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Could your voice be keeping you from having the leadership impact you desire?   The way leaders convey their message influences how it is received. Our voice is not only a conduit for our words but also a vehicle for conveying authenticity and influence. Vocal awareness and mastery can support executives striving to become influential leaders and communicators. Your voice is central to your identity.   Today on The Enlightened Executive podcast, Arthur Joseph, a renowned classical singer and voice coach, shares profound insights into the power of voice and its impact on communication, using my own voice as an example. Vocal awareness helps leaders convey vision, inspire action, and create an authentic connection with team members and stakeholders.   In this episode, Arthur equips executives with 3 principles for harnessing the power of vocal awareness.   Want to learn how to use your voice to be more influential?   Then don’t miss this enlightening interview.

Music is more than a form of entertainment or artistic expression. It’s a powerful leadership tool and a resource for well-being.   As I share in my own book, leaders who use music strategically boost their mental health and revolutionize their leadership skills. And it’s why I was absolutely thrilled to recently get connected to Barry Goldstein, who joined me today on The Enlightened Executive podcast.    Barry is a musician who has composed and produced music. His bestselling book, The Secret Language of the Heart, has become a “go-to” resource for utilizing music beyond art and entertainment. In addition, Barry has worked with the “Father of Biohacking” Dave Asprey and reached the Billboard Top Ten New Age albums with New York Times Best Selling Authors Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. Daniel Amen, Neale Donald Walsch, and Anita Moorjani. In this episode, Barry shares effective strategies for executives who are eager to incorporate music into their well-being repertoire.    Music not only has the ability to connect people from different cultures and backgrounds, but it can also have a profound impact on our health and well-being.    Want to learn why you should integrate music into your day?    Then don’t miss this enlightening interview.

Could striving to become a perfect leader keep you from becoming an effective leader?   Authenticity is a buzzword commonly cited in leadership circles, but the journey to actually becoming an authentic leader requires more introspection than discussion.    This week, on The Enlightened Executive podcast, our guest Melissa Bernstein discusses self-acceptance and authentic leadership.    Melissa Bernstein is an entrepreneur, creative, and working mother of six. Melissa has spent the last 30 years helping children discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose through open-ended play. In this episode, she shares how to become a more authentic and conscious leader who accepts and embraces the full spectrum of emotions.   Melissa also shares the power of listening to your internal voice, the importance of education in finding self-acceptance, and how to embrace the past while stepping bravely into the future.   Want to learn about self-acceptance and how to become a more authentic leader? Then don’t miss this enlightening interview.

Everyone knows trust is key to business success. But actually building trust? That can feel intangible and impossible.    Creating common ground, fostering collaboration, and establishing alignment build trust and lead to high performance.    This week, on The Enlightened Executive podcast, Sue Dyer joins us to discuss the barriers to trust and how we can practically build trust in our teams. Sue is one of the world’s leading experts on trust and the author of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon best-selling book, “The Trusted Leader: Use the Partnering Approach to Become the Trusted Leader People Want to Follow.”    Sue also shares the key principles of partnering, the importance of prioritizing initiatives, and the connection between trust and fear.    Ready for an informative conversation on how to become a trustworthy leader? Then don’t miss this enlightening interview.

Organizations crush their employees with emails, meetings, decks, reports and paperwork all day long while expecting vitality and meaningful contribution.   White space, or the time in between tasks where you can think, reflect, recuperate, and question, has been crowded out. It is this unscheduled time that allows talent to tap into their creativity, productivity, and ultimately their full potential.    Juliet Funt is a keynote speaker and an evangelist for freeing the potential of companies by unburdening their talent from busy work. For over 20 years Juliet has studied productivity and today she discusses how to reclaim creativity and conquer busyness with teams.   Juliet shares 3 essential strategies for maintaining human vitality in the workplace, despite the challenges facing today’s economy. We also discuss the importance of making the workplace more humane to encourage creativity and vitality, and how data proves that lighter workloads do not sacrifice productivity.   Want to learn how to maintain human vitality in the workplace? Then don’t miss this enlightening interview.

Talent retention is not just a strategy, it's a mindset. It’s a mindset because it requires a shift in the way that organizations approach the management of their employees.   Mike Harbour is a former military veteran turned successful business owner, whose mission is to deliver excellence in leadership and personal development solutions. In this episode of the Enlightened Executive podcast, he shares his insights on how organizations can shift their approach to employee management.   Mike leverages his experiences as a medical service corps officer in the U.S. Army, along with almost 30 years of leadership experience in the healthcare industry, as a leader in hospital operations, leadership training and development, sales, talent management and executive search.   From harnessing employee potential to systematizing development, Mike outlines three essential strategies for keeping top performers engaged and committed to the company's mission. We also discuss the importance of systematizing development to create a culture of learning and development, improve efficiency, align employee development with business goals, and retain top talent.   Want to make sure your top talent isn’t lured away? Then don’t miss this enlightening interview.

We're connected worldwide. At the same time, we're more disconnected than ever. COVID-19 showed us it's possible to work and live in a borderless society.   But in a hybrid or remote work environment, how can we reconnect with our teams and colleagues in a meaningful way?   Joining me today on The Enlightened Executive podcast is Deb Crowe, a heart-centered leader who thrives on helping people become successful and fulfilled. Deb is an executive and business coach with 32+ years of global experience with top Fortune 500.   In this interview, Deb shares her definition of heart-centered leadership, plus, twenty qualities of heart-centered leaders, along with three words you should consider removing from your vocabulary so that you can have more authentic and deeper conversations.   Ready to become a heart-centered leader? Then don’t miss this enlightening episode.

When you listen to a song, the way you connect to it, the emotions it evokes in you, and the way that you interpret the meaning of the song, is an experience that is uniquely yours. One person may listen to a song and find it empowering and motivating. Another person may listen to that same song, and feel like it triggers negative emotions in them or brings them down.   So, have you ever thought about the impact that the music you regularly listen to has on your emotions and on your life? Your current playlist may be in need of a major update.   Some songs might be keeping you stuck in a negative emotions loop, as they reinforce a negative belief that you would like to get rid of. Other songs have the ability to free you from those negative emotions and turbocharge your life in a positive way.   In this week’s Leadership Insights edition of The Enlightened Executive podcast, host Susan Drumm discusses the power of music, and the importance of creating a playlist that can transform your life for the better.

The relationship between a CEO and a COO is akin to that of yin and yang. Each leader uses their unique abilities and interests to help the company grow, all while staying in their own lane.   The key is to find a truly compatible counterpart, build a foundation of trust and honesty, and have confidence in the other person’s ability to get the job done without having to constantly check-in with each other.   Cameron Herold is someone who truly understands this dynamic from having accumulated 25+ years of corporate management experience, built two $100 million companies before the age of 42, and founded the COO Alliance. He has also written several business books, including his new book, The Second in Command.   In this episode of The Enlightened Executive podcast, Cameron shares the DOs and DON'Ts of hiring (and if necessary, firing) a COO, common misconceptions, challenges, and two things COOs can start doing tomorrow to become the leader they're meant to be.   Ready to unleash the power of the COO? Don’t miss this enlightening interview.

Did you know that only about 10% of your happiness comes from outside conditions and circumstances? Which means that 90% of your happiness is within your control, generated internally.   Backed by 1000s of research studies spanning several decades, these percentages make up the happiness formula. This week, on The Enlightened Executive podcast, Robert Mack joins as a guest to discuss the drivers of happiness.   Robert Mack is a positive psychology expert, executive coach, and bestselling author of the book, Happiness from the Inside Out. He is also a TV host and producer for OWN and E!. Rob's work has been endorsed by the likes of Oprah and Vanessa Williams.   In this episode, Mack shares the happiness formula, what causes happiness, what happiness causes, and how to deal with unhappy people in our lives.   Robert also shares how it took a suicide attempt for him to experience true happiness, how to use micro-meditation to clear your mind, and how happiness relates to religion and spirituality.   Ready to make 2023 your happiest year yet? Tune in to this enlightening interview.

Most every business wants to be a beacon of diversity and inclusion. Yet, with the incoming workforce being more diverse than ever, why does this goal seem increasingly hard to achieve?   It appears that with embedded biases, and hesitancies toward being viewed as too direct when asking minorities to speak up, encouraging and amplifying diversity down through the ranks of an organization has become a struggle. So, how do you successfully pass on high-level company values to mid-level managers?   Nima George seems to have discovered the answer. She is the Director of Resources at Google, where she oversees strategic infrastructure planning for computer and network resources and efficiency management for Google ads, commerce, payments, and engineering. However, as one of the DEI leads for the Google Ads department, much of her attention focuses on nurturing her team’s minds and amplifying their diverse voices.   In the latest episode of The Enlightened Executive podcast, Nima shares the importance of creating a workforce and culture that prioritizes inclusion, belonging, and a space for people to thrive. She also discusses the most common challenges that leaders face when building and motivating cognitively diverse teams.   Do you tend to stay within the walls of comfort, when it comes to expanding the diversity on your team? In what ways can you grow beyond it? Build an environment where your team feels that they have the support and space to thrive, and you’ll blow the doors open on what you are all able to accomplish. Don’t miss this enlightening interview.

There comes a time when every leader realizes that they have a “bellyful.” A moment where you see, with absolute clarity, that your current course of action no longer works for you, and you’re ready for drastic and intentional change.   So, when that moment comes, how will you turn things around and discover your path forward?   In the latest episode of The Enlightened Executive podcast, coach, motivational speaker, and author, Laban Ditchburn, shares with us how having the courage to ask for help, illuminated his path toward sobriety and the driving force that continues to make him one of the world’s most positively influential speakers.   Is there an area of your life that you’ve had a bellyful? When was the last time you asked for help? Explore Laban’s journey of radical change and find inspiration for your own transformation.

Leaders usually like to be in control. Every action you take is toward a goal. Every step along the way is often thoughtfully planned. When you cannot see the way forward, you tend to step back and reassess where you veered off the path.   But you may tend to focus too quickly on “the how.” What would happen if you ask “why” instead? What if the core reason behind your goals, is just as important as the goals themselves?   In the latest episode of The Enlightened Executive podcast, angel investor, Brian Andrés Helmick, shares how learning to surrender his expectations and releasing control, led him down an amazing and rewarding road in life. By letting go and assuming that he didn’t always know what was best, Brian started on a path that he had not foreseen: from investing to entrepreneurship, to a spiritual journey, to impact investing.   Listen in and explore how stepping back, loosening the reins, and embracing the concept of letting go, can actually elevate your leadership, and change your life for the better.

It’s often thought that the pillar of a good leader is someone with the ability to put the needs of the team before their own. But neglecting your needs does nothing but hold your team back and limits your effectiveness. By denying the primal needs of your mind, body, and soul, you won’t have the mental, physical, or emotional strength to fulfill the duties you’ve taken on.   You strengthen your skills when you take control of how you operate as a leader, by prioritizing and honoring the needs of your well-being. When you do this, you develop a sound foundation for leadership that allows you to perform at your highest capacity for those around you every day.   When you develop a mindset that understands the importance of your needs and how it affects your team’s ability to succeed, you take steps toward becoming resilient. And being resilient is one of the most important skills leaders can have.   In the latest episode of The Enlightened Executive podcast, we welcome guest Jim Hotaling, former Commander in Chief Master Sergeant of the Air National Guard, with 20+ years in Special Forces, who is currently the head of leadership development and assessment at N2Growth. Jim previously served as an advisor to senior executives within the US Department of Defense, which gave him a unique perspective on leadership and resilience.   Jim practices and teaches leadership from the fundamental belief that to weather the pressures of leadership and maintain the strengths of a leader’s various skills, you must learn to put your needs first. In this episode, Jim demystifies the idea of being selfish while sharing what it takes to build resiliency and a healthy approach to the “never quit” mentality.

The only true power you have isn’t changing others; it’s shifting how you show up as a leader.   That shift starts with music… and updating your soon-to-be old playlist.   Jason Jaggard, founder and CEO of Novus Global, joins me today for the last episode of our special seven-episode series on The Leader’s Playlist. Tune in as we uncover hidden playlists and learn how your trauma can become your triumph.   Music can do more than soothe you; Music has the power to HEAL you.   This isn’t just a metaphor. Music has the proven ability to help make change stick, by priming the neurological landscape to form new neural pathways in a faster, more efficient way.   Eager to learn how? Don’t miss this extra special final episode! It’s the best one yet!

Your energy and the emotional frequency you bring to your role as a leader impacts your work and your team every day. Music also has a frequency, and it has the power to shift our energetic state.   And so, music has the power to make you a better leader, and it starts by creating a new playlist.   Joining me for episode six of our special seven-episode series on The Leader’s Playlist book, is the Remote Selling Rockstar himself, Todd Hartley! As the CEO of WireBuzz and one of Tony Robbins’ Business Mastery faculty speakers, Todd brings a new approach to our discussion on music and how your past is actually running your ability to lead today.   Are you curious about the playlist you currently have running in the background of your mind? Wondering how to change that playlist to drive different results in your life? Then don’t miss this new episode.

There is no denying that music has the power to transform us. We often listen to music that matches our emotional state, but can we also leverage music to alter our state to the level of happiness we seek?   For episode five of our seven-episode series on The Leader’s Playlist, I am thrilled to welcome John Ruhlin, founder of the Ruhlin Group and author of Giftology, to talk about how and why music can heal us, and even make us a more generous leader as well.   Music directly connects with your brain and your memories. It helps us recall and relive particular emotions, connects both sides of our brains, and inspires us to move our bodies. This is why the new playlist we create allows us to shift our actions and our reactions.   Music really does have the power to make you a better leader. Tune into this episode to learn more.

Regardless of how major or minor your wounds and experiences from childhood were, we all went through something that helped shape us into who we are today.   Those experiences shaped neural pathways in your brain that are the reason you act and react the way you do today. Music can help redefine those pathways and train your brain to react in healthier, more thoughtful ways.   Today in our seven-episode series on The Leader’s Playlist, I am excited to have Shep Hyken, NYT best selling author, speaker, and CAO (Chief Amazement Officer) of Shepard Presentations, join me as we navigate how our childhood wounds appear in our leadership and steps we can take to heal ourselves and improve our leadership.   Curious about how music can shift those pathways? Then don’t miss this episode.

What if I told you that the impact you have as a leader is limited by an internal story that replays itself over and over in the background of your life.   That story is a repeating record imprinted with a playlist of songs that you can't hear, but it influences everything you do.   In our seven-episode series on The Leader’s Playlist, I am excited to have Justin Donald, Host and Author of The Lifestyle Investor, as we explore how this playlist could impact someone’s ability to create true “wealth” — a life well lived.   How you view wealth, and what you define as wealth, will be influenced by your early life experiences. We discuss some of the neuroscience behind how music can shift your state of mind, your perception of abundance or scarcity, and how anyone could amplify their impact as a leader simply by redefining their playlists in life, including you.   Curious about how music has the ability to do all that? Then don’t miss this next episode.

Is your team overwhelmed by the pace of change?   Are you feeling a sense of burn out?   Or maybe you feel that you can’t delegate or trust your team to deliver. Or perhaps you are having trouble retaining or engaging your people…   The impact of your current playlist shows up in insidious ways. But there is a way to change that.   In the second episode of our Leader’s Playlist book series, I invited John Rampton, Entrepreneur and Connector who was named #2 on Top 50 Online Influencers in the World by Entrepreneur Magazine, to talk about improving leadership from the top down, how the pandemic has impacted everything and why I wrote this book.   Tune in to uncover the playlist that’s running YOU!