Brian Smith-PLD - Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak

Have you ever met someone for the first time and thought - yuck what a DINK? And I don't mean Double Income No Kids. You didn't know why; you just felt there was something about them that you didn't like. But after you spent some time with them and got to know them better you change your mind. Establishing a rapport and building a relationship with the people you work with and interact with is crucial to your success as a team member, manager or leader. You don't have to socialize with everyone you work with, but you must learn how to get along with them. This podcast will teach you how.

Do you know me? I'm looking over your shoulder, waiting for you to make a mistake so I can point out everything you've done wrong. My way is always the best way. I'm the classic control freak. I'm robbing you of your opportunity to grow because I haven't learned how to delegate. Are you still putting out fires? Listen to my latest podcast to learn how to give up control to get control.

We are who we are and act the way we act because that's who we are. But that might not be a good thing. A strength overused or used in the wrong situation can become a weakness. When you learn to identify why you do what you do, you can learn to modify your behavior to get a more favourable result. You can learn to act in a way that will get you what you want because if you act the way you usually do, it may be counterproductive to accomplishing your goals. Listen to my podcast and discover how DISC can help you identity your weaknesses do you can become be a more effective manager or leader.

We are who we are and act the way we act because that is who we are. We are born with a particular style - a certain way of behaving that is engrained in us at a very young age. You can't take a stripes off a tiger or rub the spots off a leopard. It's in their DNA. We must embrace who we are and amplify our strengths instead of wasting time trying to improve our weaknesses. Listen to my latest podcast and discover how DISC will help you identify your strengths. It's in your DNA.

Your ability to manage your emotions and recognize and influence the emotions of others is considered an essential skill. We live in a hi-tech world, but your soft skills - empathy, patience, open-mindedness, your ability to communicate, listen and establish trust with others will play a significant role in your success. According to Dr. Daniel Goleman if you can't make an emotional connection with those you work with and interact with you'll have difficulty managing and leading others. Are you missing out on that promotion - listen to this podcast and discover what you can do to ensure you'll get the offer.

Communication is'nt just something - communication is everything. I can't think of a more valuable skill than having the ability to communicate effectively regardless of gender or generation. Communication is an exchange between one or more persons. Listen to my latest podcasts for tips and techniques on how to turn a monologue into a dialogue.

A new year shuffles in a whole new set of possibilities. It allows you to throw out the old and bring in the new. However, a new year will be the same as the old year unless you take a moment to reflect on the past, re-energize, plan and then focuse on the year ahead. Listen to my latest podcast and find out what you must do to avoid using the same excuse next year.

We all start our management careers by making certain assumptions of what a manager or leader should be, but we know our assumptions can be wrong. And I'm no exception. I've committed each one of these sins at one time or another in my 40-plus-year career as general manager of a major retailer, an award-winning entrepreneur and a college professor. You get to decide what kind of manager or leader you want to be. Listen to this podcast so you don't make the same mistakes I did.

You can't suck and blow in the same breath. You can do one or the other but you can't do both at the same time. I have a soft spot for service providers, having spent over 40 years as general manager for a major retailer and a small business owner. Proft and being profitable are not a dirty word. When small businesses go out of business the whole community suffers. You have a choice. You can stop complaining and pay lower prices for the goods and services you buy or have exceptional customer service, but you can't have noth.

Soft skills are people skills. They are your ability to communicate and interact more effectively. They are your ability to negotiate and resolve conflict, devise creative solutions to problems, build collaborative teams and motivate others. Soft skills are the new currency in today's multi-generational diverse workplace. If you want to future-proof your career this Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak Podcast is for you.