MindsetGo Podcast

ICommunicate Radio Show #124: Addition By Distraction

ICommunicate Radio Show #124: Addition By Distraction by MindsetGo Podcast

ICommunicate Radio Show #123: Fantasy Football Is A Microcosm For Partnerships

Committing to a partner, whether in business or some other kind of relationship, often presents itself with the challenge of compromising on wants and needs. How can something as small and recreational as Fantasy Football or something as personal as pre-marriage counseling provide us with strategies on how to seek out and maintain a healthy relationship where all parties benefit? In this week’s episode of ICommunicate, Mark discusses what makes an ideal partnership, how to understand and influence people as well as how to effectively negotiate and compromise.
Segment 1:
Whether we find ourselves seeking a partner for business or romance, finding that perfect match is ultimately easier said than done. What do we expect out of a partner, and how can we communicate that with them?
Segment 2:
Negotiation is everywhere, whether it’s something as simple as deciding on where to eat for dinner or more significant like determining a salary for work. How can we learn from our experiences to improve our effectiveness in negotiating? How do we know what a successful negotiation looks like?
Segment 3:
It’s easy enough to get along with people whose opinions and core values align with ours, but what about everybody else? How can we frame conversations to allow for a win-win compromise?
Segment 4:
Once we’re comfortable committing to another individual, how do we know for sure that this person is a good partner for us? How do we set and manage expectations so that we can avoid having repeated conversations?

ICommunicate Radio Show #122: Do You Know How To Set Yourself Up For Success?

Day in and day out, we’re confronted with internal and external inhibitors that combat our motivation and commitment to our goals. Approaching our concerns and allowing ourselves the opportunity to reflect on who we are and who we want to become can be daunting. In this week’s episode of ICommunicate, Joe Lyman joins Mark to discuss how to set meaningful goals and manage our priorities as well as how to overcome feeling stuck and helpless upon self-reflecting.
Segment 1:
Far too often, we find ourselves hiding behind the excuse, “I’m too busy.” Is it a matter of fact that we truly have no time in the day, or are we struggling to set objectives and stay committed to them? How do we manage our priorities and set meaningful goals?
Segment 2:
We’ve all heard the expression, you can’t take care of others until you take care of yourself, but that’s much easier said than done. What kinds of goals should we be setting and how can we shift our habits and behaviors to more effectively reach them? How can we overcome feeling helpless and stuck when our day-to-day lives leave us drained?
Segment 3:
We’ve been told the benefits of meditation and self-reflection, but coming face-to-face with the obstacles that stand in the way of our goals can be overwhelming. What strategies can we use to ease our approach to the self-reflection process? How can we better understand the inhibitors to our goals and address them?
Segment 4:
2020 has been a wild year, to say the least. What we may not realize is that this new normal that we’ve become so familiar with isn’t just going to disappear in an instant -- so what do we do from here on? What do we have to gain from our experiences thus far in 2020 and how can we use what we’ve learned to improve our emotional intelligence?

ICommunicate Radio Show #121: Rapport Building Is Underrated

It’s time to stop treating rapport building like a tedious, uncomfortable step in the sales process. This underappreciated technique can be the determining factor in whether or not you’re able to close the sale. In this week’s episode of ICommunicate, Mark discusses the importance of emotional intelligence during rapport building as well as how to understand and act on the wants, needs, and fears of a potential customer.
Segment 1:
As salespeople, our worst nightmare more often than not is time. We only have so long to build rapport and sell our product, so it’s essential that we manage our priorities. How essential is rapport building and where can we find the time to incorporate it into our sales process?
Segment 2:
Surmounting that initial, awkward barrier that often presents itself during rapport building with a new client can be challenging, but not impossible with the right mindset. How do we proactively build rapport without coming off as a typical pushy salesperson? How can we utilize multi-generational intelligence to understand how to interact with members of different generations?
Segment 3:
The initial conversation with a potential prospect raises the questions: why you and why now? What are the most important pieces we need to retain from a sales call and how can we assess them?
Segment 4:
Connecting with a customer and empathizing with their situation is undervalued, especially given the impact it has on finding the right fit for them. How can we be memorable and make people feel heard? Why is it important that we empathize with our clients and how does it relate to the bigger picture?

ICommunicate Radio Show #119: Modeling A Reductive Mindset

You’ve probably heard of a growth mindset, but what about a reductive mindset. A mindset that focuses on applying new strategies, improvements, and ideas to replace what you are already doing instead of adding to what seems like a never-ending to-do list. In this week’s episode of ICommunicate, Mark discusses how to apply the things you are learning to replace instead of add to your day to day responsibilities.
Segment 1:
Every day, we’re presented with an overwhelming amount of decisions to make but we have choices. What does it mean to have a reductive mindset and how is it applicable in everyday scenarios? How can we organize priorities and effectively manage our time and attention?
Segment 2:
We live in a world where worth is so often determined by achievement and growth, but we often expect recognition or instant gratification for our accomplishments. Why is it essential that we focus on personal growth whether or not we receive recognition for it?
Segment 3:
How can individual goals provide a foundation for team goals?
Segment 4:
How can we provide a platform for open and honest feedback? How can we ensure that our employees feel integral to the team and heard?

ICommunicate Radio Show #118: Motivating Performance

When people aren’t on the same page and expectations aren’t clear, company culture declines, people get frustrated, and progress seemingly halts. In this week’s episode of ICommunicate, Mark discusses how to motivate and inspire teams to work collaboratively and perform effectively.
Segment 1:
Despite what we may believe as leaders, our expectations for our employees aren’t always as clear as we make them out to be. How can having high expectations as a leader be detrimental to our teams?
Segment 2:
We may know our teams well enough to understand what motivates and drives them, but what about motivating them to change poor habits?
Segment 3:
Sometimes we’re the only thing standing in our way from becoming inspirational leaders. Overcoming that mental block and becoming self-aware of the effectiveness of our habits and behaviors is difficult, but possible with the right support.
Segment 4:
As leaders, we are constantly modeling behaviors for people, whether we like it or not. The whole, “do as I say, not as I do,” philosophy is convenient enough, but what does that say to our teams? How do we effectively demonstrate core values and recognize that they are being reciprocated by our teams?

ICommunicate Radio Show #117: Can You Hear Me Now?

There’s nothing quite as frustrating as feeling unheard or not being validated. Having difficult conversations that address problems in the workplace is tough within itself, but even worse is walking away feeling disrespected and like the attempt wasn’t worthwhile. In this week’s episode of ICommunicate, Mark discusses how to set expectations and build processes around giving and receiving feedback, actively influencing an open and vulnerable workplace culture, and to understand what it means to be heard.
Segment 1:
Making a request only to have it not be reciprocated in the way we wanted it to be often leaves us feeling frustrated and disrespected. However, there is often more to the story than meets the eye in these types of circumstances. What strategies can we use to convey our feelings in a productive and honest way?
Segment 2:
As much as we hate to hear it, we have to take a moment to ponder whether or not it’s at least partly our fault that behaviors aren’t changing or actions aren’t taking place. What process can we utilize when giving or receiving a request to accommodate both parties’ needs or wants?
Segment 3:
We can’t keep letting ourselves fall back on the same old excuses when it comes to dodging complaints from employees over changes. Blaming change on COVID only drains our motivation to work. How do we address concerns even when we feel that nothing can be done to change the problem? What behaviors should we model to create an open and honest culture?
Segment 4:
It’s one thing to be willing to have difficult conversations with people within the workplace, but it’s another to be prepared for them. What expectations should we set on both the giving and receiving end of these discussions? How do we know that we’re being heard?

ICommunicate Radio Show #116: People Don't Change... Or Do They?

We tend to view the most profitable businesses as well-oiled machines, and we assume that high levels of employee engagement are automatic. What we fail to recognize, however, is the fact that organizations function more like man than machine, meaning that it experiences the cycles of life and each part of its being needs to be nurtured in order for it to develop. When it’s time to break old habits, especially in the face of adversity, we acknowledge that the vulnerability of our companies are at stake. In this week’s episode of ICommunicate, Joe Lyman joins Mark to discuss how to manage employee engagement as well as how to develop self-awareness to better understand when and what changes to company culture and its processes need to be changed.
Segment 1:
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” is a mindset that we as individuals have come to almost idolize in the context of assembling company cultures and processes. Is it time to re-evaluate our decisions and evolve? How can we get around the looming fears that major -- or even minor -- change brings?
Segment 2:
Businesses are living, growing things that experience all stages of the cycle of life, whether we believe it or not. When the disengagement of employees signals death and decay, what can we do to revitalize company culture and processes? When is it time for change and how do we know what areas need the most attention?
Segment 3:
Far too often when reporting changes to our teams, we handle the dissatisfaction by saying, “the higher-ups told us that this is what we have to do.” What does this say about our credibility and respect as leaders? How can we effectively represent our teams and have the self-awareness to know when to ask for help?
Segment 4:
A wise man once said, “The most important things in an organization can’t be measured.” If that’s the case, then what are the most significant aspects that we should be paying attention to in our companies? How can we provide employees with purpose and improve their engagement in their work?

ICommunicate Podcast #113: Framing Conversation So People Are Open - Minded

ICommunicate Podcast #113: Framing Conversation So People Are Open - Minded by MindsetGo Podcast

ICommunicate Podcast #109: Know Right Answers

The usual excitement that comes with a new school year for our children is unfortunately stifled by the fear of the unknown in regards to how schools will handle COVID. In this week’s episode of ICommunicate, former Teacher of the Year, Corinne Ferri from the North Smithfield, RI School District joins Mark to discuss how to prepare for the upcoming school year in regards to virtual learning. They discuss how to encourage your children to be engaged and active in their education, and create an effective pathway of communication between teachers, parents, and students.
Segment 1:
Schools are back in session -- but at what cost? Our readiness for COVID-19 is about to face the ultimate test as we send our children back to school, whether that be in-person, online, or a hybrid of the two. How do we prepare for the management of students and the crises that may occur? What developments can we anticipate over the coming months, and how can we respond to those?
Segment 2:
Day by day, it becomes increasingly difficult to assess our readiness for the challenges that are yet to arise. What do schools, teachers, and faculty need to do to prove that they are ready? How can we stay engaging and humane even through a screen?
Segment 3:
Becoming engaged with our children’s education can often feel like trying to navigate through a maze of communication. How can we as parents become more engaged with the education of our children? What strategies can we use to encourage our kids to open up about what they’re doing in school?
Segment 4:
Let’s face it, most kids aren’t excited about going to school outside of the social aspects that they engage in. How can we as teachers and parents develop genuine relationships with students and make them passionate about being in school?