Thought Talk

Bant Breen is the Founder and Executive Chairman for Qnary, an award-winning executive reputation management and talent branding company. As more people appear online, it’s become clear that their name searches need to be cleaned up and more professional. Qnary’s company grew dramatically during the pandemic because your online presence matters more than ever, and executives understand this.   In this episode, Bant talks about what executives should be thinking about when it comes to their online reputation, how to best reduce “bad” instances in your online presence, and why how you show up online really does matter more than you might think.   Tips on improving your online presence   Do an analysis on how you show up today in the search results. Are you happy with the results? Executives might not think it matters. It does. Future recruits are looking you up! How do you want future employees to see you? Reporters want to cite you as a source, but you need a strong and respectable presence to do that. Do y

Patrick Llewellyn is the CEO of 99designs, the world’s largest graphic design marketplace. Patrick joined the company in 2009 and the team has since grown to over 100+ staff members and has paid out more than $220 million to creators and creatives. In this episode of Thought Talk, Patrick talks about the freelance and gig economy, and where this booming global trend is headed in the upcoming years.   Creativity in its purest form is best represented when people are supporting each other. As the gig economy continues to grow, Patrick discusses some of the benefits a company like 99designs brings to communities all across the world and how designers and creatives are able to make a living on their own terms.   Tips on making the gig economy for you   A platform like 99Designs reaches communities far and wide and it has given people new opportunities that they otherwise wouldn’t have had in their small town. People with disabilities have also found a new purpose. There’s been a surge in design requests from th

Today’s guest is Peter Winick, the Founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage and the podcast host of Leveraging Thought Leadership. In this episode of Thought Talk, Peter talks about, you guessed it, thought leadership! Since it’s easy to have an opinion on social media, it’s so hard to get something good and worthy of substance in today’s fast-paced world. Intentional thought leadership changes that.   Thought leadership is a hot topic right now, but it can get a little cloudy on what it really is. Peter shares examples of what thought leadership is, what it is not, and how you can get the most out of it through authentic connections and putting your stake in the ground.   Tips on making thought leadership work for you   Thought leadership means you have the courage to say something meaningful, profound, and different from the norm. You know you’re doing something right when 20% of the population disagrees with you. A classic mistake thought leaders make — They don’t have a strategy. Thought leadershi

As I head into my 79th episode of the Thought Talk podcast, I’ve decided to take a break, step back, and do a bit of reworking.  The Thought Talk podcast will be back by the end of March and better than ever.      So for this episode I wanted to share with you four tips I learned decades ago that can help you ensure that your brand stays crazy ahead of your competition.  In all honesty, they are so simple, it’s easy to toss them off. But don’t - they can truly transform your career and business.    These four simple things almost certainly ensure your personal, CEO, business, or executive brand will be successful. Tune in today and see you again at the end of March.    4 ways how you show up that matter most    #1. Show up — whether it be on social media, a webinar, a conference, or even just being where you say you will- showing up makes the difference between your brand shining or you being forgotten.   #2. Show up on-time — whether it means getting on a webinar when it starts, delivering something when

Today’s guest, Lynette Sheppard is also known as the iPhone Diva. Lynette joins the show from the highly photographic island of Molokai in Hawaii to give us some insight on how we can best use our phones to practice creativity through photography.    Lynette Sheppard has taught iPhoneography throughout Europe, Canada, and the United-States. She is known for her out-of-the-box imaginative uses of taking photographs and making images with an iPhone.    When you take a photograph, is the app doing all the work? Does it still count as art? Our discussion covers what makes art, how art can help you know yourself better, and some of the best apps for making great images with your phone.      Tips for better photos   Taking a better picture with your phone: Train your eye, look at tons of pictures to find out what you like Use the native camera: on the iPhone it’s great; take tons of pictures Learn about composition What’s in the frame When do you push the button Editing — use the right tools   Managing y

Today’s guest is Theresa Souers, managing broker at Corcoran Global Living, and has been in the real estate business for the past 25 years. We discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the broader real estate market and the implications for buyers, sellers, and investors alike.   From the déjà vus of the dotcom boom to the advantages of working with your partner and family, we cover a lot of ground. Make sure to take notes as Theresa shares her impressions on this seller’s market, the trends that are here to stay, as well as the things we can expect to see coming back. She also shares a treasure trove of tips for investing right and buying right. Tips on making sure buying or selling is for you   Prioritize — sit with your family and make sure everyone’s needs are met; do you need organized activities (sports, dance, music); what about education?   Test — visit the communities that interest you and stay there a while; you can find out if they will address your priority needs.   Don’t get caught up in the frenz

Overcoming Multitasking Madness for a More Efficient Workflow   Karen’s latest book, No Nonsense: Time Management: 50 Tips to Hack Your Time and Get Everything Done is now available for order on Amazon. Today, Karen tackles one of the topics addressed in the book, a problem all of us face: multitasking madness.   Studies have found that when people switch back and forth between tasks, they experience substantial losses in efficiency and accuracy — in some cases as much as 50%. In today’s non-stop tech world overcoming multitasking is a critical part of learning to work from home efficiently.   Tips   Turn off your tech — the frequent bells and whistles coming from your devices can easily lead you to stray from the job at hand- stop it before it even starts. Try airline mode or even software that prevents access for a certain period of time.   Create task times — set aside specific time windows to do one task, or one type of task- i.e. your phone calls, your emails, etc.   Make the most of mornings — spe

On my most recent Peloton bike ride, the gentleman leading the session said something that I found applies to so many aspects of our professional lives: “Less excuses, more adjustments.” In today's short episode, I will share five ways for you to fine-tune your business goals by doing just that. Oftentimes when we work on our time management, personal brands, marketing plan, or business development we throw up our hands and give up when things don't go as planned. Today’s podcast is all about making small adjustments in your business goals as you go along so that you don’t feel the need to tackle everything all at once or get it perfect the first time out.  Fine-tuning tips toward achieving your business goals One small thing at a time — when something isn’t working, don’t try to fix everything at once: try changing just one element as a starting point in achieving your business goal.  Brick by brick — you’re not building the whole wall at once, you’re making a brick: every small action you take towards your

Even as we sit on the verge of bringing an end to COVID-19 with the new vaccines, the trend towards a decentralized workforce seems likely to be an integral part of the new normal. With that in mind, in this episode I talk about going beyond team building to team branding.    Team branding is essentially about defining a given team’s brand and then translating that brand into a strategy, a code of conduct, and a series of actions. If you do it right, it can have a powerful impact on a team’s alignment, effectiveness, and engagement.    Pre-COVID I always did team branding work in person - usually on off-sites.  However, I’ve found a variety of interactive ways to get a group engaged on video conferencing.  Do you need a team brand?   Does your team need a deeper alignment or commitment to their current project or overall strategic direction?   Does your team want a closer relationship with their team members and a clearly defined code of conduct? This is especially important if you’ve found that working

Today I am talking about a great principle you should be applying to your business for the coming year. I’ve been using the 80/20 rule for years and regularly suggest it to my clients, and although most of you may already know of the 80/20 rule, very few know where it comes from and how broadly it applies.   In 1897, an Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto identified that 80% of the wealth was owned by 20% of the population. This may seem too broad, but listen in for a breakdown and actionable tips on how this rule applies to different aspects of your business and how you can put it to use for the new year.   All of the 80/20 rules are mentioned in Karen’s book.   Tips   80% of your goals are driven by 20% of your tasks — identity which items on your to-do will take you closest to those goals.   20% of your efforts produce 80% of your results — learning which of your labors make the most effective use of your time is important.   80% of the value you receive from your business reading comes from 20% of th

I recently renewed my long time passion for horseback riding and met today’s guest — Barbra Schulte — at the C Lazy U dude ranch in Granby, Colorado where she was teaching peak performance on and off a horse.  Barbra is a Professional Cutting Horse Trainer, personal peak performance coach, and Equine Consultant. She is a Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductee and, this January, Barbra will be awarded the prestigious Women of the West Award given by Western Horseman Magazine. Barbra joins me on the podcast to discuss how she became interested in optimal human performance and to share some of her tips on finding your path to peak performance.  Listen in to learn the connection between positive and negative emotions and their impact on performance and to gain some serious tips on how to move past your hurdles and get yourself to your highest peak performance level.   The 3 biggest hurdles to peak performance and how to move past them   Blame — even self-blame — is a way to trick your mind into taking the pressure off of

A lot of us are still spending quite a bit of time on Zoom and other video conferencing platforms— a trend that does not look like it will go away any time soon. As a virtual facilitator and webinar leader I’ve found several things that help foster audience engagement so that participants are attentive and interactive while on video conferences.  In today's podcast, I’ll share some tips and tools you can use to immediately start engaging your audience more interactively on video conferencing. While we all know that the foundation of a great video conference or webinar is content, other things such as keeping all channels open and getting audience feedback make the difference.  Tips   Keep all communication channels open — different people like to work on different platforms, and building flexibility into your communication channels will enable this for them and ensure optimal attendance and participation.   Keep your audience engaged — keeping people’s attention for long periods on video isn’t easy, but

Today on Thought Talk, I welcome Mark Herschberg, author of The Career Toolkit: Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You. Mark has spent his career identifying and studying the skill gap that exists for what he calls firm skills, including networking, negotiating, communicating, leading, and career planning. We tend to think of many of these as situational skills, but Herschberg says they are really life skills — none of which are formally taught in school.     Join me for an interesting discussion on how leveling up your firm skills can lead to higher ROI than you ever expected and how a little bit of training goes a long way to creating a killer career.     Getting Your Skills Up to Par   Networking is about building relationships and not just exchanging business cards.    Negotiation is all around us everyday — not just with vendors and employees.    Leadership isn’t just a title — it’s about influencing others, having a vision, and convincing others to go along. You can lead from whatever

Video content has exploded in recent years and shows no signs of slowing down as a major marketing medium. But making watchable, engaging videos that are on-brand requires training and practice.    I’m pleased to be joined today by Michael Dutcher, CEO and co-founder of bspoketv — a streaming TV channel that creates 30-minute episodes from proven YouTube influencer content.    With Michael’s help, we’ll explore watchability. What it is, why it’s important, and how to increase it on your own videos. We’ll also discuss why you need outside eyes to give you feedback on your videos, how to stay consistent in your video brand, and which platforms will best suit your video needs.   Video can be daunting in the beginning, but Dutcher believes that you don’t need to be newscaster-perfect and that no one is great right out of the box.    Tips to produce better videos   Consistency is key — create a recognizable style and keep it. Publish at the same time every time, even if you only make videos at two-week or one mon

On today’s Thought Talk, I speak with my good friend Dewitt Jones about the power of virtual presentations.  Jones is an international Keynote speaker, former National Geographic photographer, and the founder of Celebrate What’s Right With the World.    Dewitt went from speaking at dozens of in-person events with thousands of attendees pre-COVID to pivoting  to virtual keynotes. He is currently gearing up for his first 130,000 person talk.   We will discuss the keys to a great virtual presentation, what type of backgrounds work (and don’t), how to address the camera in a way that feels like you are speaking to an audience, and how best to keep your audience’s attention.      Tips for a better virtual presentation:    Mind your space — there is such a thing as too far and too close on the camera. Find your ideal space for connection.   The camera picks up on the smallest facial expressions so it’s critical to train and practice your presentation.    Keep your talking portion below 30 minutes and add visua

Dr. Ellen Reed is the co-author of Relentless Solution Focus; she’s worked side-by-side with Dr. Jason Selk for 15 years and has extensive experience in mental training for consistency, accountability, and execution in business, athletics, academics, and the performing arts.   She joins the show today for an in-depth discussion on achievement and how to stay consistent. We touch on how heart rate affects performance and how our brains are wired for seeing problems (problem-centric thought), and share tips on how to cultivate mental toughness, which is abnormal. Tips   Interrupt problem-centric thought patterns with the 60-second technique — give yourself 60 seconds before moving on from a problem to a potential solution (use the RSF tool described below).   Use the Relentless Solution Focus (RSF) tool — a ‘living’ question to ask yourself in the face of any problem: what is one thing I can do that could help make this better?   Build mental toughness — follow the three-step process:   Recognize when

On this episode of Thought Talk I am joined by Helen Lee Bouygues the Founder of the Reboot Foundation an organization that funds and publishes research on improving critical thinking.   Helen is joining us from Paris where she lives for a conversation on the importance of critical thinking in a world where search algorithms and social media are designed to feed us more of the same of what we already believe to be true.    Tune in for a fascinating discussion on why critical thinking has become one of the top three traits employers look for as well as how you can practice and hone this important tool for success and how scenario planning can and will make you a better leader for the future.   Tips to improve your critical thinking Overcoming online misinformation — these are tips to make sure your information and opinions are well-researched: Keep your sources varied, combat the algorithms. Triangulate your information by finding it at multiple sources. Verify who the authors are and what institution the i

“I have a big social media following but it does not seem to be translating into new customers/clients.”  I hear this comment all the time from potential clients who call me up wondering how to make their social media a more effective business development tool.    The first step in gaining a greater conversion from your social media is understanding that social media is just one out of a necessary six to eight touchpoints to convert a potential customer, and so expecting social media alone to close a client is not reliable.   To increase the chances of you converting someone who likes your social media into a paying customer or client, there are four things you need to ensure are happening as part of your sales funnel: Tips on improving your conversion rate   Have a direct call to action — put up a direct link in the social post that leads to a dedicated landing page, white page, or download (special offers, promo codes and limited time offers work well).   Show, don’t tell, your trustworthiness — too ma

Today I want to talk about something that universally impacts our productivity: self-interruption.  If you work in an office, it’s obvious that other people are sources of interruption. While those may be less of a productivity problem when working from home – kids, friends, partners, and even pets can easily provide sources of distraction – interruptions by others are only a part of the story. A great deal of the interruptions we experience are self-interruptions.  Here are a few of the most common ways this happens.  You are working on a project and suddenly remember an item to add to your to-do list. You stop what you are doing to write it down - or worse, you stop to do it.  An idea pops into your head and you start exploring it on the Internet - stop what you were doing and shift your attention to the thoughts circling your brain.  You get a ping on your social media and go down the rabbit hole of reading recent posts - an immediate productivity killer.  According to one study, 40% of the time when we’

I lead a webinar called How to Look Better, Feel More Comfortable and Be More Productive When Video Conferencing and something that’s brought up by a lot of executives, salespeople, and entrepreneurs I’m talking to is Zoom fatigue.   Today I want to talk about why and how Zoom fatigue happens as well as five easy ways to nip it in the bud. 5 Tips to avoid video call fatigue   Stop staring at yourself — You look fine, you sound fine, use the app’s functionality to only see others in the call   Take a break between calls — schedule a 10-15-minute break between calls, get up, and walk around.   Go audio-only, try the Walk-N-Talk and really try to stick to the timing of the call. About Karen Tiber Leland   Karen Tiber Leland is the founder of Sterling Marketing Group, a branding, marketing, and color strategy and implementation firm helping CEOs, executives, and entrepreneurs develop stronger personal, business, and team brands. Her clients include Cisco, American Express, Marriott Hotels, Apple Compute