Circle Up & Get REAL Podcast

Today is the 20th anniversary of the launch of my coaching and consulting business, so I'm reminiscing about who I've become over this 2-decade career.  

Today I'd like to talk about rules. Not because I love them, but because I wonder what life would be like without them.   Is there a purpose to rules? If so, what is it?   Today I share information about the government and the rules it's working to keep in place, namely to make people more free.   I also share upcoming events I've got coming up: REAL Me: Intensive 6-week live virtual course (www.getrealcircle.com) and Think and Grow Rich in Ten Minutes a Day, 6-week study starting Wednesday, June 18 from 11-12 central. Reserve your spot here: https://getrealwithjodeebock.regfox.com/think-grow-rich-in-10-minutes-mastermind-study    

In today's episode I explore what might keep us (me included) from taking action on the outcomes we desire. Why are we so sure about complaining and so unsure about moving toward what we want instead? I share information about upcoming learning opportunities: Dare to Lead book study - Brewhalla in Fargo starting June 3 at 5 p.m. REAL Me: Intensive 6-week live virtual study starting June 11. Application open at www.getrealcircle.com Think and Grow Rich in 10 Minutes live virtual study - June 18 - July 23, 11 - 12 central (register here: https://getrealwithjodeebock.regfox.com/think-grow-rich-in-10-minutes-mastermind-study)

In today's episode I share some current wonders and ponders regarding what it really means to be unconventional. The opposite is conventional, which means based on, or in accordance with, what is generally done or believed. Normal. Regular. Ordinary. What if that's not what we really desire? Or what we really are, deep down? What if we're more wired to be deviants? That means departing from an established course or accepted standard. The book I mention in this episode is "The Economics of Higher Purpose" by Robert E. Quinn and Anjan V. Thakor. I also mention the Enlightened Leadership Lab (www.enlightenedleadershiplab.com) and Purple Dialogue (www.purpledialogue.com).

Today's guest is Glen Stevens, a former pastor turned entrepreneur in 2019. He continues to help people, but with a new calling: He helps people rewire their brains for a more positive and enjoyable approach to work and life--think, personal trainer for your brain. Known as the Mental Fitness Guy, Glen is a dynamic speaker, trainer, and executive coach. As a Certified Mental Fitness Coach™, he combines cutting-edge techniques and strategies from neuroscience and psychology that are simple to understand, get to the root of the problem, and are easy to apply. In this episode Glen and I talk about his journey, and also why Mental Fitness is so crucial for not only corporate success, but also for so many situations where mental health could use a boost. We talk about Positive Intelligence or PQ, created by Dr. Shirzad Chamine, which exposes mental saboteurs which keep us from achieving our true potential. Glen is focusing his work on rural electric cooperatives, where he helps them address five critical areas: Safety practices and culture Preventing burnout Equipping teams to thrive during change Teaching professionals to maintain peak performance under pressure and stress Building stronger, more cohesive teams If you'd like to connect with Glen, visit his website, www.mentalfitnessguy.com or find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mentalfitnessguy/

"What does it mean to stay human in a world that can feel so inhumane?" This was a question my Facebook friend Patti Digh asked this morning at the beginning of a beautifully articulated essay she shared. And that first question got me wondering and pondering. I'm nowhere near as eloquent and poetic as Patti, but I wanted to share my ideas this morning. What are your thoughts? What do you truly desire? What are you willing to do to get that?

I was given advice from a colleague a few years ago as I left an organization as an employee to venture out on my own - yet again - as a coach, consultant, facilitator. He told me, "Whatever you do, don't talk about culture." I took his advice seriously at the time. But the more I've been back at my own business full time, the more crucial I feel this concept of company culture really is. Culture is the container that holds all of the organization's activities. It's not what you do, it's how you do it that reflects the culture for the people doing the work. Today I mention several books: "The Power of Company Culture" by Chris Dyer, "Holacracy" by Brian Robertson, "Human-Centered Communication" by Ethan Beute and Stephen Pacinelli, and "Humanocracy," by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini.

When I say "bugging" in the title, I mean what's on your mind? What's getting you uncomfortable? What's irritating you? What's not right in your world? Often those irritants are trying to tell us something, and we don't listen until they provoke anger and even rage. What if we learned to listen earlier? Not only to ourselves, but to others? What are they trying to tell us, even when the words they are using are clunky? Listening is an art and a skill we can get better at when we practice it. My mom used to say, referring to my piano lessons as a kid, "practice makes perfect." That's true when we are practicing perfectly. But really, practice makes permanent. The WAY we practice makes all the difference.  How are we listening? ARE we listening or are we just hearing? This is a huge distinction and one I'm still working on.

John Maxwell says that everything rises and falls on leadership. But before leadership can move at all, it needs to be enveloped in a deliberate and purposeful culture. In this podcast episode, I talk with my co-author and co-host of the Enlightened Leadership Lab, Chris Angell, about our upcoming book and process we are calling Culture First. Listen in as we allow the conversation to guide us as we talk about who leaders become when the culture encourages them. You will see how the MasterMind principle (the best of each of us that comes out when we are in a spirit of harmony) shuffles between Chris and me as we allow that principle to guide our conversation. Find Chris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chris.angell and at his website, www.mygroundswell.com.