Lead with a Story Podcast
125 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 26 ratingsLessons in leadership, one story at a time – Based on interviews with 100 executives and leaders at dozens of successful companies around the world as they learned their most important leadership lessons – sometimes the hard way. Featuring stories from executives at Procter & Gamble, Dollar General, Hewlett Packard, Kellogg’s, Dun & Bradstreet, Saatchi & Saatchi, Verizon, and many more. Each episode brings you an important lesson through a single compelling story. 21 Leadership Challenges from Lead with a Story: vision, commitment, change, recommendations, customer service, culture, values, collaboration, diversity, policy, inspiration, courage, passion for work, teach lessons, coaching & feedback, problem solving, understand the customer, delegate, creativity, sales, and earn respect.
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Episodes
A battlefield lesson on the value of decisiveness
March 28, 2015 17:43 - 12 minutes - 12.5 MBI think we all know that person at work who shows up on their first day with a piece of paper that has their entire leadership philosophy, values, or beliefs spelled out in just a few bullet points. And they make a point of sharing that document with everyone they meet on that [read more] The post A battlefield lesson on the value of decisiveness appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
The $28.1 Billion Metaphor
March 16, 2015 12:49 - 6 minutes - 6.35 MBIn 2007, Scott Ford was the CEO of Alltel, a regional wireless telecommunications company headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. In May of that year, he announced that the company was being sold to two private equity firms, one of which was a global investment banking giant from New York City. In his first meeting [read more] The post The $28.1 Billion Metaphor appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Leaving a legacy: What happens to your focus when you read your own obituary in the newspaper
March 02, 2015 12:21 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBIn his new book, Make it Matter, Scott Mautz shares the sobering but true story of the man who invented dynamite — a Swedish chemist named Alfred, who made a fortune off his invention. While used mostly for demolition and mining, military organizations quickly began to use it as a brutal weapon in warfare. “In [read more] The post Leaving a legacy: What happens to your focus when you read your own obituary in the newspaper appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Expert Communication: addressing multiple audiences with the same idea
February 16, 2015 12:43 - 13 minutes - 13.1 MBThe 2nd half of my conversation with Frank Pietrucha, author of the book, Supercommunicator. He discusses two strategies for explaining a single message to multiple audiences by sharing the experience of a biological weapons expert and rogue archeologist. The post Expert Communication: addressing multiple audiences with the same idea appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 21: Trusting your judgment – a CEO’s unconventional decision that saved a man’s life
February 02, 2015 12:23 - 6 minutes - 6.31 MBIN THE MID-1970S, Orville Sweet was CEO of national trade association. As any CEO will tell you, one of his or her unenviable tasks is having to fire a close friend and colleague. Such was the case for Orville that year. For our purposes, details of the firing aren’t nearly as [read more] The post Episode 21: Trusting your judgment – a CEO’s unconventional decision that saved a man’s life appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 20: Explaining the complicated so anyone can understand
January 19, 2015 12:31 - 12 minutes - 12.2 MBMy guest this week is Frank Pietrucha, author of the book, Supercommunicator. He shares how physicist Brian Greene helped him understand the significance of the Higgs Boson particle, and the techniques he used that can help you explain anything complicated simply. You can find Frank at www.supercommunicator.com. The post Episode 20: Explaining the complicated so anyone can understand appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 19: Five lessons from watching Sam Walton selling an ironing board cover
January 05, 2015 12:54 - 4 minutes - 5.15 MBMuch has been studied about Sam Walton’s retail genius. But here are five simple lessons you can learn just from watching him sell an ironing board cover. . . The grocery retail chain H.E. Butt was founded in 1905 in San Antonio, Texas. Today H-E-B is one [read more] The post Episode 19: Five lessons from watching Sam Walton selling an ironing board cover appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 18: Character is Destiny: the 10th golden rule of leadership
December 22, 2014 13:00 - 12 minutes - 11.7 MBThe second half of my conversation with Dr. Michael Soupios, author of The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership, where he explains the role of character and accountability play in leadership.. The post Episode 18: Character is Destiny: the 10th golden rule of leadership appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 17: Know Thyself: the first golden rule of leadership
December 06, 2014 12:56 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBMy guest this week is Dr. Michael Soupios, author of The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership, who’ll explain why his first rule is Know Thyself! The post Episode 17: Know Thyself: the first golden rule of leadership appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 16: Two bad presentation habits you need to stop right now
November 22, 2014 12:50 - 8 minutes - 8.82 MBThe second half of my conversation with sales coach Mike Weinberg where he talks about two bad presentation habits you need to stop right now. Mike is the author of the bestselling book New Sales. Simplified. You can find him at www.newsalescoach.com. The post Episode 16: Two bad presentation habits you need to stop right now appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 15: The worst sales call ever witnessed by the best sales coach in the business
November 08, 2014 12:38 - 14 minutes - 13.9 MBMy guest today is Mike Weinberg, new business development coach and author of the bestselling book New Sales. Simplified. He joins me this week to share a painful story about the worst sales call he ever witnessed and the career-changing lessons he learned from it. You can find Mike at www.newsalescoach.com. The post Episode 15: The worst sales call ever witnessed by the best sales coach in the business appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 14: “Sweetcheecks, fetch me a cup of coffee?” First impressions gone bad
October 25, 2014 13:08 - 7 minutes - 7.46 MBIn today’s episode you’ll hear about the importance of first impressions from one guy who brought his own folding table to work and became a hero, and another who asked for a cup of coffee, and never lived it down. The post Episode 14: “Sweetcheecks, fetch me a cup of coffee?” First impressions gone bad appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 13: The best lesson in leadership you’ll ever learn . . . from a dog.
October 11, 2014 14:21 - 5 minutes - 5.83 MBBestselling author, Annette Simmons, joins me to share one of her favorite lessons in leadership that she learned from–of all places–her dog, Larry. The post Episode 13: The best lesson in leadership you’ll ever learn . . . from a dog. appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 12: “The first time I couldn’t make payroll was the worst!”
September 27, 2014 12:29 - 9 minutes - 9.23 MBMeet an internet entrepreneur from London who learned his most valuable lesson in leadership the first time he came up too short on cash to make payroll. The post Episode 12: “The first time I couldn’t make payroll was the worst!” appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 11: Best-selling author, Todd Henry shares a life changing lesson he learned in a hospital bed
September 13, 2014 11:56 - 12 minutes - 12.5 MBTodd Henry, author of The Accidental Creative and Die Empty, shares a terrifying experience he had at the age of 16 that landed him in a hospital bed for a month, but taught him a life-changing lesson that’s inspired him ever since. The post Episode 11: Best-selling author, Todd Henry shares a life changing lesson he learned in a hospital bed appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 10: Creating better employees, happier customers, and more of both
September 01, 2014 11:35 - 5 minutes - 5.33 MBTaking care of the customer once you have them is just as important as all the effort you go through to get the customer in the first place. In fact, happy customers can become your best sales asset for new customers, if you make it easy to tell stories like this one. The post Episode 10: Creating better employees, happier customers, and more of both appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 9: How to turn YOUR ideas into THEIR ideas
August 31, 2014 11:48 - 7 minutes - 7.73 MBWhether you’re making a sales pitch or delivering a recommendation to your boss, you’re trying to get someone to buy something — either buy your product or buy into your idea. One of the best ways to do that is with a “discovery journey” story. If done right, you’ll never even need to show your [read more] The post Episode 9: How to turn YOUR ideas into THEIR ideas appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 8: What to do when your sales presentation is in the trash can
August 30, 2014 11:41 - 8 minutes - 8.07 MBIf your sales presentation is in the trash can, you’d better have a good story. And the unfortunate truth is, whether literally or only mentally and emotionally, your sales material often ends up in the trash can. You’re better off with a good story. Here’s a great example from Melissa Moody, the founder of Excel [read more] The post Episode 8: What to do when your sales presentation is in the trash can appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 7: How Saatchi & Saatchi-X founder learns from the most unlikely places
August 16, 2014 14:14 - 7 minutes - 7.24 MBWhen retailer marketing entrepreneur, Andy Murray, wanted to improve his company’s speed and efficiency, he turned to the most unlikely of places: his son’s pediatrician. Listen to his powerful yet unexpected lesson that helped grow his company into one of the largest and most creative retail marketing agencies in the world. The post Episode 7: How Saatchi & Saatchi-X founder learns from the most unlikely places appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 6: A friendly office competition that grew sales 50%
August 03, 2014 21:32 - 9 minutes - 9.14 MBA friendly competition at a global investment firm that can teach your organization to achieve goals you might have never thought possible. The post Episode 6: A friendly office competition that grew sales 50% appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 5: “You don’t see what I see.”
July 20, 2014 03:03 - 4 minutes - 4.67 MBFrom Bracken Darrell, CEO of Logitech, an insightful lunchtime conversation teaches us that some of the most common diversity offenses in the workplace go on without the perpetrator even knowing what they’ve done. The post Episode 5: “You don’t see what I see.” appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 4: Three words from a West Point cadet that define commitment
July 16, 2014 20:09 - 5 minutes - 5.72 MBFrom former P&G CEO, Bob McDonald, three simple words from a freshman cadet at West Point can help you hold your organization more accountable and build commitment to your goals. The post Episode 4: Three words from a West Point cadet that define commitment appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 3: Finding passion in who you serve
July 16, 2014 19:29 - 8 minutes - 8.6 MBNot excited about what you do? Guest Dan Dorr (Hewlett-Packard) shares a lesson from Dollar General’s CEO that can help you or your organization maintain passion for your work. The post Episode 3: Finding passion in who you serve appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 2: What scares people about change, and how to fix it
July 16, 2014 19:27 - 8 minutes - 8.57 MBThe best lesson I ever learned about leading change I learned from two twin 6-year-old boys. And that lesson is this: People aren’t afraid of change. They’re afraid of not being prepared for change. Learn the difference here. The post Episode 2: What scares people about change, and how to fix it appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.
Episode 1: A customer-service story gone horribly right
April 22, 2014 17:32 - 6 minutes - 6.6 MBA world-class customer service story you wish was from your company. Learn what great customer service looks like and why you don’t know any great stories like this in your organization. The post Episode 1: A customer-service story gone horribly right appeared first on Paul Smith | Cincinnati, Ohio.