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3-MINUTE READ As a leader, what are you missing that would help you achieve “the next level'? Chances are it is a person. Even more likely it is a person who is in the next room or down the hall from you at this very moment! Yet, we sit stressed and maxed out as they sit underutilized and bored. They desire meaning, mentoring and challenge, while we desire initiative and productivity. Still, both parties sit in their comfortable and familiar rut. This is a very poor utilization of assets and leaves huge profits on the table. THE ART OF INVESTING Think of your time as you would your money. A wise person thinks in a long-term manner about their money and how to spend and/or invest it for the greatest ROI (return on investment.) Consider the focus, time, and energy you devote to making, saving, and investing money for a specifically defined purpose. Now, that is exactly how you need to approach the time you invest in the people in your sphere of influence; and it is an art. A skill that must be learned and then uniquely applied according to each individual who can share in accomplishing the goal. STEPS ON INVESTING IN OTHERS 1. You must have clarity about what you are trying to accomplish. What outcomes you want to focus on and why does it matter? Is the vision compelling enough to get others involved and want to share in the ownership? 2. Focus on the few things only you and you alone can do. What are the unique strengths that you bring to the vision that no one else possesses on the team? What are the other things or tasks you are currently doing (and yes, we know you can do them well) but others could do just as good if not better? Make a list and identify the ones that steal the most time. 3. Find people that have the strengths and abilities to do the tasks you have identified. Before you approach them, work through all the fears you have about delegating, letting go, and giving up control. You may need your coach for this portion. 4. Connect with the person you would like to delegate your tasks to and make sure you have plenty of time to talk it out and get buy-in. Share your vision and your goal of investing in the person's professional and personal growth by passing on these specific tasks. Press for push back, find all the holes together, make sure you have healthy conflict to vet out all their fears and share your concerns as well. 5. Train the person on how you currently do the task. A: Show/tell them how to do it. B: Do it with them. C: Observe them as they do it for you. D: Coach them as they do it without you. E: Trust them as they do it alone. F: Check in often and create space for continuous improvement. You have just invested in one of your people and they are feeling empowered and trusted. Equally as important, you have just opened up a huge amount of time to operate in your strength and talent which you alone do best. It is now time to do it again and again until you are only operating in your strengths! What do you think about investing in yourself by investing in others? Your Coach,  Shandel Sutherland

3-MINUTE READ Teamwork is a method that aligns employee mindsets in a cooperative and usually selfless manner towards a specific business purpose. Today there is no business or organization that doesn’t talk about the need for and value of teamwork in the workplace. Some things cannot be accomplished by people working individually. Larger, more ambitious goals usually require that people work together with others. Because of this, teamwork is a desired goal of many businesses and organizations today. People who have well developed teamwork skills easily form relationships with mutual respect among diverse types of people. They understand the strengths and weaknesses of others and place a high priority on the success of their department and/or organization. People with strong skills in teamwork support team decisions and share responsibility with team members for successes and failures. How do you develop your own skills in Teamwork? • Show respect for all other people and display sincere interest in them as individuals. • Work on improving or enhancing your communication skills. • Give positive feedback as often as possible. • If you have a difficult relationship with someone, work to improve it through self-awareness and respect for differences. • Be enthusiastic about your ideas but don’t be overbearing or domineering when you express them. Try not to interrupt other people and listen to their ideas carefully before you disagree. • Discuss your ideas with your teammates until you agree. • Be willing to step back from a disagreement and cooperate. • Teach yourself not to be defensive. Think of negative feedback as opportunities for improvement, not personal affronts. • Be tolerant of others. Recognize that others’ viewpoints are as important to them as yours are to you! Self-observation Ask someone you trust to help you identify times when you come across as overbearing, domineering or intolerant of others. Keep a log of your behavior over the next month or so. Then, try to answer the following questions as you look at your notes: • Are there patterns to your actions? What are they? • Do you interrupt often in meetings or conversations? Do you interrupt certain people more often than others? • Are you particularly sensitive or domineering on certain topics or with certain people? • How does your behavior make those people feel and/or react? If you discover you would like to build your teamwork skills or the skills of your team, we would be glad to be part of the process. Your Coach,  Shandel

3-MINUTE READ Meaning, purpose, and intentionality. You probably know the logical reason why you do the things you do. But you may not know the purpose behind what you are logically doing day after day. It is an important distinction. As leaders we have established plans, goals, and action steps that fit into our strategies. But we haven’t taken time to figure out why what we do really matters. Do you know deep in your heart that what you do, and who you are, really matters? To whom? For what? And really – why? Think about it: If you only had one day to live, what would you do? What matters most? Well, today is the only day you know you have. Relationships are the key. The truth is, what you do for others is the only thing that truly matters in the end. Think about the times when life hit you hard and you were exposed financially or in another area where you required help. Suddenly you can’t medicate the relationship pain/gap with money, busy living, and success. Look at your life. What do you find? The holes you try desperately to keep hidden are revealed in the spotlight. So now is the time to exercise your choice. You can feel the emptiness, address the source, and discover your purpose. Or you can find a new way to numb yourself with more self-medicating than ever before. Medicating the gap is a protection we all use to some degree. If only we can come clean and admit it, we can be free to live our purpose. Where are you getting your purpose, your joy, and your fulfillment? What is the name of the well you are drinking from right now? Every day you drop your bucket into a well – and up comes what? Remember, what you are drinking, you are becoming. Is your well toxic? Is it intoxicating? Is it refreshing? Is it stagnant? Is it full of you? What is in your well? After you examine what well you are drinking from, then drink deeply – if it is the life-giving sustenance you are living for. If not, then let’s dig a new well! Let’s dig deep for what matters. Now is the time. Your Coach,  Shandel

3-MINUTE READ You may not realize it, but the problems you are facing right now at work or at home may very well be traced to silence. YES! Silence is deadly. In Week 34 of my book Clarity we discuss the potential results of silence and how it affects relationships and work environments. For those who have not yet read the book Clarity: Focusing on What Matters here is the entire weekly read for you to preview and enjoy. SILENCE ISN’T GOLDEN, IT IS DESTRUCTIVE We may live in an era of email and smartphones and wireless networks. Yet in virtually every employee survey, communication tops the “needs improvement” list. Problems in communication can mean inaccurate information or insensitive comments. But a huge chunk of it fits in the negative category of not communicating information. The lack of communication. We have a client whose vice president has gone silent. The man is taking days to reply to e-mail messages and voicemails, is forgetting to include subject-matter experts in strategic meetings, and is not making crucial decisions. Our client hesitates to directly ask the VP, who in the past has shot down such questions. So the client finds himself filling in the blanks. He’s questioning his own worth. Am I the problem? Should I start looking for another VP? And he’s not the only one affected. The whole team’s efficiency has halted, deadlines are being missed, morale is plummeting, rumors are flying — all because we have a VP who is unresponsive and “too busy” to deal with the team. WHEN SILENT, PEOPLE FILL IN THE BLANKS People don’t like “dead air.” You’ve seen it in conversation: people inevitably fill a too-long silence with a comment or question. It’s the same in work and personal relationships, only on a larger scale. People can’t help “filling in the blanks” caused by a lack of communication and leadership. They speculate as to why the silence in so deafening. And soon the damage is done. The truth is, trying not to cause problems by not doing any harm is not being a good leader. It’s abdication. Not saying anything in fear you’ll of saying the wrong thing is not only good communication. It’s cowardice. If you’re not leading, you are following. There are no extra credit points for not doing anything wrong, especially if you haven’t done anything at all. So take note: You need to use your words! Communicate or pay the price. To the listener, silence communicates a lack of care, concern, and value. To the one being silent, you can’t hide, you must face your fear of doing something wrong — and do something right. Your Coach,  Shandel

4-MINUTE READ All too often, as leaders, we believe that our primary job is to have ALL THE ANSWERS! Yet, the truth is, at least for leader-making leaders, their focus is more on asking the right questions.  While it is imperative that leaders become proficient in asking the right questions of their colleagues, direct reports, etc. there are times when we really do have to have answers. For instance, when employees ask questions like, “Why are we doing this?” or “How does this impact the world for good?” the leader must be able to share an accurate answer. So what is the secret to knowing the answer or even how to answer? Well, that is precisely what our colleague and friend, Daniel James, from Story 19 Consulting, is going to help us navigate through at the Future Ready Summit . And thankfully he shares a few examples of what this looks like practically here. Pulling for you, Alan Andersen HAVING KEY ANSWERS

3-MINUTE READ FUTURE CONTEXT We are living in unprecedented times. I’ll share a handful of sobering facts with you.  This is the first time in history when there are 4 Generations working concurrently. (I.E. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z) Unemployment is low, has been low, and appears to be remaining low. 3.6 million High School graduates in 2017-2018. That number of people is expected to hold steady with 3.6 million High School graduates in 2027-2028. Turnover is trending to be the new normal. These are just a handful of realities for our day and age. So what is the antidote to attracting, keeping, and developing your work force? TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT More than ever before, senior leaders must be calling for regular Training with their teams. And we must have a keen eye out for those that need or want Development. Keep in mind that Training and Development are two distinct disciplines. The companies that focus on Training up its people and Developing the right would-be leaders will give us a good chance to beat the odds of as frequent turnover and retain top talent. WHERE TO BEGIN Too many times, we don’t know where to begin. Here are a few recommendations that will help you accelerate your efficacy across the organization. Start with a Talent Insights Assessment . In other words, keep your employees informed on their Strengths and potential Blind Spots. Eliminate guesswork in role expectations Be very clear about how each person can add more in value to the company they will receive in return. Have clear lines between training (which should be mandatory across the entire organization) and development (taking high potentials to the next level)! If this seems like a daunting task, keep in mind that it is. Leadership is more about responsibility than rewards at times. One way to increase your own success in leading others is to have a cohort of fellow leaders. If you are in need of great peers that know what you’re going through, check out the Future Ready Summit and see if it would benefit your life and leadership. I know it will! Pulling for you, Alan Andersen

A lot of stress comes from poor conflict management and not being able to have hard conversations in effective and respectful way. Shandel and Melanie answer a listener's question about how to better engage in difficult conversations and turn them into positive experiences. Listen for lots of tools and tips to help you lean into conflict! Shandel and Melanie covered A LOT of different things. Let us know if you'd like us to go more in depth into any of these. Hard conversations can be scary, so a good place to start is shifting your mindset about conflict to see it as beneficial and necessary. Having the conversation the right way in the right mindset is the best gift you can give someone. Quoting Scott's Porch Talk Doctor episode, you need to remember 3 things when having hard conversations. Be Kind. Keep the Relationship more important than the Issue. And Be Direct. A few of the other topics covered include: STORY, giving the benefit of the doubt, using disarming phrases, focusing on behavior versus intentions, digging into dialogue versus discussion, clarifying roles and responsibilities, understanding personalities and communication styles, developing emotional intelligence, and being aware of power dynamics. Resolving conflict always leads to more trust and intimacy in relationships. Thanks for joining us - don't forget to subscribe, rate (or like), comment & share! Visit our website and follow us on social media - Facebook , Instagram & LinkedIn We LOVE y our feedback & questions - click HERE to share your questions/feedback or email us at podcast@shandelgroup.com Subscribe for our free 66 Seconds with Shandel Group at shandel.com

3-Minute Read CRISIS MANAGEMENT If I’m being completely candid, I dislike the use of the word “crisis” to describe what is going on with the C-19 virus. And the truth is there is A LOT going on. HERE ARE A FEW QUICK STATS: Globally ~2.8 billion people are in some kind of lockdown There are 864,799 known cases of the virus across the world and counting (at the time of this writing) 39,520 people have lost their lives to C-19 In light of these facts, you might be wondering, “Why do you dislike the term crisis? This certainly feels like a crisis.” If you are thinking along these lines, I get it. I am certainly not diminishing the painful reality of what we are in the midst of as a society. Anytime the loss of life is at stake, we should take a sober account. Not to mention countless layoffs, closures, and the list goes on. PERSPECTIVE With that said, this is not the first crisis nor will it be the last. And so, we would be wise to pause and ask ourselves, “What do I want my life and leadership to look like post crisis?” To be clear, I am encouraging us to pause for just a few moments. Let’s envision what we want our reality to look like in 6, 9, 12 months from now. It is with that vision in mind that you will increase the likelihood that you lead well today and therefore are able to survive in uncertain times. Thinking about the long-game helps you practice the two imperatives that leaders at all levels should be practicing, namely… PATIENCE PERSEVERANCE REMAIN FOCUSED Please do not hear my say that on the one hand, I think this is not a crisis, which by definition is “a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger”. Nor on the other hand, am I suggesting that you “check out” and just focus on the future (which we have to survive long enough to make it there). You might be wondering, “Okay, then, what do I need to do then?” POST CRISIS LEADERSHIP Assuming you are practicing Patience and Perseverance. Let’s take cues from Winston Churchill as we wrap up. When he was Prime Minister, a reporter asked him what England’s greatest weapon against Hitler and the Nazi’s was. Without hesitation, Churchill responded, “It was what England’s greatest weapon has always been - hope.” And hope is a byproduct of vision Hope for what “can be” will drive you when it seems like we can’t go any further. No matter how bad things feel, be sure you are looking forward so that your daily steps are able to head in the trajectory you want to end up. Hope can help you get there! “It has been said that a person can live forty days without food, four days without water, four minutes without air, but only four seconds without hope.” John Maxwell sums that up nicely for us. Let US be the one that brings hope and paints a vision for what can be for everyone in your sphere of relationships! Pulling for you,  Alan Andersen

3-Minute Read YOU ARE THE C.R.O. The truth is that you are a leader. The reality may be that you’re only leading yourself! And whether you’re leading 1000+ people or just yourself, you are the Chief Remembering Officer of your life and leadership. Therefore, in light of this truth and the current events of the C-19 threat, we sent this following note out to a handful of our CEO’s. The response was so encouraging that we’ve decided to share these encouragements here. These encouragements are more of reminders really... REMINDERS REVISIT YOUR CORE VALUES (KEEPING YOUR CORE VALUES TOP OF MIND WILL HELP YOU ASSERT AGENCY OVER WHAT YOU CAN WHEN YOU CAN'T CONTROL EVERYTHING) REVIEW YOUR NUMBERS (WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF CASH ON HAND IN THIS CURRENT CLIMATE) REDUCE ANY COSTS POSSIBLE (IT’S ALL ABOUT CASH FLOW, LIVE LEAN AND MEAN, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE) REMIND YOURSELF "THIS TOO SHALL PASS" (THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM, WISDOM REMINDS US TO HOLD STEADY AMIDST THE STORM) IF you need or want to touch base, we're more than happy to jump on a 10-15 minute zoom video or conference call. Obviously this would be pro bono and our firm simply wants to support our community. REALITY CHECK This week we've worked with a handful of firms that have had to make the hard call to lay people off or close their doors for a time period, HOPEFULLY not for good. In those consultations, we've pulled together a handful of really helpful resources for communicating the reality of what we're working through here. RESOURCES REAL-TIME DATA OF THE C-19 VIRUS (A FASCINATING LOOK AT THE SUM TOTAL OF IMPACTED FOLKS) UNDERSTANDING THE VIRUS (PICTORIAL GRAPHICS) DECIDING YOUR DISTANCE (FREE NYT ACCESS FOR C-19 ARTICLES) OR, MAYBE YOU JUST NEED A QUICK BREATHER TO ENJOY SOMETHING FUN. I WAS PRETTY IMPRESSED WITH THIS BAND'S PRODUCTION AND YOU MIGHT LIKE IT TOO (IF YOU CAN WAIT 51 SECONDS)!