her dear friend and mentor, Matt Church. He is the founder of Thought Leader Global with a true desire to add value for leaders around the world. He offers amazing free resources to those interested in leading more effectively. She tells us that the one thing that adds perspective, something we should all do regularly, is quite surprisingly very simple--put others first. If you want to be more effective as a leader, truly pay attention to someone you care about. Neen indicated the one thing she would love to be is funnier. She mentions good friends who “think funny” and how that adds a unique dynamic to their skill set and ability to lead effectively. Without mincing any words, she lets us know that energy is everything and that we can literally grow our energy when we decide to do so. Don’t miss what she says about it. Lastly, Neen opens up about her early beliefs and ideas regarding herself. She discusses a time when she first started speaking professionally to groups of leaders and how her mindset limited her. She believed, then, that she had to be “super polished” and perfect. She’s come to realize that what she actually needed was to be her own version of perfect, which she calls, “fun and fabulous.” We couldn’t agree more. Neen’s interview is filled with practical advice for leaders, and really connects with our purpose of controlling our attention to focus on what matters most. She definitely provides great advice for how to get to simple to lead better and grow faster. Be sure to get your copy of Attention Pays: How to Drive Profitability, Productivity, and Accountability, and let us know what you think. Please follow, like, and comment. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. Joe & T.J.

Don’t miss this leadership interview with Francesca Gino. Francesca is the Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration in the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit at Harvard Business School. She is also formally affiliated with the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, with the Mind, Brain, Behavior Initiative at Harvard, and with the Behavioral Insight Group at Harvard Kennedy School. Professor Gino has won numerous awards for her teaching, including the HBS Faculty Award by Harvard Business School's MBA Class of 2015, and for her research, including the 2013 Cummings Scholarly Achievement Award from the Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Division. In 2015, Francesca was chosen by Poets & Quants to be among their "40 under 40." Dr. Gino is the author of Sidetracked: Why Our Decisions Get Derailed and How We Can Stick to the Plan and Rebel Talent: Why It Pays To Break The Rules At Work And In Life. Her interview with TheSchoolHouse302 was incredibly insightful, check it out. Listen to what Dr. Gino has to say about how we must rethink and reframe our understanding of “rebels” in the workplace. She shares the 5 key talents that rebels possess and how leaders can encourage rebelliousness by creating an environment that inspires people to push boundaries in a positive and healthy way. For knowledge and inspiration, Francesca raved about NPR’s Hidden Brain podcast by Shankar Vedantam as something she truly enjoys. You must also hear what she says about Harvard where the learning never ends. She advises us to be “rebels,” to break the rules productively, even if it doesn’t come naturally to us as leaders. You can find her 7-day plan for rule-breaking here.   Listen to what she says about her goal to learn to play the piano and who she has teaching her to do so. She talks about how those around us can lead us to greater levels of achievement. Her insight is inspirational. Lastly, you can’t miss her milk story and the epiphany she experienced about the rules we live by that we may not even be aware of. Francesca’s interview is filled with practical advice for leaders and it really speaks to how we must embrace rebel talent to thrive. As any good professor knows to do, she reinforces the importance of learning goals and developing our rebel talents. Take the rebel test to learn what kind of rebel you are. Please follow, like, and comment; it really helps. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. Joe & T.J.

Don’t miss this leadership interview with Judith Glaser. Judith is an Organizational Anthropologist. She is one of the most pioneering and innovative change agents, consultants, and executive coaches in the consulting and coaching industry, and she is the world’s leading authority on Conversational Intelligence®, WE-centric Leadership, and Neuro-Innovation. She is also a best-selling author of 7 business books including her newest best seller - Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results. Through the application of “the neuroscience of we” for business challenges, Judith shows CEOs and their teams how to elevate levels of engagement, collaboration, and innovation to positively impact the bottom line. In 2017, Judith was selected by Marshall Goldsmith as one of the top 15 Coaches in the world. She has also been ranked as the 10th Coaching Guru in the world by Global Gurus and has been selected as a 2017 Brava Award Winner. From 2016 to 2018, Conversational Intelligence® was selected by INC, Magazine as one of the top 5 business trends of the year. In 2004, she was awarded Woman of the Year in New York City, and the same award, again, in 2017 by Smart CEO. Since 2006, she has been listed in the top 10 consultants globally in the Excellence Top 100 Consultants list and is one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders globally on the subject of leadership. In 2011, Judith was awarded the Drexel University Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 2006 she was inducted into the Temple University Gallery of Success. She is a Founding Fellow of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate. She guest speaks at a number of universities nationally and internationally including Dubai and China, universalizing Conversational Intelligence. She has appeared on CBS Morning News with Charlie Rose & Gayle King, NBC’s Today Show, ABC World News, The Fox News Channel, The Martha Stewart Show and the Family Network talking about We-Centric Leadership and Cultural Transformation. Her interview with TheSchoolHouse302 was incredibly insightful, check it out. Listen to what Judith has to say about traditional methods of communication--asking and telling. She says we need to move to much deeper, richer conversations, which she calls going from transactional to co-creational. Judith is influenced by a number of leaders and you can find out more about her work, like the concept of C-IQ by visiting Conversationalintelligence.com. She advises us to “listen to connect not judge or reject.” The key is to learn how to pull the right information from people and not push them away. This style of listening shifts the chemistry in our brains and moves to an open space for greater communication. Don’t miss what she says about language. Listen to how she truly believes in living outside-of-the-box and not being bound by others. This isn’t the first time that a leader told us that they wanted to be able to fly. Check it out. She talks about listening to herself and trusting her gut. Don’t miss what she says about instinct.   She talks about the rhythm of the universe and the bond we all have with one other. Fascinating. Don’t miss it. Judith’s interview is filled with practical advice for leaders, and it really hits home on something we do everyday--communicate--but that we need to do better as leaders. Her ideas helps develop leaders by getting to simple with speaking and listening in a more profound way. Be sure to get your copy of her book, Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results, and let us know what you think. Please follow, like, and comment; it really helps. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. Joe & T.J.

Don’t miss this leadership interview with Rand Fishkin, @randfish. Rand is the founder of SparkToro and was previously cofounder of Moz and Inbound.org. He’s dedicated his professional life to helping people do better marketing through the Whiteboard Friday video series, his blog, and his book, Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World. When Rand’s not working, he’s most likely to be in the company of his partner in marriage and (mostly petty) crime, author Geraldine DeRuiter. He did also say that if you feed him pasta or a decent whisky, he’ll give you the cheat code to being ranked #1 on Google. His interview with TheSchoolHouse302 was insightful, check it out. Listen to what Rand says about failure not being the end of an idea. He challenges many commonly held beliefs about American business culture and stresses the importance of diversity. He told us to follow @DHH for inspiration as an entrepreneur, Dharmesh Shah, co-founder of HubStop, and Courtland Allen. Listen to why he recommends these leaders. Rand talked about self-awareness and grounding ourselves in our WHY, asking daily questions about how we feel and if we’re happy. He plans to be more philanthropic with social efforts. Stay tuned for more from Rand Fishkin...for sure. He told us that we have to diversify who we’re learning from and surround ourselves with people from different backgrounds and experiences. “You learn more when you’re uncomfortable than when you’re comfortable.” And, you have to hear what he says about forgiveness and forgiving yourself. Rand ’s interview is filled with practical advice for leaders, and really connects with our purpose of developing leaders by getting to simple. Be sure to get your copy of Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World, and let us know what you think. Please follow, like, and comment. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. Joe & T.J.

Don’t miss this fantastic leadership interview with Dr. Mark Brainard, @DrMarkBrainard, the fifth president of Delaware Technical Community College.  Dr. Brainard has a wealth of leadership experience in a variety of capacities. He spent over three decades in a series of executive-level leadership roles in the higher education, business, government, and legislative arenas in Delaware. He has served as chief of staff for the House Minority Caucus in the Delaware State Legislature, Director of External Affairs at DelDOT, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources and Legal Affairs at Delaware Tech, Executive Vice President of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, and Chief of Staff for Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner. His experiences and genuine belief in providing a first class education that meets the needs of students and the community is evident throughout this podcast. Listen to what Mark says about how Del Tech has evolved through their efforts to truly listen to their community--businesses and students--to not only attract and prepare learners, but to ensure that they fully meet the needs of the future. Even as president of the college, Mark emphasized how critical it is  to learn from people in every position in the organization. He stated, “leaders are made when no one is looking.” The organization is not one person, it’s everyone. Mark reinforced that our peak performance comes from exercising regularly, especially in positions that don’t require a lot of physical activity. Major takeaway--don’t miss it. In light of his successes and various positions held, he stressed a true desire to learn current and cutting edge technology that is changing the way we live. Mark attributes much of his success in life to reading, a huge part of his ongoing development as a learner and leader. He reminded of us of the power in having an E.Q. along with an I.Q. Be sure to check out Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence as well as Robert Cooper and Ayman Sawaf’s Executive E.Q. Finally, you have to hear what he says about how we are programmed to deal with situations and life and the mistake we may be making along the way. Dr. Brainard’s interview is jam packed with practical advice for leaders, and it’s a must for anyone leading an organization who is service-oriented and constantly evolving to meet the demands of those who they serve. Of particular interest is his focus on making connections, networking, and finding the right people to take the next steps for the organization to stay healthy. Please follow, like, and comment. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. Joe & T.J.

Don’t miss this insightful leadership interview with Dr. Martin Lanik, @MartinLanik. Dr. Lanik is the author of The Leader Habit and the CEO of Pinsight®, a global leadership software-as-service company known for its disruptive HR technology. His leadership programs have been implemented by more than 100 companies – including AIG and CenturyLink – and have received awards from Chief Learning Officer and Brandon Hall. Lanik holds a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology from Colorado State University. To learn more about Martin please check out www.pinsight.com. Listen to what Martin says about the common mistakes we make by relying on traditional methods to learn and grow as a leader--despite our best intentions. He challenges many commonly held beliefs and stresses the importance of habits.  Need inspiration? Check out how Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Switch, and other excellent books, inspired Martin’s 5-minute leadership development exercises. Martin reinforced that our growth is incremental and that we must understand our micro-behaviors to know how to change our macro-behaviors. In a results-oriented world, you have to hear what Martin says about outcomes and why we must stop obsessing about them. He tells us about his approach for continual growth through self-analysis and zeroing in on those areas that need attention. And, you have to hear what he says about how growing as a leader is a continual journey! Dr. Lanik’s interview is filled with practical advice for leaders, and really connects with our purpose of developing leaders by getting to simple. Be sure to get your copy of The Leader Habit and check out Dr. Lanik’s free personality questionnaire at leaderhabit.com. Check out more podcasts like this one at theschoolhouse302.com

Don’t miss this incredible leadership interview with Dr. Larry Rosen (@DrLarryRosen), Professor Emeritus and past chair of the psychology department at California State University. He is a research psychologist and is recognized as an international expert in the "Psychology of Technology." Over the past 30-plus years, Dr. Rosen and his colleagues have examined reactions to technology among more than 70,000 people in the United States and in 22 other countries. His latest book, The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World (MIT Press, 2016), has generated strong public interest and has been quoted in dozens of media outlets. Dr. Rosen has been featured extensively in television, print, and radio media and has been a commentator on 60 Minutes, The Daily Show, Good Morning America, NPR, and CNN. We are incredibly grateful for the time he spent with TheSchoolHouse302. His advice on staying focused to reach your goals is critical to leadership. Listen to what Dr. Rosen says about how we are “easily disruptable” by the distractors in our lives. Those distractors from devices, alerts and notifications, and the other distractors that live between our ears. He describes the distractors that increase anxiety and control our behavior, but he also notes what we can do about it to stay in control as leaders. Larry praised his co-author, founder and executive director of Neuroscape, Adam Gazzaley for his amazing work. You have to hear why he believes Dr. Gazzaley will win the Nobel Peace Prize for his extraordinary accomplishments with therapeutic video games, particularly for ADHD. You can’t miss what he says about the real loser with technology--face-to-face conversations. Larry talked about discovering the neuroscience of what’s happening when we are not productive. He describes how he continues to learn and grow by living the motto on the Life is Good t-shirts, “Do what you like, like what you do.” He tells our listeners that retirement for him has a different definition than it did for his father. Retirement for Larry is being active and doing what he chooses to do based on what interests him the most. Lastly, you have to hear what he says about how to use technology as a tool. Dr. Larry Rosen’s One Thing Series interview is jam packed with incredible practical advice for leaders and how to maximize the use of technology without it completely using you so that you can reach your goals. Please follow, like, and comment. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you on Twitter.

Don’t miss this incredible leadership interview with Dr. Jackie Wilson, @Jowilson4139, a national expert on school leadership policy. Dr. Wilson is an assistant professor and the Director of the Delaware Academy for School Leadership in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Delaware. Jackie is known for designing and delivering world class professional development for educators across the nation. She is a lead consult to NASSP in designing the National Leaders Academy using design thinking to solve complex school problems. A unique facet of her work is providing technical assistance to the Wallace Foundation to support 14 urban school districts involved with the Principal Pipeline and Principal Supervisor national initiatives. Jackie is a true ambassador for education and has worked tirelessly on the national stage to promote the use of clear standards to ensure quality, equity, and opportunity for all students. Listen to what Jackie says about how leaders must be willing to learn the “history lessons” of the organization to fully understand where an organization has been in order to go forward. Jackie emphasized how every great leader must have a mentor. She praised Associate Dean at Vanderbilt Peabody College, Joe Murphy, as a critical part of her growth. Jackie talked about supporting others and taking care of the now. Listen to what she says about the power of growing other leaders. She wants to breathe life into national standards to ensure every student has a great education. The empirical research that governed the development of current NELP and PESL standards is mind blowing. She tells our listeners to read from a variety of resources and champions the book by Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. And, you have to hear what she says about working smart! Dr. Jackie Wilson’s interview is jam packed with awesome practical advice for leaders, and it’s a wonderful expression of her commitment to education, leadership, and student achievement in Delaware and across the nation. Please follow, like, and comment. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you. Joe & T.J. theschoolhouse302.com

Fayetta M. Blake is the founder and Executive Director of Pathways to Success, Inc. Fay started her career in the Lending Institution with Security Pacific National Bank as a loan officer. She then enjoyed a 20-year banking career at All First Financial where, in 1995, she was appointed as Sr. Vice President of operations--the first African American to be appointed to that level in the banks 200-year history. During that time, she had global oversight of all operations units in the Mid-Atlantic regions. In 1998, she was recognized by the banking institution for Quality Assurance as well as being recognized in the industry by Visa, USA for Quality Service and outstanding customer service. Fay established Pathways to Success Inc. in 2006. The work that Fay does with Pathways is indeed her passion and it embodies her need to give back to the community, especially in Sussex County Delaware where she was born and raised. Fay herself comes from humble beginnings and understands the devastation of poverty. Fueled with that knowledge and experience, she and the Pathways team strive to make a positive difference in the lives of the people she serves in Sussex County. The Pathways mission is to prepare youth, adults, and their families for successful lives within our communities. Pathways utilizes innovative and creative approaches in mentoring, education, and community outreach to inform, educate, and empower people. Fay’s mission is service--to fill a need where others are unable to do so by adding value to them and in turn adding value to herself. Fay introduces us to the guiding model for Pathways to Success, CARE, which steers everything so that every decision and every action demonstrates care: Consistent, Authentic, Respect, Empowerment. Listen to her describe how it works as her model for serving others. As someone committed to improving the lives of others and helping them succeed in school so that they have a chance in the future, Fay describes how she uses the work of Benjamin Zander, the musical director of the Boston Philharmonic, for inspiration. His book, The Art of Possibility, guides her thinking as she strives to be a spark in the lives of students by considering all possibilities. Fay reminds us of the importance of gratitude and how grateful she is to be in a position to give back to students and the community after enjoying a successful career in banking. She gives us a quick tip on how she uses a rubber band that she can quickly snap on her wrist to remind her to quit thinking negatively and embrace positivity. Regarding what she still wants to accomplish, hear her describe her true desire to be in every school in Sussex county to provide a much needed service to at-risk youth. Her answer to our #onethingseries personal growth question reveals the work of Joel Barker and how paradigm shifts take us to ground zero. Fay used to think that she had to do everything, which is not something she believes anymore. Listen to her talk about how teams are critical for success and how each team member must be vested into the vision. She describes how her team compliments one another and how they operate from a free-falling perspective--that if she falls back someone will be there to catch her and vice versa. Let us know what you think of this #onethingseries podcast with a like, follow, or comment. Find us on Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, & SoundCould. And if you want a new leadership interview every month to help you lead better and grow faster, follow this blog by entering your email at the top right of the screen. Finally, if you want more on the topics we cover, contact us. Joe & T.J.

Don't miss this #onethingseries leadership interview by theschoolhouse302.com with Coach Joe Purzycki on building stronger teams and much, much more. Joe Purzycki was the Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Barclaycard, the 5th largest issuer of credit cards globally and the 9th largest issuer of credit cards domestically. Prior to joining Barclays, Mr. Purzycki was Executive Vice President of Chase Card Services and a member of the Card Services Senior Management Team. Mr. Purzycki managed the Business Development Segment, which was responsible for partnerships with companies like Disney, Amazon.com, Starbucks, and Sony. Before his time in the executive office of some of the largest banks in America, and after receiving his Bachelor's and Master’s degrees from University of Delaware, Joe went on to become the head football coach at Delaware State University and James Madison University. And with a decade of coaching experience, which includes an appointment as the first white man to be named head coach of a historically black university, Joe continues to thrive in the leadership arena. Joe Pyrzycki has been inducted into the State of Delaware Sports Hall of Fame, the State of Delaware African American Hall of Fame, the University of Delaware Alumni Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Athletics Hall of Fame, and the University of Delaware’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Needless to say, Joe is an expert in the field of developing and winning with incredible teams and that’s why he joined us for a great conversation about teamwork...and much more. No matter the position, Joe reminds us that if you want to be a leader, you have to embrace a coaches mentality. He opens with a discussion on teamwork and the power of bringing people together. Joe acknowledges that “...you can go fast alone, but you can go far together.” His philosophy is grounded in the foundation that teams come together and move forward based on trust. Don’t miss as he retels his first days as the first ever white head coach of a historically black college in 1981. He describes the protests and how he, ultimately earned people’s trust. As someone who has created winning teams on the field and the boardroom, Joe describes how he has used the powerful work of Pat Lencioni and has hired The Table Group to help develop his own teams. He emphasizes the great work being done by Roselyn Torres of the Boston Consulting Group, and reinforces our need to anticipate change, develop diverse networks, abandon the past, and be courageous enough to explore new ideas. Purzycki tells our listeners that we need to be cognizant of our attitude and that we need to check our passion levels. He describes how to burn strong and burn slow with passion for greater success. Regarding what he still wants to accomplish in his lifetime, amid so much achievement, he talks about writing a book to help our great nation. He proposes a book about his experiences as the head football coach at an HBCU with the pure desire to give insight into how we might better unite as society. You can hear his disappointment in where we are in terms of a racial divide, and his belief that we truly can come together is inspiring. We’re buying that book, and it will be a #readthisseries selection. His answer to our #onethingseries personal growth question is incredible. He talks about how he lives a life of discovery, whether from great books or by surrounding himself around fantastic people. Don’t miss it. Joe used to think that losing is fatal and that losing is final. For years in the corporate world, he witnessed countless people suffer from the thought that failure was final. He shared how he truly learned that failure is really what we make of it and that he was inspired by the words of Nelson Mandela: “I never lose. I either win or learn.”

Have you ever wondered why the implementation of a new idea doesn't seem to be working well? If so, don’t miss this insightful leadership interview with Ted Fujimoto, President of Landmark Consulting Group, Inc., a management and investment consultancy for scaling innovations in learning. Ted helped to design and create the replication systems and strategy for several of the largest scalable, fastest growing, highest performing public school designs in the country that created over 350 schools, including Big Picture Learning and New Tech Network. Big Picture Learning public schools are located in some of the toughest urban areas in America, are graduating over 95% of their students with nearly 100% of them being accepted to college. The New Tech Network has created over 130 public schools and is opening 30 to 40 new schools per year. Ted also serves on the Board of Directors of the California Credit Union, a $1.2 billion credit union. This interview is packed with great lessons in leadership and fantastic information about systems thinking and educational reform. Freshwater fish can’t survive in saltwater tanks! Ted opens with a discussion of systems thinking in education where people enter into the school system with the best of intentions but that the system itself is failing, not the people. He says it’s like taking a healthy freshwater fish and putting it into saltwater tank. His example about an awesome teacher who underperformed in a new situation is painfully common because it’s too often the system, and no the people, that is misunderstood. He also describes a scenario where one school was built on the idea of project-based learning but came close to failure because the system couldn’t let go of pacing guides. Plus, much more...we promise. As someone who is obsessed with creating healthy systems, Ted surrounds himself with those who are pushing boundaries and closely follows the work of Richard Branson. Listen to what he says about being a disruptor in a sector that is foreign to you. Fujimoto tells our listeners that the environment around you impacts the way you behave more than we often realize. Listen to what he says about spending years behaving in ways that are contrary to what we know would be more effective. Listen to Ted talk about the future of artificial intelligence, automation, and the magic of humans doing things that computers can’t do in a time when computers can do so much. It’s an incredible discussion of creativity and innovation. His answer to our #onethingseries personal growth question is awesome. He talks about isolation as stagnation and working to widen your perspective. Don’t miss it. Ted used to think that a convincible innovative idea would be enough, but too often the established systems gets in the way. Listen to what he says about actively changing systems or replacing them entirely.

Don't miss this #onethingseries leadership interview on Organizational Growth with President of @SoDelConcepts Scott Kammerer. It's packed with leadership insight. Check out theschoolhouse302.com for more on learning to lead better and grow faster. Listen to Scott talk about how he stays connected with his people and builds a community as the organization grows. He not only makes sure that the lines of communication are open, but the number and types of celebrations that he describes are impressive. He wants to serve first, and a big part of that is knowing that “the dishwasher’s have an opinion,” and it needs to be heard by the leader. Scott follows the work of great leadership gurus like Dale Carnegie, but lately, he is mostly into the work of @garyvee. Big plug here for Jab, Jab, Right Hook. Listen to how many books a month he reads so that he continues to grow in his role. Check out our #readthisseries for incredible selections to help you grow faster and lead better. Kammerer says “service before self” as he tells us about giving thanks, giving back, and staying focused. Don’t miss what he says about helping other people as a priority. He wants to learn how to better “pivot with grace” as a leader so that he can make quick changes to the organization but with the predictability that will keep others calm. His thoughts on leaving a legacy are inspiring. He wants our listeners to make a list of their strengths and weaknesses so that we can work to our strengths and hire to our weaknesses. Don’t miss what he says about self-actualization and an honest inventory of your skills. Finally, pay close attention to what he says about the leader setting the vision and core values and not being swayed off “the rock.” Everything else can be done by consensus, but not the key principles and values upon which all other decisions are made.

Don’t miss this incredible leadership interview with author and keynote speaker, Jon Gordon, @JonGordon11. We’re sure that Jon doesn’t need an introduction, but just in case, Jon is the author of more than 15 books, including 5 best-sellers. We’re sure that you’ve heard of The Energy Bus, Training Camp, The Power of Positive Leadership, and so many more great titles. Watch our #readthisseries on positivity for our favorite picks. Jon has worked with Fortune 500 companies, he’s been featured on Fox and Friends, and his clients include The Los Angeles Dodgers, Southwest Airlines, Campbell Soup, and so many more. As you’ll hear from this great interview, Jon knows a ton about staying positive as a leader and the power it has to lift others. Listen to what Jon says about positive leadership and it’s impact on vision, putting the organization first and leading with optimism and grit. What he says about having a telescope and microscope, working together, is profound. He wants us all to check out Erwin McManus on YouTube. Jon takes a walk of gratitude every morning to be thankful for the day. Listen to what he says about the power of this routine. He wants to figure out the secrets of the universe. You can’t miss what he says about matter and energy. He tells our listens to be lifelong learners…stay curious. And, you have to pay attention to what he says about being a victim of circumstance versus leading your life from the inside out. Follow theschoolhouse302.com for great interviews, blog posts, vblogs, and more.

Don’t miss this incredible leadership interview with the Honorable Dan Walzl, Alamosa County Judge in San Luis Valley Colorado. Judge Walzl was the Deputy State Public Defender for the 12th Judicial District prior to his current term, voted into the position of judge with a unanimous recommendation. Dan holds a J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law. And, as you’ll hear from the interview, he knows a thing or two about listening and about leadership. Listen to Dan talk about being in court and having to listen all day, every day, where he needs to remain neutral so that he doesn’t pre-judge the scenario. He talks about knowledge and inspiration, finding objective sources of information and balancing ideas in a time when people seem to be picking sides on every issue. He mentions peers and supervisors as a source of inspiration. Hear what he says about managing stress as a key leadership quality. A positive mental outlook and a healthy outlet are important. He tells listeners that an important leadership quality is the ability to keep an open mind. Don’t miss what he says about the device he wishes he could install on his brain. We loved hearing Dan say that “work ethic” is his advice for any leader who wants opportunity. That and the ability to deal with difficult people. Listen closely to his point about getting involved but without attachment. Finally, he tells our listeners that leadership is about the realization that most answers to important questions are gray…not black and white like we wish the answers could be. Judge Walzl’s interview is packed with leadership learning from beginning to end. Please follow, like, and comment. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you.

Don’t miss this incredible interview with Dr. Lillian Lowery, a distinguished leader in education. Dr. Lowery has an impressive and storied career in a variety of different roles that range from secondary school English teacher, principal, superintendent of schools, Secretary of Education in Delaware, and State Superintendent of Schools in Maryland. Currently, Dr. Lowery is the Vice President for P-12 policy for The Education Trust, which is a national nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes high academic achievement for all students at all levels, particularly for low-income students and students of color. Lillian brings a ton of her own personal experiences to this interview, leaving us in awe of her passion and desire to ensure that all students succeed. This is beyond an interview on leadership, it’s a testament to what it takes to lead with energy and enthusiasm. You can’t miss what she says about how to be caring and nurturing while also being disruptive. She tells us how the leader has to know what the salient work is and always remember who she or he is serving. She hones in on how to be a thoughtful and caring leader who remains sensitive to the needs of individuals through listening and how that is what creates energy and enthusiasm in the organization. She even references some of the ideas from our blogpost on employee motivation and retention as a way to energize the people. Listen to her describe the power of working with great leaders who come with an “equity lens,” like Dan Domenech, now the Executive Director of AASA. She talks about the power of listening to really hear what people are saying and how that makes the difference in our daily endeavors. Treat people as trusted advisors. She tells us that we have to market and brand what we do so that our story is clear, honest, and fair. She discusses the importance of spending time in the field, despite your position, how getting into classrooms is critical to remaining sensitive to what is happening and what is important regarding school improvement and student success. She used to think that making a case with data was the primary factor for instituting change, and although it’s important, she says that it’s far more about hearts and minds than she once realized. This interview is powerful and humble at the same time, and you simply can’t miss all of the other critical pieces of leadership learning that it provides. Please follow, like, and comment. Use #onethingseries and #SH302 so that we can find you.

Don’t miss this incredible interview with Dr. Rob Rescigno, Dean of the College of Business at Wilmington University, as he offers wisdom and practical advice on how to connect deeply with the people you lead. The focus is employee motivation and retention, and if you’re a leader, you need to hear this. He tells us how the leader has to stay in touch with his/her people by listening, by understanding their needs, and by providing them the necessary resources to be successful. This builds an environment of trust, which needs to funnel down through all the layers of the organization for success. He tells us about the power of mentors and how they have helped him along the way. He tells us about the benefits of reflection and that looking back on your day leads to greater improvements for tomorrow. Listen to him as he describes how he works with people to build partnerships. He tells us how staying curious is a powerful leadership attribute and how asking questions can lead to making things better. In the end, he humbly wraps up with how each day really is not about him — ”you don’t have to be the center of attention” — and how he learned to focus on character by accepting criticism and listening better. Follow theschoolhouse302.com for other great interviews, blog posts, vblogs, and more.