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The Top 10 Episodes of Game Changers with Molly Fletcher for 2018

Thanks to our guests and listeners for another great year of the Game Changers with Molly Fletcher podcast! I started the podcast two years ago to take our listeners behind the scenes with peak performers to learn what drives and inspires them and to apply their lessons to our own lives. Every conversation is another journey and I learn so much doing the show.

Here’s a look at our most popular podcasts from 2018:

Dabo Swinney on Leading from the Heart

With his infectious energy and unbridled enthusiasm, my conversation with Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney was our most downloaded episode of the year. On this episode, Dabo shares his inside-out approach to leadership, the defining moments in his own journey, and how he’s built a team culture rooted in love, discipline and service.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Geno Auriemma on Winning (And Winning Some More)

Patrick Lencioni on The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Leadership expert Patrick Lencioni is the author of 11 books that have sold over 5 million copies. On this episode, Patrick talks about the five dysfunctions that inhibit teams from reaching their potential.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Daniel Pink on the Science of Perfect Timing

Ryan Holiday on How to Turn Obstacles Into Advantages

Ryan Holiday is a marketing expert turned bestselling author who made a name for himself as the director of marketing for American Apparel, and has gone on to work with clients like Google, Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss. On this episode, Ryan shows us how to turn even the most insurmountable obstacles into advantages.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Josh Medcalf on How to Fall in Love With the Process of Becoming Great

Daniel Coyle on The Secrets of Highly Successful Teams

Bestselling author Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations to examine how great cultures are built and sustained in his latest book, The Culture Code. On this episode, we talk about the three skills that generate collaborative cultures and learn how leaders can use these tools to build strong cultures inside their own organizations.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Dan Heath on How to Create Powerful Moments for our Customers and Employees

Herm Edwards on You Play to Win the Game

Arizona State University football coach Herm Edwards has experienced every facet of the game as a player, ESPN analyst, and coach. On this episode, we talk about the difference between people who are interested and those who are committed, what it means to lead with integrity, and why success is sometimes harder to handle than failure.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Dawn Staley on Building a Championship Culture

Emily Giffin on Living the Life You Want

Dubbed a “modern-day Jane Austen,” by Vanity Fair, author Emily Giffin has touched the hearts of millions of readers with her bestselling novels. On this episode, we talk about the creative process and how Emily found the courage to leave her job at a prestigious New York law firm to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Bob Goff on the Tranformative Power of Love

Juliet Funt on Reclaiming White Space at Work

Juliet Funt is the CEO of WhiteSpace at Work, a training and consulting firm that helps organizations, their leaders and employees reclaim their creativity, productivity and engagement. On this episode, she talks about the big difference between activity and productivity, the four thieves of productivity, and the huge cost of our culture of busyness at work.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Greg McKeown on How To Think Like An Essentialist

Ron Clark on Motivating Teams to Effect Change

Ron Clark is more than just an educator. He has been featured on Oprah and the Today Show, and his school, the Ron Clark Academy (RCA) in Atlanta, is known around the world for its innovative teaching methods. On this episode, we talk about how to motivate your team, embracing a fearless mindset, and how to lead with love, passion, and high expectations.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Chris Baréz-Brown on Unleashing Your Creative Potential

Seth Godin on The 3 Questions Every Marketer Should Ask

Seth Godin is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, brilliant marketer and speaker who’s known for “making a ruckus.” On this episode, we talk about building a tribe, how to earn trust, and the three questions every marketer should ask.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Donald Miller on How to Use Story to Clarify Your Brand’s Message

Patty McCord on How Netflix Built A Culture of Freedom and Responsibility

As the chief talent officer of Netflix, Patty McCord helped create the company’s famous “culture deck”—a 124-page document that went viral and has been shared over 20 million times. On this episode, we talk about the biggest mistakes HR leaders make, the truth about what motivates employees, and how to practice radical honesty in the workplace.

Like this? Then you’ll also like: Suzy Welch on the 10-10-10 Rule for Making Decisions

If you enjoy listening to the podcast, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. And please leave a rating or review to help others find the show!

Stay tuned for new episodes coming soon with guests like Shark Tank’s Daymond John, endurance swimmer Diana Nyad, and America’s Got Talent Jon Dorenbos. Have a suggestion for a guest you’d love to see featured? Email me at molly@mollyfletcher.com.

 

The Molly Fletcher Company inspires leaders, teams and organizations to kick-start growth. A   keynote speaker  and   author,  Molly draws on her decades of experiences working as a sports agent. Her company’s   Game Changer Negotiation Training  workshops teach business people the framework for successful negotiating, so that you can close more deals while building stronger relationships. Sign up   here  to receive our weekly newsletter and subscribe to the   Game Changers with Molly Fletcher  podcast on iTunes.  

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Dabo Swinney’s Approach to Goal Setting

For the fourth straight year, Clemson University has made it to the College Football Playoffs. Led be Coach Dabo Swinney, the Tigers will face Notre Dame on December 29 to try to make it back to the championship game. I was fortunate to talk to Coach Swinney a few months ago when I interviewed him for my podcast, and we talked about his approach to goal setting for his athletes. In this one-minute clip, Coach Swinney shares that setting goals is great, but that’s not what really matters. Listen in to find out what he believes matters most when it comes to goal setting.

And for the full podcast episode, click here.

https://media.sparemin.com/embed-video/videos/1a/2c/13/ec/1a2c13ec-c5d6-4bbc-8133-c625fc26f14b_202782.mp4

The post Dabo Swinney’s Approach to Goal Setting appeared first on Molly Fletcher.

4 Ways to Recruit and Hire Like A GM

In my recent conversations with leaders, the topic of hiring top talent has come up consistently as a challenge. I keep hearing, “Recruiting great talent is getting harder and harder.” It’s clearly a pain point that executives are navigating.

So how can we recruit and hire great talent in this type of competitive environment?

What if we started approaching it like a general manager (GM) of a sports team?

In the past, hiring was straightforward. We had a job to fill, we posted a job description, reviewed resumes, received applicants and then hired someone. But the old model is just that – old.

What if instead we recruited talent like a sports team would recruit a top-tier free agent? Here are 4 ways to hire like a GM:

Prepare. The best GMs go beyond the scouting reports and statistics to get into the athlete’s head and heart. They talk to almost anyone who can give them some insight into the athlete- their skill set, mindset, personality, reputation and goals. This mindset is transferable to hiring in the business world. Who are your candidates? What matters most to them? What doesn’t matter? What does success look like for them? What do they value? Is it the opportunity for growth? A new challenge? Meaningful work? The best recruiters, in or out of sports, take time to prepare and go deeper than their competition.

Engage. Act like they’re part of your team before they are on the team. Show them what your culture is like. Take them behind the curtain so they can see it, feel it, and hopefully want more of it.

Engage More. I never signed a player with one meeting. Ever. And the better the athlete, the longer the process and more work it took to get them. It’s the same in the business world. After the first meeting or conversation, that’s when magic can happen. What did you hear when you were together that you can follow up on? These are the things that send a message that this relationship really matters to you. What is your team doing to send this message? Your actions express your priorities.

Repeat. Most importantly, continue to engage with them in the same way when they are on your team.  Live up to your promises so that they will be your greatest ambassador as you continue to build your team.

Your Game Changer Takeaway

Next time you’re faced with an open position, put on your GM hat. Find the right person who is not just going to help you win more, but help you build a winning culture that lasts.

 

The Molly Fletcher Company inspires leaders, teams and organizations to kick-start growth. A  keynote speaker  and  author,  Molly draws on her decades of experiences working as a sports agent. Her company’s  Game Changer Negotiation Training  workshops teach business people the framework for successful negotiating, so that you can close more deals while building stronger relationships. Sign up  here  to receive our weekly newsletter and subscribe to the  Game Changers with Molly Fletcher  podcast on iTunes.  

The post 4 Ways to Recruit and Hire Like A GM appeared first on Molly Fletcher.

Donald Miller Explains Why Clarity is the New Creativity

If you want your customers to listen to you, listen to this. New York Times best selling author and StoryBrand CEO Donald Miller, explains why clarity is the new creativity. At StoryBrand, they believe that if you can communicate really clearly on why you’ll make customers lives better — and do so in under five seconds — then you’ll be remembered in the marketplace. In this clip from my podcast interview with him, he explains why it’s crucial your customers know you solve a problem.

For the full podcast episode, click here.

https://media.sparemin.com/embed-video/videos/ad/41/d2/b0/ad41d2b0-5a44-4196-89e1-950d71703d6f_139491.mp4

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8 Podcasts to Help You Grow As A Leader

Whether I am walking the dog, sitting in car pool line or waiting for a plane to take off, I grab nuggets from podcasts all day.  Here are my top 8 leadership podcasts that I have in my library that I thought you might enjoy, too.

Boss Files with Poppy Harlow: Conversations about business, leadership and innovation– Imagine you get to pull up a chair and have a conversation with some of the biggest names in business. In Boss Files , CNN’s Poppy Harlow goes beyond the headlines with leaders like Howard Schultz of Starbucks, Sara Blakely of SPANX, Kevin Plank of Under Armour and Melinda Gates. I love how intimate her interviews are; it’s like you’re really just listening in on their conversation.
EntreLeadership– Hosted by Ken Coleman, EntreLeadership helps business owners become better business leaders and is filled with practical tips you can use right away. I’ve been a fan of the show long before I came on as a guest. Some of my favorite episodes have featured Adam Grant, Marcus Buckingham and Rachel Hollis.
How I Built This– NPR has one of the most popular podcasts on the list. If you haven’t discovered it already, subscribe now!  Host Guy Raz gives us the fascinating inside scoop on how some of the world’s best-known companies – from AOL to Zumba – were built with his thought-provoking questions.
The Leadercast Podcast– Leadercast is known for its world-class leadership events and their new podcast promises to deliver compelling leadership content on topics like time management, recruiting talent, and goal setting.
The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk– Ryan’s message is clear: Leaders are learners. With that mindset, he’s curated an amazing list of guests like Simon Sinek, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Carol Dweck (and I was even fortunate to be a guest!). Ryan encourages his guests to share personal stories of successes, failures, and lessons learned so that we can all learn from them on our own journeys.
The School of Greatness– Former professional football player Lewis Howes’s podcast has a whopping 673 episodes – and counting. I love the goal of his podcast: to share inspiring stories from the most brilliant business minds, world class athletes and influential celebrities to help you find out what makes great people great. Think interviews with everyone from Brené Brown to Daymond John and Novak Djokovic.
Skimm’d from The Couch– From the creators of the popular daily newsletter targeted to female Millennials, theSkimm has expanded its offerings with this podcast. It’s awesome that they stay true to their audience and invite powerful female leaders on the show to get a real, “no BS” look at what it’s really like on the road to success. Recent guests include Arianna Huffington, Melanie Whelan of SoulCycle, and Katrina Lake of Stitch Fix.
The Tim Ferriss Show– Tim Ferriss is considered the “Oprah” of podcasts and his shows are always a great listen. His episodes can be lengthy, but I always enjoy how in depth he gets with the guests and they are perfect for a long commute. I’m in awe of the way he crafts questions to pull authentic answers from all of his guests— like Tony Robbins, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Malcolm Gladwell.

 

The Molly Fletcher Company inspires leaders, teams and organizations to kick-start growth. A  keynote speaker  and  author,  Molly draws on her decades of experiences working as a sports agent. Her company’s  Game Changer Negotiation Training  workshops teach business people the framework for successful negotiating, so that you can close more deals while building stronger relationships. Sign up  here  to receive our weekly newsletter and subscribe to the  Game Changers with Molly Fletcher  podcast on iTunes.  

The post 8 Podcasts to Help You Grow As A Leader appeared first on Molly Fletcher.

The Next Time You Receive Tough Feedback, Do This One Thing

Receiving negative feedback can be tough, but there is a right way to respond. So often our gut reaction to criticism is to get defensive and immediately discredit the source and the feedback itself. And it’s in those moments that we instead need to trade defensiveness for curiosity.We can’t have a productive conversation with someone if we are defensive. Defensiveness is the outward sign of inward insecurity.

A Lesson From Athletes

As a sports agent for 20 years and a former competitive athlete myself, I’ve seen that athletes might have an advantage when it comes to receiving tough feedbackbecause they are used to getting critiqued. In sports, it’s common practice- win or lose- to break down the film and seek feedback on areas where you can improve. It’s understand that the feedback is a way towards growth, not a personal criticism. We need to apply that athlete mindset to the workplace, and embrace feedback.

Do This One Thing Next Time

In the business world, we’re not as comfortable with receiving negative criticism because it’s not engrained in the culture like it is in sports. But in my podcast interview with Kat Cole, she had a great tip that she picked up from a restaurant franchisor early on in her career. Her company was opening a new restaurant in Argentina, and amidst the challenges, they were receiving a lot of negative feedback. The franchisor gave Kat some advice that she still embraces to this day: “When someone criticizes you, your first reaction should be to assume that it is accurate.”  That may seem counterintuitive, but the point is, if you do this, you get to the “why” faster. It’s a far more mature way to respond and lets you dig in to what’s behind the criticism.

Your Game Changer Takeaway

The next time you receive negative feedback, assume that the person talking to you is right. Usually there is some truth to be found in feedback, but we have to be receptive to seeking it. Be sure to stay open in both your verbal andnon-verbal communications, because tone and body language speak volumes. Embrace the why that’s at the root of the feedback and find out as much data as you can. From there, determine if the feedback is right. If it is, change your behaviors. If it’s not, then own that decision. We all know that tough feedback is imperative for growth. How you respond to tough feedback – and what you do with that information – is just as important.

 

The Molly Fletcher Company inspires leaders, teams and organizations to kick-start growth. A  keynote speaker  and  author,  Molly draws on her decades of experiences working as a sports agent. Her company’s  Game Changer Negotiation Training  workshops teach business people the framework for successful negotiating, so that you can close more deals while building stronger relationships. Sign up  here  to receive our weekly newsletter and subscribe to the  Game Changers with Molly Fletcher  podcast on iTunes.  

The post The Next Time You Receive Tough Feedback, Do This One Thing appeared first on Molly Fletcher.

How to Apply Navy SEAL Principles to Everyday Leadership

Commander Rorke Denver has run every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and has led special-forces missions all over the world, including the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. In this two minute clip from when he joined me as a guest on my podcast, he explains how to apply some of the Navy SEAL principles he has learned to everyday leadership. He also explains why it’s so important to put yourself in uncomfortable situations and learn that “you can do hard things.” Click the link below to listen in.

For the entire episode on Leadership Lessons from a Navy SEAL, click here.

https://media.sparemin.com/embed-video/videos/46/99/d8/81/4699d881-f905-4765-b058-3f89177c96c6_75062.mp4

The post How to Apply Navy SEAL Principles to Everyday Leadership appeared first on Molly Fletcher.

My 2018 Summer Reading List

The top business leaders are fueled by curiosity, and one way they satisfy this curiosity is through reading. Summer is a great time to catch up on reading, whether you’re relaxing at the beach, passing time on an airplane, or taking advantage of a slower pace while your colleagues are on vacation. The written word- no matter if it’s print or digital- sharpens your intellect, clarifies your purpose, and keeps you inspired. Here are some great reads I’m enjoying this summer, and you might too!

Carpe Diem: Seizing the Day in a Distracted World by Roman Krznaric – “Seize the Day” is a common expression, but few people actually practice the sentiment in their lives. In this book, Krznaric discusses why carpe diem is more essential than ever in this age of distraction. He also tackles the moral dimension to carpe diem. Yes, you want to live intentionally and seize opportunities, but you can’t let that impose burden or suffering on others. This enlightening read offers tips on how to improve your life – and possibly the world – through more meaningful interactions
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio – Dalio urges us to think deeply about what we want and determine our authentic principles, which are the “fundamental truths and behaviors” that we use to guide each step of our lives and career. As a big believer in having a personal mission statement, this book resonated with me. You might disagree with him in places, but Dalio offers his life lessons to help you form your own principles and live deliberately.
Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker – A friend of mine recommended this book to me and I am so glad she did! Jen Hatmaker’s authentic, down-to-earth and hilarious writing will keep you entertained. Hatmaker wrote this book for the woman who has lost her moxie. So expect both embarrassing and heartwarming stories that remind readers that we’re all human, and regardless of where we are in life, we can get up, get out and get living.
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday – This book drew a lot of attention after it was revealed that the New England Patriots read it prior to winning the 2014 Super Bowl. The book draws its inspiration from stoicism, the ancient Greek philosophy of enduring pain or adversity with perseverance and resilience – and it just so happens that many famous athletes are stoics (even if they don’t know it). If you’re stuck in a rut or feeling frustrated in life or work, this book teaches you how to turn your obstacles into your biggest advantages.  
Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards – A human behavioral scientist, Vanessa Van Edwards provides a completely new approach to building connections, backed by science. Socially awkward? Always wonder what people are thinking? This book will help you work the room, decode facial expressions and talk to anyone.

 

The Molly Fletcher Company inspires leaders, teams and organizations to kick-start growth. A  keynote speaker  and  author,  Molly draws on her decades of experiences working as a sports agent. Her company’s  Game Changer Negotiation Training  workshops teach business people the framework for successful negotiating, so that you can close more deals while building stronger relationships. Sign up  here  to receive our weekly newsletter and subscribe to the  Game Changers with Molly Fletcher  podcast on iTunes.  

The post My 2018 Summer Reading List appeared first on Molly Fletcher.

Ginger Hardage on Why to Hire Tough so You Can Manage Easy

Want to empower employees and improve your company culture? Former SVP of Culture & Communications for Southwest Airlines, Ginger Hardage spent 25 years championing the values at the heart of Southwest’s legendary culture. She was a guest on my podcast recently and, in this clip, she it’s important to hire tough to manage easy.

https://media.sparemin.com/embed-video/videos/b9/cf/af/26/b9cfaf26-8e64-439b-9bd0-210e027cbf03_66638.mp4

To hear more about the core values behind “The Southwest Way,” listen to the full episode here.

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Sneak Peek at Game Changer Negotiation Training Workbooks

Here’s a sneak peek at our Game Changer Negotiation Training Workbooks that we recently shipped out! In this 30 second video, I quickly highlight the five modules and some of our proprietary training techniques we offer in the workshops. Check out gamechanger360.com for more details!

The Molly Fletcher Company inspires leaders, teams and organizations to kick-start growth. A keynote speaker and author, Molly draws on her decades of experiences working as a sports agent. Her company’s Game Changer Negotiation Training workshops teach business people the framework for successful negotiating, so that you can close more deals while building stronger relationships. Sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter and subscribe to the Game Changers with Molly Fletcher podcast on iTunes.   

The post Sneak Peek at Game Changer Negotiation Training Workbooks appeared first on Molly Fletcher.