Welcome to the Blue Shirt Leadership Podcast. I interview blue-collar business owners who are building their leadership house. On this podcast as they share their insights into their lives and businesses. These 30-45 minute conversations are packed with fun stories, helpful insights, and more. I ask every guest to share one insight (or more, of course!) with my listeners that, when applied over time, the listener will experience massive change for their future! Tune in every Tuesday to learn powerful communication, leadership, and business insights. If you’re not careful, you might just become a SAGE Leader!
Episodes
17 hours ago
17 hours ago
On today's podcast, Kyle talks about SMART goals and the best way to create these goals so you can set yourself up to be successful. He encourages listeners to use a 12-week timeframe and discusses why this is the perfect amount of time. Contact information can be found at the bottom of the show notes if you’d like to connect with Kyle. He would love to chat with you about your business and how together you can accomplish your goals.
Notable quotes:
“Get that story [of why you’re doing what you are doing] dialed in your head. There is your compelling reason why you're pursuing this goal.”
“No matter what industry you're in, goals are extremely powerful to help you move forward in your business.”
Show notes:
00:00-00:42: Welcome to the podcast and brief summary of today’s topic.
00:43-01:25 Are you the type of person who hates goals or do you think goals are great?
01:26-03:51 Ask yourself where you are right now and define where it is that you want to be. Kyle talks about the importance of writing a compelling story behind why you are doing what you are doing.
03:52-5:06 Kyle talks about SMART goals and what a SMART goal is.
05:07-06:00 Kyle discusses breaking down your goal into a 12-week timeframe.
06:01-08:23 Kyle talks about how to measure your goals and the difference between lag measures and lead measures and how both apply to the goals you are making.
08:24-09:49 Kyle summarizes the steps to take in creating your goals in order to be successful.
09:50-10:59 Wrapping up the podcast, Kyle encourages listeners to reach out and connect with him via his website. Set up a discovery call with Kyle to discuss how he can help you achieve your goals. Please like and share this podcast.
Connect with Kyle at www.blueshirtcoaching.com, on LinkedIn.
#goals #howtoaccomplishyourgoals #SMARTgoals #accountability #thetwelveweekyear #professionaldevelopment #growingyourbusiness
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Today’s guest on the Blue Shirt Leadership Podcast is Jerry Macnamara. For 25 years, Jerry’s fearlessly positive approach to business led to massive success. He’s led five companies in five different industries in B2B and B2C and in both products and services. Jerry has been selected as Business Journal’s Ultimate CEO and Business Journal’s 40 under 40. He runs Proven Chaos, a company driven to help CEO’s create compelling companies that outperform…and still make it home for dinner. His mission is to positively impact 5MM people in the next five years through better business.
On today’s podcast, Jerry Macnamara and Kyle discuss the importance of good communication in leadership, of listening well, and of looking at your employees as whole people. Jerry tells stories from his own experiences and encourages business owners to lead with intention, to set clear and realistic goals, and to invest in themselves as leaders.
Notable Quotes:
“The most important thing that I can do as a leader is send my people home on the weekends with clear minds and whole hearts to go be with their families.”
“If we recognize our people as whole people, if you're good at work, you have the potential to be great at home and if you were good at home, you have the potential to be great at work.”
“You have to live your life on your terms. That's the most important thing that you can do as a human being.”
“Patience comes from having a plan and then you have to take action.”
“Failure is simply feedback of what is working and what's not working.”
“There's no better investment than in yourself, because it allows you to invest in all of the people around you.”
“Treasure collaboration over conflict.”
00:00-01:15- Welcome to the podcast and brief description of the purpose of the podcast
01:16-02:12- Introduction of guest and summary of Jerry’s accomplishments and achievements
03:03-05:13-Jerry tells a story about regularly working 100hr weeks until he ended up in the hospital thinking he was having a heart attack at 26 yrs old, and he shares a revelation he had while laying there.
05:42-06:29-Learn from other people. You don’t have to learn all of life’s lessons yourself.
06:30-07:46- Jerry talks about doing what he’s doing because people should enjoy their work.
07:47-10:45 Jerry talks about how the people who are good at ‘doing’ often get promoted to positions of leadership but they aren’t always good leaders and what can be done to help them.
10:46-12:33 Jerry provides an example from his life about a time when he did not lead well, and how poor communication and poor leadership led to a vacation in Paris where he still had to report to work every day.
12:34-15:00 Jerry talks about the importance of communication in businesses and gives real-life examples of how this can be done.
15:01-16:29 Jerry makes the point that we are whole people, and being great at work can make you great at home and if you are great at home, you have the potential to be great at work.
18:37-21:04 Jerry and Kyle discuss how business owners can easily spiral out of control and the importance of conscious intention in leadership.
21:05-24:30 Jerry and Kyle discuss how to be patient in growing your business and how setting goals plays into business growth.
24:31-26:10 Jerry talks about failure as being feedback on what is working and what’s not working.
26:10-29:12 Jerry reminds listeners about the importance of listening to understand, as opposed to listening to respond.
29:12-31:09 Jerry talks about why he does what he does and what his primary goal is for his work.
31:10-33:00 Jerry reminds us that it is possible for our business to outgrow our skills and encourages business leaders to build a community around them to help them grow in their leadership.
Connect with Jerry at provenchaos.com or on Facebook and LinkedIn.
#leadershipdevelopment #leadershiptips #leadershipmatters #leadershipgoals #growthmindset #management #professionaldevelopment #realisticgoals #listenwell #buildcommunity #businessgrowth #consciousintention #entrepreneur
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
In today’s podcast, Kyle Gillette interviews Bill Prater, renowned for providing commendable services to business owners and emerging entrepreneurs that help them break free of inertia and accelerate their journey to accomplishing all their goals and ambitions. He is also the owner of Scaleology and the Business Mastery System, which both equip entrepreneurs with the knowledge needed to grow their business models. Let's hear his inspiring story!
Things ARE going to go wrong, but...
Key takeaways
#1 Seeking inspiration and coming up with a USP
When you start a new business, it's always best to seek inspiration from those at the very top in your niche, but once you reach that level, you don't settle there. Now you need to figure out your USP by putting innovative ideas to work so that you can differentiate yourself from the competitors and increase the market share of your business.
#2 Formulate a growth strategy
Growth is an essential part of any successful business, so make sure to formulate a growth strategy for your venture. Do the needed research, spend resources to the best of your ability, and keep moving forward. Remember it is a competitive advantage that can keep you going even during economic downfall and instability.
#3 Perfection is not the end goal
For many perfectionists, this must be a hard pill to swallow, but without it your life as an entrepreneur can become quite challenging. The thing about the business world is that it is dynamic and rapidly changing. Every day something new is coming up, whether it be in terms of technology or the launch of a competitor's business. To keep yourself in the market, therefore, you will need to experiment with different things, let it be altering your goals, strategies, plans, or whatever it takes to keep your business up to date! So, with all of this, perfection is next to impossible, and if you keep striving for that 100%, chances are your business will remain stagnant and experience very little growth. Therefore, be realistic, focus on giving your best, and watch how it improves your business!
Time Stamps
2:03-5:19
Bill takes us through his journey as an entrepreneur, right from when he began, sharing the process behind converting a business worth $0 to one worth quite a lot today.
5:37-12:07
Here Bill talks about an industry conference he attended and how it changed his views on entrepreneurship and developing a USP for his business. Further, he goes on to express the importance of learning from market leaders and introducing things they offer in their products and services in your business. He explains the characteristics of a super successful business with a vision strategy. He also presents this flipside and how emulation works only when done correctly.
12:36-13:29
Bill discusses the importance of focusing on growth in your business and on a personal level and how it can help give you a sense of direction and keep you better organized!
13:48-15:38
Have a business growth strategy that just isn't working out? This part of the podcast gives valuable advice on dealing with such problems. The two also discuss how to deal with economic uncertainties and dealing with the rapidly changing business environment.
15:59-18:49
Here Bill talks about the significance of planning things for your business and how it makes you better prepared to deal with upcoming situations and organize your resources efficiently. He also caters to the side of the company, which some would call ugly, and others would call exciting, the number of uncertainties you have to go through, and how to overcome challenges.
18:52-25:30
Establishing proper systems is incredibly important for managing businesses. Bill talks about this in detail and how this is one element many businesses often tend to compromise on. Further, he debunks some myths business owners have about the ‘ideal employee’.
26:03-34:14
Here we discuss the importance of having employees with a strong sense of accountability and how it keeps the business together and consistent with its decisions.
34:15-38:00
Bill wraps up the podcast with a wholesome story of his college experience, how he dropped out, got back again, and graduated with straight As.
"You don't get it right every time, but that doesn't matter because you can adjust and re-strategize as you notice that it is not working out. " - Bill Prater
“All the leaders of every nation have a growth strategy.” - Bill Prater
“Planning is making decisions about the future NOW.” - Bill Prater
About Guest Speaker
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Sometimes you know when it's time to make a shift. You know you've found your tribe and the people you can have the greatest impact on. Today, we get to do just that.
It's not every day that you have the opportunity to shift gears and transition a podcast that has over 200 episodes!! Well, this week, we are doing exactly that. The podcast has also transitioned as the business has been rebranded to Blue Shirt Coaching.
What does this mean for our listeners? It means you will get amazing content based on Self-awareness, Accountability, Growth, and Empowerment, just as you did before. We will focus on our home services and trades business owners.
My guests will remain industry experts, bringing powerful insights you can apply to your life and business daily. In this first episode, I dive into what this show is about in more detail and what you can expect in the coming weeks.
Tell your friends, leave a review, and let's shift the way we do life and business to be Blue Shirt Leaders!
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
In today's episode of the SAGE Mindset Podcast, we dive in with Janet Granger on overcoming your leadership fears, setting your culture as you want it to be, and building business systems. Janet Granger speaks about the generational divide in the workplace and team building.
With over 25 years of marketing and strategy experience, she published Digital Influence for Baby Boomers: Why you should care, and yes, you can do this! (2016) and Ok Boomer! Revelations of a Baby Boomer Working with Millennials (2020).
Janet launched Marketing Career Mentor based on her experiences working with marketing teams and agencies. Marketing Career Mentor provides online mentoring and coaching for early-career marketers and features interviews with senior marketing executives, online networking, and an online community of marketers talking “shop.”
Janet lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and has an MBA in Marketing and Management from Columbia University; for more information, go to www.janetgranger.com
Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
Tuesday Nov 29, 2022
Jarrod Morgan is the founder of ProctorU, the world's largest online testing company, and the host of the Slow-Smoked Business Podcast.
He is passionate about entrepreneurship, personal success, and helping others on their path. Jarrod shares his insights and stories about the importance of being genuine in your leadership, his "dangerous prayer, " and what he calls the Living Ledger.
Make sure to listen to the end to learn about this powerful process he uses for personal, professional, and spiritual growth.
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
Tuesday Oct 25, 2022
The most important lesson Andrew Shelton learned is that the service of others is the only thing that can lend true meaning to one’s life. He learned this in his twenties, standing on the street, asking folks to donate money to aid children in dire poverty.
Providing those kids with necessities and receiving warm thanks and hugs from people who donated changed Andrew profoundly positively and instilled a deep-abiding passion for serving others.
Andrew carries this forward to his real estate business in Bellingham, Washington. In today's episode, he shares his journey of how he got here, some key moments, and some key insights from 10,000+ hours of sales conversations on the streets.
To connect with Andrew after the show, visit https://andrewshelton.findbellinghamhomes.com/
Tuesday Oct 18, 2022
Tuesday Oct 18, 2022
In this episode, we talk about the importance of giving your best and not focusing on being the best. This simple shift changes how you see yourself and the efforts you put in. The comparison trap crushes people. Brian suggests shifting from saying I need to be THE best to being MY best.
Brian shares about his experience interviewing John Wooden, leading the US Swim team for 8 years, and his various corporate experiences. This episode is full of fantastic energy, wisdom, and actionable tips.
Brian Biro is America’s Breakthrough Coach! He has delivered over 1,800 presentations around the world over the last 30 years. The author of 15 books including his brand new, "The ROI of Kindness" and bestseller, "Beyond Success".
Brian was rated #1 from over 40 Speakers at 4 consecutive INC. Magazine International Conferences. With degrees from Stanford University and UCLA, Brian has appeared on Good Morning America and CNN. Most recently he was selected as one of the top 60 Motivational Speakers in the WORLD!
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Learn what it takes to stick with a dream for 19 years and a man changing the world on the latest SAGE Mindset Podcast Episode.
Damani Thomas invented the D30 fuel and is changing the world with its applications. The D30 fuel is a semi-synthetic biofuel designed to be more sustainable than E10. The D30 fuel has a higher energy density.
It uses more complex synthetic biofuels and less petrol resulting in a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective transportation fuel that burns cleaner but cheaper than its predecessor, lowering the energy budget and fossil fuel dependency.
In this episode, you will also learn about how he overcame the failures, has recently gotten significant traction in his initiatives and has the power of believing in your "why."
To learn more about Damani and D30, visit https://heylink.me/damani/ to connect with Damani.
Want to learn more about SAGE Leadership and the SAGE Mindset?
Check out my latest book, SAGE Leadership. https://book.sagemindset.com/
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Too many men find themselves hitting the proverbial wall or flatlining in life. Alain Dumonceaux experienced this himself and knew many other men were too. So he decided to found The Awakened Man, where he works with men looking to live a more purposeful life.
In today's episode, Alain shares how men often get siloed in life and have no place to be vulnerable. In his program, Alain provides a place for men to get real, build powerful accountability, and challenge each other to take courageous actions.
A few insights from the show include finding one man you can reach out to and share some stuff that's going on, practicing vulnerability by being vulnerable in small stuff at first, and offering to be the guy that is the listening ear to someone else.
These insights and many more make this episode worth your time. You can learn more about The Awakened Man by clicking the link https://bit.ly/3UGf32s
Tuesday Aug 09, 2022
Tuesday Aug 09, 2022
What can 100 executives and endurance athletes teach you about peak performance? In this podcast episode, you'll learn from Bryan Gillette the powerful answers to that question. After these top performers shared insights, Bryan interviewed 100 peak performers to write his book and discovered what he calls EPIC Performance.
Bryan shares the importance of creating a big vision 10-30 years out. To establish a finish line, strive for and keep this in front of you. He also encourages us to break down this big vision into pieces we can apply daily.
The EPIC framework will help you to Envision, Plan, Iterate, and Collaborate then Perform.To connect with Bryan and to purchase his book, visit https://summitinggroup.com/epic/
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Do you have anxieties, frustrations, or worries about your business? In this episode, I interview Logan Bloom, author of Praying God's Word for Your Business.
Logan shares insights about building a team of prayer partners, stories of God intervening in amazing ways in business, and a perspective on this generation I've never heard before.
If you want to be encouraged and let go of those anxieties, frustrations, and worries this episode will give you a process to help you get there.
To learn more about Logan and his ministry, please visit www.servantleadernetwork.org.
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
This episode will make you question your perspective on accountability and communication among several other leadership challenges and pillars.
Jeff Cohen is my guest today and he is a founder of six businesses, has worked with 300 business leaders to develop and test his Count-On-Able method of leadership.
Jeff shares what effective communication really looks like, how saying what you are NOT count-on-able to is key to helping you thrive, and the importance of taking action on the lessons you learn.
To connect with Jeff and learn more about his method, visit www.countonable.com
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
In today's episode, I speak with attorney Matt Davis. His law firm focuses on helping companies and entrepreneurs deal with the complex vulnerabilities they face in their problems and opportunities.
We discuss the importance of knowing your business' "word problem" and how this solves a lot of issues. Matt dives in with us on the importance of being bold in where you want to go and start building the plan and structures to get there.
As an Inc 5000 business, Matt understands the importance of knowing your vulnerabilities, numbers, and priorities. In this episode, we go into detail on is Strong Protected Business System and how you can overcome common vulnerabilities in your business.
Matt is available to talk with you and you can find him by visiting https://davisbusinesslaw.com/
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
In this fun episode, Breanna Gunn shares with us several useful and practical insights about business funnels, messaging, and finding your voice. As an expert copywriter and funnel specialist, Brea brings great perspectives to her clients and to today's episode.
You will learn the importance of data and how to gather it. She urges us to look at our data and create opportunities to use the data to better our sales and interactions with prospects. Speaking of prospects, I asked Brea about how to know who is a great fit for your business.
She made some suggestions you can immediately apply. Figure out who your best customers are and replicate them. Talk to them and find out what makes them tick then get your message out to fit this ideal customer.
Number two, ask powerful questions such as "What else is difficult about this challenge?" and "If I could wave a magic wand to solve this problem, how would it make you feel?" Through it all, Brea challenges us to know our own voices and share our stories.
To be real with our customers is one of the best ways to serve them. To learn more about Breanna Gunn and her services, visit www.breannagunn.com/magazine.