Ready to Lead

Different Ways to Build Organizational Trust

As leaders, it can be tempting to bypass team building exercises and just get down to business already. That is a very bad idea. In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask build a solid case for why leaders in today’s virtual environment can’t afford not to design trust-building experiences for their team. If you want to make an impact—and you want it to be enduring—you have to rally people to do their best work, or it won’t be sustainable. Your dreams and aspirations will c...

How Leaders Can Make Decisions.... Despite Burnout, Overwhelm, and Fatigue

When is a decision yours to make as a leader and when do you entrust it to your team?  On today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about the fine line leaders walk when it comes to making decisions. If you think that being a leader, being in charge, automatically means you make all the decisions, you need to take a step back. Sometimes the biggest decision a leader can make is deciding to delegate that decision-making to someone else. As leaders, we also need to take a d...

How Leaders Can Get the Most Out of Their Time | A Productivity Strategy for Leaders

What’s one of the single biggest frustrations/struggles for new leaders? Time management.    On today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask take on the challenge of helping new leaders manage their time effectively as they transition from an individual contributor role to the role of manager. That shift is no joke, they say. And hopefully it helps to know that you’re not alone. No less than 100% of leaders find this difficult. And no two leaders approach time management the sam...

Why Many Leaders Don’t Get the Best from Their Team

When was the last time you praised someone on your team with specific, authentic feedback?   On today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about the absolute importance of leaders expressing appreciation and acknowledgment for the work their team is doing—in a consistent way. If you do it randomly, whenever the urge strikes, it probably won’t happen. You need to build this mechanism into your weekly routine. They share some helpful stories (both good and bad) and some act...

The Keys to Leading a Virtual Team and the Difference Between Leading and Managing with Ralph Burns

The transition to leading virtually hasn’t been easy. It helps to learn from people who have been doing it for a really long time.   On today’s episode, host Jeff Mask sits down with Ralph Burns, CEO and founder of Tier 11 and co-host of the Perpetual Traffic podcast, to talk about his new book, Virtual Boss. Jeff planned to just skim the book in preparation for their interview, but he couldn’t stop reading. He loves that it’s written from the actual trenches of virtual leadership, not som...

How Leaders Can Retain Their Best Talent and Different Ways to Connect with Your Team

“How in the heck do we keep people?” is the question on every leader’s mind right now in the midst of The Big Quit happening all around us.   In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask sit down to talk about the tension of employee retention. Specifically, retaining the most talented people who are the best fit for your company. Of course you don’t want them to leave. And as difficult and scary as that thought might be, there are some really simple (not easy) ways to make s...

A Simple Framework to Eliminate Bottlenecks and Help Your Organization Make Better Decisions

If delegation is challenging for you right now as a leader, this simple, proven exercise will help.   Today’s episode is a micro-session with host Jeff Mask, and it’s for any leader who has big goals for the year but way too much on their plate to get it all done. It’s okay to admit it: to accomplish what you need to accomplish going forward, you’re going to need help. You’re going to need to delegate.   Listen in as Jeff walks us through a simple delegation exercise that can make a huge...

Delegating: 4 Simple Steps Leaders Can Take to Free Up Time While Getting More Done

If you hope to grow your revenue, your teams, and your company, you have to find a way to delegate. There’s simply no way around it.   In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask take on the evergreen, but ever-challenging, topic of delegation. Delegation is something all leaders need to take a look at annually (okay, and monthly, weekly, daily), but it’s especially timely right now. As we kick off a new year and aspire to achieve new goals, we realize we can’t continue to o...

Handling “The Great Resignation” and Should Leaders Be Overpaying for Talent?

Millions of people left their jobs last year, and the elephant in every office right now is: how do we talk about money?   In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask tackle the difficult topic of salaries and raises head-on. 2021 was the Big Quit, the Great Resignation, the Year the Employee Leaves. Everyone has felt it. When 38+ million employees in the U.S. quit their jobs in a single calendar year, everyone feels it. That’s a lot of people walking out. That’s a lot of in...

Finding Your Personal Purpose and Its Importance for Leaders

When you know your purpose, your why, as a leader, you’re able to set harmonious and powerful goals for yourself and your team.   In a previous episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talked about setting relevant goals that align with their overarching purpose as a company. In today’s episode, they want to continue that conversation and connect some dots. How do you go deeper into your own personal why, your personal purpose? This is a topic that is absolutely invigorating for Jef...

Firing: The Best Way to Let Your Employees Go and How You Can Avoid the Same Situation in the Future

The words “you’re fired” spark a lot of emotion, but in some unfortunate circumstances, they’re necessary to say or hear.    In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about best practices when it comes to delivering termination news. Most leaders have faced—or will face—that moment of truth when they have to let someone go. There’s a right way and a wrong way to fire people, Richard and Jeff believe, and they want to give you the script.   Listen in for some super p...

Management Mess to Leadership Success with Scott Jeffrey Miller

Scott Jeffrey Miller

New Year, New Team: How to Set Goals with Your Team that Align with Your Organization

OTHER SHOWS YOU MIGHT ENJOY: Business Lunch with Roland Frasier and Ryan Deiss Perpetual Traffic with Ralph Burns and Kasim Aslam DigitalMarketer Podcast with Mark de Grasse and Mandy McEwen

Working with Family & Friends and Dealing with Nepotism in the Workplace with Clate Mask

You want to hire people you know, love, and trust, and quite often those are friends and family members, but how do you avoid favoritism and nepotism?   On today’s episode, host Jeff Mask is joined by his brother, Clate Mask, CEO and co-founder of Keap (formerly known as Infusionsoft), a sales and marketing automation platform. Clate loves entrepreneurs and has great respect for the grit and tenacity and perseverance they show as they build their businesses. He built a company that helps...

Why Feedback Alone Is Not Enough

Richard and Jeff want to hear from YOU. Was something in today’s episode a big aha moment for you? Anything you disagreed with? What did you learn that you’ve applied to your leadership? Email them here with your thoughts/questions: [email protected]  OTHER SHOWS YOU MIGHT ENJOY: Business Lunch with Roland Frasier and Ryan Deiss Perpetual Traffic with Ralph Burns and Kasim Aslam DigitalMarketer Podcast with Mark de Grasse and Mandy McEwen

Responding to Feedback and Stages of Competency

Richard and Jeff want to hear from YOU. Was something in today’s episode a big aha moment for you? Anything you disagreed with? What did you learn that you’ve applied to your leadership? Email them here with your thoughts/questions: [email protected]  OTHER SHOWS YOU MIGHT ENJOY: Business Lunch with Roland Frasier and Ryan Deiss Perpetual Traffic with Ralph Burns and Kasim Aslam DigitalMarketer Podcast with Mark de Grasse and Mandy McEwen

Vacations, Holidays, and the Importance of Taking Time Off

What does it mean to lead well through the holidays with all its distractions and deadlines, and people’s different beliefs and cultural backgrounds?   On today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about the holiday season and how it can be exhausting and loaded with dangers and pitfalls. But it can also be rewarding, even life-changing, with a few key mindset shifts.    Listen in for some heartfelt tips on turning the holiday season into an incredible opportunity f...

Leading Professionally in a Toxic Workplace with Karen Pierce

It can be hard to know how to navigate a really tough environment as a leader. This is how one woman did it really well.   On today’s episode, host Jeff Mask sits down with Karen Pierce, CEO of KMP Consultants, to talk about best practices in leadership and how to deal with tough, even toxic, work environments. Karen and Jeff met at an event where Karen told him, “we speak a very similar language.” It’s true. They do. The bottom line? They both believe deeply that leadership is all about...

How Rituals and Routines Can Help You Become a Better Leader

Rituals and routines, done with intention, can help us prepare ourselves to show up emotionally and mentally and lead from a place of power.   The theme of routines and rituals is popping right now. People around the globe are finding that the routines that once worked so well are no longer serving them. Life has changed, and our routines need to change too, if we want to stay on top of our game.    In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask kick things off by telling...

How Investing In Relationships Results in Powerful Leadership with Kimberly Holmes, CEO of Marriage Helper

When you invest in appropriate relationships with the people you lead and make them feel valuable, you become all the more effective as a leader.    In today’s episode, host Jeff Mask sits down with Kimberly Holmes, CEO of Marriage Helper to talk about some universal principles that work across all relationships, whether personal or professional. Kimberly is passionate about championing marriages and creating strong families. She and her team want to take over the world with hope for gre...

Having Corrective Conversations in a Timely and Constructive Way

Corrective conversations are never fun, but as leaders, it’s our responsibility to help people become better versions of themselves.    Today’s episode with co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask is all about having those difficult, but necessary, corrective conversations. How do you give correction? When do you give it? How do you do it well? It can be an easy thing to mess up, and Jeff and Richard want to help people avoid that pain.    Listen in as they talk about why correction m...

Leading Without the Clutter with Kathi Lipp

What does decluttering have to do with leadership? Way more than you think. In today’s episode, host Jeff Mask sits down with Kathi Lipp, world-renowned author of over 20 books and host of the Clutter-Free Academy podcast. Kathi has dedicated her life to serving people who are overwhelmed by clutter and people with a mission who want to communicate it. Why talk about decluttering on a leadership podcast? Because there are a lot of grounding principles here for leading ourselves and leading...

What to Do When Good People Leave Your Organization

The Great Resignation has had a huge impact on teams and organizations. How do you respond as a leader when you lose a really good team member?   In this episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask talk about what happens when one of a leader’s biggest fears becomes reality: a key player on the team decides to leave. Instead of just speaking in generalities, Richard shares a very personal and recent story, and he and Jeff walk through these important questions:   How do we process...

How to Become a Disruptive Leader with Rob Moore

How to Become a Disruptive Entrepreneur with Rob Moore   The word “disruptive” can have a negative connotation, but it’s really all about stepping in, shaking things up, and making the world better.   Rob Moore is a powerhouse, and he’s super great at what he does. He loves entrepreneurship and property investing; he runs several businesses and two podcasts; and he lives up to his brand as an entrepreneur that disrupts. In today’s episode, he sits down with host Jeff Mask to share hi...

Designing Organizational Trust with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

Trust among coworkers has never been more important than it is in today’s virtual environment, and leaders have to intentionally design experiences that help build that trust.   As leaders, it can be tempting to bypass team building exercises and just get down to business already. There’s work to be done, goals to be met. Who has time for “shared experiences” and “team bonding,” right?    In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask build a solid case for why leaders ca...

Unlocking the Gifts in Those We Lead with Stacey Ferguson

One of our roles as leaders is to identify and unlock people’s gifts. Today’s guest tells us how.   Unlocking people’s gifts presupposes that we believe everyone has gifts to unlock. Stacey Ferguson, Digital Director at Time’s Up, believes they do, and host Jeff Mask wholeheartedly agrees. In today’s energizing episode, the two of them sit down for a fun and enlightening chat about bringing out the very best in the people you’re leading.   Know What You Want and Go After It Stacey’...

Managing Conflict in a Virtual Workplace with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

Leading people was already difficult in a pre-Covid world, but learning how to engage in healthy conflict is extra challenging in a virtual environment. It’s a leader’s job to assess human dynamics and behavior and guide people in and through conflict in healthy, productive ways. But it’s so much harder to read people when you’re not face to face, rubbing shoulders with each other every day. Sometimes things might feel okay, but it’s often “artificial harmony” (credit to Patrick Lencioni). ...

Empowering Those You’re Charged to Lead with Mike Yates

As leaders, we have privilege, and it’s up to us to empower the people we’ve been charged to lead.   Today’s guest, Mike Yates, empowers people on a daily basis. Mike is an educator, the host of the Schoolish podcast, TED talker, and runs the Reinvention Lab at Teach for America. In this episode, he sits down with host Richard Lindner to talk about recognizing privilege and power structures and how leaders everywhere can leverage that knowledge to gain a better understanding of their tea...

The 4 Zones of Leadership & How to Sustain World-Class Results

OTHER SHOWS YOU MIGHT ENJOY: Business Lunch with Roland Frasier and Ryan Deiss Perpetual Traffic with Ralph Burns and Kasim Aslam DigitalMarketer Podcast

Handling Underperformers: the Counterintuitive Reason Why Bottom Performers are Performing Poorly with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

When we focus the bulk of our time on underperformers and fixing problems, we bring the rest of the team down.   Every time you fix something, does something else break? Are you constantly drained from plugging leaks and putting out fires? Does it feel like your workweek is just a giant real-life game of Whack-a-Mole?   If so, chances are, you’ve probably fallen into the trap of always focusing on the underperformer. We’re hardwired as humans—and especially as leaders—to fix what’s b...

How to Hire the Right Person and Find an Ideal Team Player

Once you know when you need to hire, the next question is who do you need to hire? In this micro-episode, host Jeff Mask walks through a simple, but effective, model you can use to determine whether or not a person is a good fit for your company. The bottom line? You can do all the research, all the due diligence, and still mis-hire. Then you’ve got someone who doesn’t fit your team or culture, and you have to fire them. Listen in as Jeff takes a dive deep down into some frameworks that ...

How to Know When It’s Time to Hire with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

Hiring a new person is serious business, and there are some really important questions to ask yourself as a leader before you take that step.   In this episode, hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask walk through some really vital steps we need to take before we bring someone else on our team. In Richard’s company, they have a saying that reflects an important value:    We take the social responsibility of hiring very seriously. What does that mean? It means that, when they make the d...

When and How to Have “Awkward” Conversations with Your Team with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

As leaders, alignment, clarity, and trust among your team are great, but sometimes the bridge to get there is the dreaded awkward conversation.   Every leader can relate to the sense of dread that comes with knowing you need to have a difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding. How do we lead into this? How do we request an awkward conversation and then how do we handle it? In today’s episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask share some practical advice for dealing with awkward conv...

The Relationship Between Burnout and Impostor Syndrome and How to Battle Both with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

  If you’re experiencing burnout and/or impostor syndrome, there are some practical things you can do to get your energy back so you can lead powerfully.   Burnout is a pattern that’s happening globally right now. People are stressed, tired, anxious, and it feels like the marathon has no end. In this episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask validate this burnout you’re experiencing, explain how it causes impostor syndrome to rear its ugly head, and share some exercises you can do t...

Compensation, Raises, Job Titles, & Career Development

As a manager, how do you have those awkward and difficult conversations with your employees about salaries and raises and promotions? Richard and Jeff have some answers.   More people are leaving their companies right now than at any time in history. We entered the first relief period a few months ago. People left, companies made adjustments, now what are we left with? The people we absolutely need. You start making emotional decisions. How do I keep this person and make sure they don’t le...

Leading Through External Forces with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

What does it look like to lead your team through external forces and distractions in a powerful way?   This is another one of those universal things that everyone is feeling right now. In this episode, co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask share some personal examples from their own lives and work.    Richard just got back from one of his first business trips in a long time. He gathered with 150  leaders/founders/executives for the War Room Mastermind, and all of them are feeling the st...

Leading in a Pandemic-Affected Workplace with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

You’re not alone if you’re facing anxiety, concerns, and difficult situations in your workplace 18 months into the pandemic—it’s a pattern across the globe. A lot of people thought (hoped) we’d be back to normal by this point, or at least adjusting really well to our “new” normal. But it turns out there are just a lot of new problems and questions, fears and insecurities. In today’s episode, co-hosts Jeff Mask and Richard Lindner want you to know you’re not alone. It’s not just a hot top...

3 Keys to Leading a Winning Team with Jeff Mask

When you have clarity in the role, clarity as a whole, and clarity of goals, the team you’re leading will absolutely be winning.   Today’s episode is a micro-session around three simple, but powerful, principles to help your team win. Too often, as leaders, we overlook fundamentals. We get distracted. We get going too quickly. People get hired and they’re excited, but when days and weeks go by, and they’re not quite sure what winning looks like in their role, they start questioning: Am I a...

Leadership Mindset, Positive Focus, and Your First 90 Days Leading a New Team with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

The absolute foundation of leadership is a powerful positive mindset, and it needs to start on day one.    What comes to mind when you hear the word “mindset?” If you feel like mindset isn’t important, and you’re impatient to get to the tactics, the “good stuff,” then this episode is for you.    Co-hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask reflect back on the days when they first started working together. Jeff introduced an exercise called “positive focus” and Richard wanted to skip it and...

How to Hold Your Team Accountable with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

Leading from a place of empathy and accountability isn’t easy, but it’s the only way to get the results you want. How the heck do I hold my team accountable? It’s literally the number one question leaders ask. And it often comes with a tone of frustration and annoyance with the team. When leaders ask that question, they’re pointing fingers, but they need to shift the mirror a little bit and take a deeper look.  In today’s episode of the Ready to Lead Podcast, co-hosts Richard Lindner and...

4 Foundational Principles of Leadership with Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

There’s no perfect way to lead, but there’s a good way, and these four foundational principles lay the groundwork for long-term success as a leader.  The Ready to Lead Podcast is the show that gives you—the leader—the tools, tips, and insights you need to grow your team, your company, and yourself. In this second episode, hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask dive into their philosophy of leadership.  “As we start on this journey together,” Richard says, “we can’t move forward until we bre...

Does the World Really Need Another Leadership Podcast? With Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask

Eighteen months ago, the world didn’t need another leadership podcast, but the world has completely changed.  In this introductory episode of the Ready to Lead Podcast, get to know hosts Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask as they share who they are, why they’re here, and what you can expect in the weeks and months to come.  Hint: it will be different from other leadership podcasts. More raw, more real, more personal. It will also be helpful, applicable, relevant—and fun.   What Leadership...

[Trailer] Ready to Lead

'Ready to Lead' is a show that gives leaders the tools, tips, and insights they need to grow their team, their company, and themselves personally. Hosted by Richard Lindner and Jeff Mask, 'Ready to Lead' shares the real-world, real-life insights that leaders need to do to be great.