STP049: Refractive Thinking and Productive Questioning with Dr. Cheryl Lentz
Dr. Cheryl Lentz is an international best-selling author, professor, and speaker, also known as The Academic Entrepreneur. She has written and edited books on leadership, critical and refractive thinking, and more, including the multi-award winning series The Refractive Thinker, a collaboration of essays from around the world.
In this interview, we discuss how “refractive thinking” can help us move forward in business, including:
- Defining success according to constructs from the digital age, rather than old methods
- Changing how we conceive of business spaces to shift how we think about the nature of business itself
- Identifying our own biases when listening to a customer
- The importance of scheduling time to plan for the future (with reference to previous Smashing the Plateau guest Larry Sharpe!)
- Seeing getting help as a sign of strength
- What Einstein can teach us about being the silliest person in the room
As a university professor, speaker, and consultant, Dr. Lentz is an expert in teaching students to apply critical thinking skills to problem-solve in record time. She can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and through her website, www.drcheryllentz.com.
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STP048: Effective Attitudes for Business Leaders With Jeffrey Hayzlett
Jeffrey Hayzlett is a primetime business TV host and host of multiple shows on the digital television network C-Suite TV; he is also a global business celebrity, speaker, bestselling author, and Chairman of C-Suite Network, home of the world’s most powerful network of C-Suite leaders.
In this interview, we discuss:
- Why thinking you’re stuck will keep you stuck
- Entrepreneurship vs. the corporate C-Suite
- How negative storytelling dictates too many important decisions
- Key ingredients for fostering trust in business
- What Pixar’s Up can teach us about business
Jeffrey Hayzlett has bought and sold more than 250 companies in the course of his many, many-faceted career. The former CMO of Eastman Kodak (where he managed a $17 billion-dollar budget) is currently chairman of the C-Suite Network, where he hosts C-Suite with Jeffrey Hayzlett and Executive Perspectives.
He is also CEO, speaker, and author with The Hayzlett Group, and is the bestselling author of Running the Gauntlet: Essential Business Lessons to Lead, Drive Change, and Grow Profits (2012) and The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing? (2010). He is also Chair of TallGrass PR, based in New York, San Francisco, and Sioux Falls. Most recently, he launched the CBS Radio show “All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett,” where his first guest was Gene Simmons.
Follow or get in touch with Hayzlett through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ or email.
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STP047: A Branded And Buzzworthy Face-Off with Richard Laermer and Tony Grass
Public relations expert Richard Laermer debates sales and marketing veteran Tony Grass in this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” our latest in the FaceOff series. Tony and Richard go back and forth on issues related to branding, public perception, and making an impact in the market – fundamental topics for any business leader trying to grow.
Topics include…
- Why the intangibles may matter the most
- Where to sell and where to raise awareness
- Meeting customer needs vs. sticking with vision
- Why analytics doesn’t tell the whole story
Richard Laermer is the Founder and CEO of RLM Public Relations. He is the author of numerous best selling books including Punk Marketing and Full Frontal PR. Tony Grass is the President and Owner of e-Market Intelligence, Inc., an online sales development company focusing on marketing strategy and customer targeting.
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STP046: Getting Unstuck Without The Guilt with Rémy Chaussé
Rémy Chaussé helps people get unstuck from whatever’s keeping them from getting to the next level. As a victim of getting stuck herself, Rémy knows firsthand which strategies work and which just lead to frustration. On this episode, she discusses stubbornness, embarrassment, and how the biggest obstacle is usually yourself.
Topics include…
- How to avoid getting ordinary self-promotion
- Swallowing pride to get things done
- Why leaders should expect less of themselves
- How creativity can actually stifle progress
- Being honest to find your “Joy Factor”
Rémy Chaussé is the Founder of the Get UNStuck Revolution and the selfproclaimed World’s Best UNStuckologist. She helps people move from their creative brainstorming phases to a place where they can implement changes and make progress.
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STP045: Finding Success First Within Yourself with Nella Barkley
Public speaker, mentor, and coach Nella Barkley discusses goal recognition and being honest and smart about personal approaches to business. The world is full of entrepreneurs, but many are stuck in old, unoriginal habits. In this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” Nella helps listeners figure out how to get noticed for things that are wholly unique to them.
Topics include…
- How business is like baking a cake
- Finding what’s truly unique about yourself
- The questions leaders should be asking themselves
- How to avoid the greatest danger
For more than 20 years, Nella Barkley has been helping people find their own personal career and life paths at the Crystal-Barkley Corporation. Through strategic planning principles and her own innate drive to enable others, Nella has become a sought-after mentor, public speaker, and coach.
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STP044: An Eye Toward the Next Generation with Jennifer Kushell
Jennifer Kushell is the Founder of Young & Successful Media and YSN.com—Your Success Network and author of the NY Times bestsellers, Secrets of the Young & Successful and The Young Entrepreneur’s Edge. In this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” she discusses motivating young people to think like entrepreneurs and building success through structure.
Topics include…
- The changing face of business
- How to deal with a market in flux
- Making, and then packaging, change
- Why the written word is more important than ever
- How successful people see the world
As the Founder of Young & Successful Media and Your Success Network, Jennifer is fulfilling her mission of ensuring that no driven young person, anywhere in the world, lacks access to opportunity to fulfill their true potential.
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STP043: Getting By With a Little Help From Coach with Marc Mawhinney
The two podcasts collide in this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” as today’s guest is Marc Mawhinney, host of the Natural Born Coaches podcast. In our sit down with Marc, we explore the unexpected upsides of his work and the adventure in finding a niche to call your business home.
Topics include…
- Thinking often and acting even more
- Having faith in yourself to succeed
- Why hiring a coach isn’t admitting you’ve lost
- What farming can teach the world of business
Creator and Host of the Natural Born Coaches podcast, Marc Mawhinney helps motivate listeners who want to become professional coaches and offers advice to current coaches looking to improve their businesses. A coach himself, he is also the Founder of Marc Mawhinney Coaching.
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STP042: New Ideas and New Solutions with Jim Canterucci
Jim Canterucci runs his business not so unlike we at TEND run ours. Jim helps executives get their big ideas put into action. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” he shares his wisdom on getting companies to accept innovation and how to maintain success even when some of those risks don’t work out.
Topics include…
- Why you should be celebrating failure
- The [60:40] rule of leadership
- How to get people working for the right reasons
- Exceeding an entrepreneurial spirit
- The new normal for leadership
- What farming can teach the world of business
Jim Canterucci is the Founder and CEO of Transition Management Advisors and a Leadership Advisor at ELCircle. He figures out ways to get executives unstuck, moving ideas from inside the boardroom out to the rest of the world by implementing them successfully.
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STP041: Digital Marketing In a Whole New World with Kalynn Amadio
Author, speaker, engineer, and entrepreneur Kalynn Amadio is the CEO of ikalynn LLC. As a digital marketing expert for Baby Boomers, she helps older entrepreneurs stay relevant in a world that’s migrated online. In this episode, Kalynn talks about learning to use the tools of today so that businesspeople can connect meaningfully with an audience.
Topics include…
- The real reason to use social media marketing
- Building a 1-1 conversation
- Imagining your ideal customer
- How to avoid time sucks
- How to build communities of raving fans
Kalynn Amadio is the CEO of ikalynn LLC, a digital marketing company that helps Baby Boomers flourish in the ever-changing world of the Internet, social media, video, and mobile technology. She is also an author, speaker, engineer, and entrepreneur.
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STP040: Small Business Marketing In 5 Steps with Geri Mazur
If sales are the short-term push, marketing is the long-term pull. It’s the extended demand you cultivate over a period of years. Despite its importance, a sense of urgency gets in a lot of people’s way. In this episode, Geri Mazur discusses common errors in thinking and how to market effectively in 2015.
Topics include…
- Why outputs matter more than outcomes
- Creating demand, then fulfilling it
- How to know you’re spending wisely
- Learning the long game of marketing
- What you should be doing once a week
Geri Mazur is an award-winning small business-marketing consultant with more than 25 years experience moving people, products, and brands forward. She is the owner of Geri Mazur Marketing.
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STP039: Finding And Selling Your Strongest Self with Heather Pich
Mentor, presenter, and author Heather Pich has found self-limiting beliefs to be one of the greatest forces that hold people back from achieving their goals. What we tell ourselves can stick with us forever. It’s only after we shed that false narrative, Heather says, when we can move forward.
Topics include…
- Why you should turn selling into sharing
- Shutting out the naysayers
- Understanding (and deleting) self-limiting beliefs
- Finding success in a change of attitude
Heather Pich is a Mentor at Productive Learning, helping people to recognize the thoughts and self-conceptions that are holding them back, ultimately to succeed. She is also a presenter, trainer, and best-selling author of the direct sales guide Bookings When You Have No Bookings.
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STP038: Making Every Day Count with C.C. Chapman
C.C. Chapman virtually invented the concept of content marketing with his book Content Rules (with co-author Ann Handley). Many people say “content is king.” C.C Chapman virtually invented the concept. In this episode, he talks about how he blends his personal challenges and professional missions.
Topics include…
- The importance of the “Hell Yeah!” test
- Why content is king
- Where the best creations come from
- Turning followers into customers
- Why you shouldn’t try to measure everything
C.C. Chapman is the Founder of Never Enough Days, a consulting company that focuses on marketing social causes. He is also a public speaker and author of the books Amazing Things Will Happen and Content Rules.
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STP037: Getting Out of the Crisis with Iman Bugaighis
Dealing with risk is difficult. In some cases, the fear of risk keeps businesspeople from moving forward with potentially career defining initiatives. As official spokesperson for the Libyan revolution to the West, Dr. Iman Bugaighis knows about risk better than most. In standing up for what she believes, she regularly places in the balance everything that is dear to her.
In this episode, this courageous woman talks about what it takes to be bold and how any of us can rise to the occasion.
It’s rare that an interview touches me on such a deep level. I’m truly interested to hear your thoughts once you’ve listened.
Topics include…
- Making sense of chaos
- Where to turn when things are uncertain
- How having a single mission can help overcome difference
- How teams reinforce courage
- What happens once you’ve achieved your “big goal.”
Dr. Iman Bugaighis is a prominent leader of the Libyan Revolution, a Professor at University of Bengazhi, and a fierce advocate for universal human rights.
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STP036: The 3-Step Path to Business Growth with JC Maldonado
Leader and entrepreneur JC Maldonado has no doubt the businesses that succeed are the ones who embrace change. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” JC guides listeners through steps to make that change, without feeling like the sky is falling.
Topics include…
- How to avoid getting left behind
- How to reinvent yourself
- The 3 phases of business growth
- Why you should always be learning
- Why a strong business model must come first
JC Maldonado is the CEO of BizGro Partners, a business development firm that helps privately-held businesses advance through organic growth strategies or strategic corporate transactions.
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STP035: Creating a Business That Gives You A Life of Choice
Peter Thomson is one of the most successful information product creators in the world, currently ranking as Nightingale-Conant’s top-selling UK author. His success is driven by one primary aim—to help people build careers out of sharing their ideas.
This episode packs some of the most value-per-minute of anything we’ve done.
You’ll learn…
- The 2/5 Method of Opportunity Selection
- How testing can show you when to persevere vs. give up
- The 6 P’s of every successful information product
- Why you should be thankful for negative people
Peter Thomson coaches consultants, speakers, and small business owners to share more of their authentic messages with more people than they could ever reach on a one-to-one-basis by showing them how to write and create their own informational products.
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STP034: Getting Wired for Story with Lisa Cron
These days it has become commonplace to talk about storytelling in business, but far less common to why it matters so much. Turns out there’s a biological basis to why persuasion works best in story form. In this episode, Wired for Story author Lisa Cron talks about the profound influence you can gain among your customers, employees, and colleagues by mastering the ancient art of story.
We discuss why…
- Story is the only effective way to communicate
- Every decision is an emotional decision
- Brain chemistry determines whether people buy
- Showing people you’re a mess is a fantastic leadership tactic
Lisa Cron is the author of Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence. She’s worked at W.W. Norton, serves as a producer on shows for Showtime and CourtTV and is a consultant for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency. Since 2006, Lisa has also been an instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.
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STP033: Mediating in Search of Middle Grounds with Lisa Gibson
Award-winning author, attorney, and conflict resolution expert, Lisa Gibson has a full tool belt for dealing with conflict. She discusses crossing cultural boundaries and using your story to anchor your business (and much more) on this episode of “Smashing the Plateau.”
Topics include…
- Why business conflicts don’t end
- The importance of having a strong story
- The isolating effects of business
- How to deal with cultural conflicts
- Accepting yourself as an expert
Lisa Gibson is a best-selling and award-winning author, attorney, mediator, and global conflict mitigator. She is also a Certified Trainer in managing workplace conflict.
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STP032: Where Do Sales Come From? with S. Anthony Iannarino and Scott Messer
We’re excited to bring you our first “Smashing the Plateau” Face Off, featuring S. Anthony Iannarino and Scott Messer, two titans in the sales field. Listen to Anthony and Scott weigh the many sides of closing a deal on this episode.
Topics include…
- How to approach sales prospects
- Why the personal relationship is secondary
- How sales is a form of leadership
- Why closing isn’t so bad after all
- How one deal is actually many smaller sales
S. Anthony Iannarino is the President and Chief Sales officer for SOLUTIONS Staffing. Scott Messer is the Principal at Sales Evolution.
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STP031: Finding Your Sales Story with Eric Keiles
Sales and marketing expert Eric Keiles sees the opportunity in today’s shifting business environment. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” Eric talks about strategy following tactics, telling your story, and finding a partner to balance you out.
Topics include…
- How to handle inbound leads
- Why you shouldn’t talk about yourself
- When you don’t need marketing
- Why curiosity could be your best asset
- The real role of today’s salesperson
Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Square 2 Marketing, Eric Keiles is a leading sales and marketing strategist focused on pioneering a new marketing methodology.
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STP030: Creating a Moment of Impact with Wendy Lipton-Dibner
Personal and organizational development expert Wendy Lipton-Dibner dishes some tips on how to delegate effectively, how to deal with fear, and how to overcome personal hurdles on this episode of “Smashing the Plateau.”
Topics include…
- How to recognize your hidden fears
- Why there is freedom in structure
- Finding out what’s really important
- How to use information you already have
- Using your investments to their max
Wendy Lipton-Dibner is the Founder of The Action Movement
, and President of Professional Impact, Inc. Wendy is a 3-times best-selling author known for her unique strategies for content marketing and delivery.
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STP029: Staying Relevant in the Social Era with Rick Frishman
Veteran author and speaker Rick Frishman has made a living in the publishing industry by hacking into the psychology of customers and employees. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” he discusses how to optimize day-to-day tasks and reach the goals you care about most.
Topics include…
- The importance of being accessible
- How to get fans raving about you
- Why selling is the last thing you should do
- How to forgive yourself for falling short
- The formula for a perfect online presence
Rick Frishman is a best-selling author, publisher, speaker, and the founder of Media Connect. He works with many of the top book editors, literary agents, and publishers in America.
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STP028: Learning From the Woman the Experts Go To For Advice with Debbie Allen
Expert strategist in the fields of business growth, marketing, and branding, Debbie Allen discusses the importance of being specific and staying interesting on this episode of “Smashing the Plateau.”
Topics include…
- Why self-promotion takes practice
- How to get out of your head to succeed
- Getting ready for a virtual future
- How to handle being a commodity
- How to take your expertise public
Debbie Allen is an international business and brand strategist. She teaches small business owners and entrepreneurs how to turn their passion, skills, and talents into branded expertise.
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STP027: Staying Current in the Social Landscape with Marty Monaco
Working in the social media space, Marty Monaco is constantly forced to adapt his strategies. So you can bet he’s learned how to stay current. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” Marty talks about recovering from rejection and how he decides where to go next.
Topics include…
- How to choose a path among many options
- The secrets to finding the perfect partner
- Why rejections aren’t all that bad
- How to deal with the frustrations of waiting
- When not to put all your eggs in one basket
Hopskoch Founder and COO Marty Monaco is an experienced entrepreneur and business development professional with more than 20 years in management consulting and enterprise software delivery.
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STP026: What Doing the Right Thing Really Means with Doreen Gebbia
Doreen Gebbia recalls her experience with starting a business and the challenges that come with scaling on this episode of “Smashing the Plateau.” She tells us about the struggle to recover from a national disaster and how a strong circle of associates helped pull her business out.
Topics include…
- How to make opportunities happen
- Using your network to get through tough times
- How to turn disappointment into a learning experience
- When to draw boundaries and say “no”
- Why integrity may matter more than prosperity
Doreen Gebbia is the President of eRichards Consulting, LLC. For 15 years, she honed her skills in sales and marketing, while overseeing projects with leading advertising agencies, retailers and publishing houses.
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STP025: How to Think Like a Buyer with Kevin Charlton
UK telephone sales coach veteran Kevin Charlton knows the Internet age is flipping the old ways of selling on their head. Customers do their homework. On this episode of “Smashing the Plateau,” Kevin offers salespeople some tips to slow down, stop selling, and just listen.
Topics include…
- Putting yourself inside the head of a customer
- When to listen and when to sell
- The homework all salespeople must do
- Why you should keep your grandmother in mind
- Keeping customers’ emotional pain in mind
With nearly 20 years in telephone sales training in the United Kingdom, Kevin Charlton is the Managing Director at Steer Development.
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