Gapology Radio

Creating a culture of winning is a process, not a destination. It is a continuous, ever-evolving environment intentionally built through dedication and focus. In this episode, we discuss methods from Gapology that you can leverage to define and design that culture in your workplace.

In this episode, we kick off a new series discussing ways to create specific cultural elements through the lens of Gapology and the methods we share. This series starts with a conversation on creating a "Culture of Purpose." "Purpose" is a critical, foundational element for any successful organization, as it emotionally connects people to the overall objective and provides a clear direction for everyone's efforts. 

Creating the career of our dreams requires a firm understanding of our past and, even more importantly, our present. To get to where we want to be, we need to know where we are, and briefly looking into our past for clues of potential obstacles helps us improve and more effectively move forward. The IMBAR Mapping process is the perfect vehicle to do all of this. As we wrap up our short series discussing IMBAR, we outline this simple, yet powerful process. 

Each of us has a story. We are writing a narrative every day that defines our lives. Many of us are not even aware of this fact, and as a result, we trudge through life without any sense of control or purpose, feeling unfulfilled, frustrated, and directionless. In reality, however, we, more than anyone else, have the ability to create the story we desire. In this episode, we discuss the power of creating a Storyboard based on how we currently see ourselves as a process to design the story we desire.

Like it or not, your IMBAR impacts your team. Your Identity, Mindset, and Behaviors create the Actions and Results that the team produces. You can see it. You can feel it every day. And by knowing this, you have a tremendous opportunity to do something really amazing with it. Their IMBAR is a direct reflection of your own IMBAR. Like a mirror in which you come face-to-face with yourself, your team’s Identity, Mindset, and Behaviors are really your own.  So how do you create something amazing? Tune in to find out!

In this Gapology Radio podcast episode, we begin a new series discussing a process of mapping your Identity, Mindset, Behavior, Action, and Results, known by the acronym: IMBAR. We share a brief introduction and history while laying the foundation for this new series, where we will share insights into how you can leverage the power of IMBAR to transform your career, life, and the lives of those you impact… no matter what level of an organization you work in. 

Most organizations today have a “Meeting Culture,” and their teams commonly suffer from “Meeting Fatigue.” Driven by remote work and many other factors, there is no getting around it, and if not managed well, a Meeting Culture can be unproductive and demotivating. Listen to this week’s Gapology Radio podcast episode to learn 5 steps to make meetings more effective through a Gapology lens.

Where have you set your "Bar?" Do you know? The “Bar” in this context is the level of expectation for performance that you are going after. In this episode, we discuss five career-building behaviors that winning leaders can leverage to set themselves apart. 

In this episode, we have an in-depth conversation with Jonas Lee-Brockhoff, an Emerging Leader, to hear about his experience as a newly promoted IT Services and Technology Solutions leader and formerly enlisted United States Marine. Jonas shares common struggles and successes experienced when starting a new role and provides relevant advice to our listeners. 

Too much stress? Often stress in Emerging Leaders and their direct reports is due to a lack of clear process, resulting in chaos. In this week’s podcast episode, we discuss leveraging a clear Leadership Rhythm to establish predictable behaviors that your team, and you, can count on.  Also, read our full blog on this topic here: https://www.gapology.org/post/reduce-stress-with-leadership-rhythm-an-emerging-leaders-episode

Personal and professional growth sits at the heart of winning leadership. Just as the Knowledge Gap is the first Performance Gap we must identify and close when we miss achieving our objectives, self-development must be the first thing we go after when attempting to improve our performance. Listen to Mark and Brian discuss self-development as they continue their series on Emerging Leaders.

Accountability is a tricky thing to get right. Come on too strong, and you risk alienating the team and breaking apart any positive culture you try to create. Come on too weak, and you put developing respect and confidence at risk. Emerging leaders struggle here. Actually, many experienced leaders do as well. This week, Mark and Brian discuss this incredibly important subject.

In this episode, Mark and Brian continue their series for Emerging Leaders with a discussion on how to set clear expectations effectively. Often new leaders struggle here, resulting in an overly commanding or weak style that creates teams that are uninspired, confused, and non-committed. Our tips provide a simple, action-oriented method to quickly up your expectations game! Also, read our full blog on this topic: https://www.gapology.org/post/expectations-emerging-leaders-series

In this week’s Gapology Radio podcast, we discuss how “Emerging Leaders”, today’s young or inexperienced leaders, can leverage a set of behaviors we call “EDGE” to make their impactful mark on their team, organization, and career as a whole. 

In this episode we discuss the importance of defining true Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that really matter to your most important objectives and then building a strategy to deliver them developed from the behaviors exhibited by your top performers.  Read the full blog on this topic here: www.gapology.org/blog

In this episode, we share our experiences developing and delivering short, impactful lessons that create action with teams. We call these "Teachable Points of View," and they are intended to be delivered in short, bite-sized sessions of around 15 minutes when the situation arises where teams need your teaching, coaching, or inspiration. We recommend developing your own or using some of ours from our book, "Gapology," and keeping them close at hand for when the time is right to show your leadership! Read our full blog on this topic: https://www.gapology.org/post/teachable-points-of-view-to-create-action    

We are proud to share that our very own Gapologist, Mark Thienes is now a fiction author. His new novel, "Unraveled: The DNA Kill Switch," is available on Amazon, and this is the first interview where Mark shares a little history of this new venture. As we head into a little break, listen in as we discuss his new book! Pick up your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Unraveled-Switch-Mark-Henry-Thienes/dp/1639884556/ref=sr_1_2?crid=9CDHEWP7YGHE&keywords=unraveled&qid=1660502143&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sprefix=unraveled%2Caps%2C148&sr=1-2  

As individual contributors, it is often “hit or miss” when receiving individualized training and a focused effort to develop skills by your leader. So what do you do as that dedicated, hard-working individual who wants to succeed? The methods laid out in Gapology point the way. In this episode, we discuss these principles.  Read the full blog here: https://www.gapology.org/post/becoming-a-leader-with-knowledge-importance-and-action

Our focus determines our behaviors. This much is clear. What determines our focus? In this week’s podcast, we continue our series to help individual contributors by discussing leveraging your identity and the IMBAR pathway to define the plans that will set you up for success in meeting your most important goals and achieving your purpose. *Read our full blog on this topic here: https://www.gapology.org/post/becoming-a-leader-with-identity

Mark and Brian begin their series developed for individual contributors on "Becoming a Leader" by focusing on leveraging the tactics from their book, "Speed of Purpose." In this episode, they discuss putting purpose first and wrapping all behaviors around it to set yourself up for success when the opportunity for advancement comes around.  *Read our full blog on this topic here: https://www.gapology.org/post/becoming-a-leader-with-speed-of-purpose