Manage Smarter

Neil Sahota is an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations (UN) artificial intelligence (AI) Advisor, author of the book Own the A.I. Revolution, and Professor at UC Irvine. Over his 20+ year career, Neil has worked with enterprises on the business and marketing strategies to create next generation products/solutions powered by emerging technology as well as helping organizations create the culture, community, and ecosystem needed to achieve success such as the U.N.’s AI for Good initiative. Neil also actively pursues social good and volunteers with nonprofits. He is currently helping the Zero Abuse Project prevent child sexual abuse as well as Planet Home to engage youth culture in sustainability initiatives.  Special message to Manage Smarter listeners about the book: https://www.neilsahota.com/smarter/ In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Neil discuss:  ·      The actual definition of AI  ·      Ways you can use AI and your resources for social good ·      Why promoting incompetent people is a common leadership mi

Daniel Ramsey is the founder and CEO of MyOutDesk, the highest-rated virtual assistant company in the marketplace with over 500 verified 5-star reviews, and over 13 years of experience, serving more than 6,000 clients across industries. Daniel is going to share a Grow Virtual Guide to help businesses and executives how to effectively transition to a fully remote or blended organizational model, how to reinvent the value we provide in this changing market, and how to grow virtual all while reducing operational costs. Daniel is also the author of the bestselling book, Scaling Your Business with MOD Virtual Professionals. TO GET THE FREE GROW VIRTUAL GUIDE: TEXT MOD TO 31996 In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Daniel discuss:  ·      How to expand in the current sales climate and sell more ·      How using virtual assistants can free up valuable time and reduce operational costs ·      Tips for creating strong culture among remote workers ·      Processes he uses to enforce accountability, engagement, work quality

Jonathon Hensley is co-founder and CEO of Emerge, a digital product consulting firm that works with companies to improve operational agility and customer experience. His new book is called “Alignment - The #1 thing at the heart of every successful digital product” In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Jonathon discuss:  ·      The 4 levels of alignment leaders need to understand NOW ·      How to build sustained, constant alignment in your business ·      Remote teams and boosting alignment amid COVID-19 ·      Practical exercises to use to draw out new ideas from your team FREE BOOK - Alignment emergeinteractive.com/podcast "The number one problem/mistake managers and leaders make is not understanding alignment and it's role. The absence of alignment can prevent the best ideas from being realized, erode the strongest teams, cripple the most effective leadership, and ruin even the most successful business. ” – Jonathon Hensley Join hosts Audrey Strong and C. Lee Smith every week as they dive into the aspects and

Rhiannon Rees is a human behavior expert, international high-performance coach and self-development expert helping CEO's, businesses, elite athletes, coaches and celebrities to redefine their level of success. An Australian native, Rhiannon is a best-selling author, thriving entrepreneur and a global speaker. Her personal sufferings led her to search for answers and into a 30-year study of human behavior. Being completely compelled to help others, she has continued to invest in education in the fields of self-development, neuroscience and business. As a dynamic, results-driven leader, Rhiannon is the founder of the Conscious Coaching Collective, and has demonstrated success in creating both multi-million-dollar companies and individuals and champions. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Rhiannon discuss:  ·      How the shock in her marriage and becoming homeless drove her to self-discovery and a world-class coach career ·      Tapping into your subconscious to inform what business decisions and manifest new goa

Frank Zinghini is President & CEO, Applied Visions, Inc. Applied Visions helps businesses build and expand their digital relationship with their customers, across all of the available digital channels. AVI develops products and services using technologies from the cloud, to desktop and mobile, and even down to the device level with the internet of things, in order to maintain a seamless and continuous connection with your customer. Frank founded AVI with an intense focus on building applications that delight your customers and drives revenue generation for your business. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Frank discuss:  ·      What a digital survival kit needs to contain ·      The new boundaries of relationship with your customers ·      New ways of looking at fulfillment of products and services ·      How to take customer experience to the next digital level of engagement "Some

Jeffrey Hayzlett is Chairman & CEO of the C-Suite Network and best-selling author of "The Hero Factor: How Great Leaders Transform Organizations and Create Winning Cultures." In this episode, you'll learn: *The #OpenForBusiness initiative, which can be defined as getting business owners ready to open safely *Strategies businesses can implement as they get ready to open for business *Protecting your biggest assets – people and customers *Being mindful of cancel culture and current cultural climate "People tend to be more reactive than active. When COVID hit, many paused and adopted a 'wait & see' attitude, but I think that's a mistake -- not just now, but overall." — Jeffrey Hayzlett Join hosts Audrey Strong and C. Lee Smith as they dive into the aspects and concepts of good business management. From debunking sales myths to learning how to manage with and without measurements, you'll learn something new with every episode and will be able to implement positive change far beyond sales. Connect with Jeffrey Hay

Ben Gallagher is the co-founder of B+A, a creative management consultancy whose clients include Converse, Google and Beats by Dre. Before he founded B+A, Ben was a journalist at MTV and later, Sir David Frost’s producer at Al-Jazeera. He then found himself leading Nike’s efforts to make running appealing to young people. With COVID-19, he's here to give his tips on how to work and manage smarter through this time. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Ben discuss:  ·      Building a positive culture with remote, global teams in the pandemic ·      How recognizing small wins to provide enjoyment, hope and satisfaction ·      Boosting your empathy levels ·      Recommendations on better leadership amid the COVID-19 “rollercoaster” "Too often the assumption is that the best answers come the most senior people, but the best answers come from collaboration with the whole team. Secondly, l

Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is a behavioral economist and cognitive neuroscientist studying the psychology of decision making in business and other contexts. He is also CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts and author of the new book Resilience: Adapt and Plan for the New Abnormal of the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Gleb discuss:  ·          His prediction on when a Coronavirus vaccine will be available worldwide to everyone ·          Why our brains are wired to be optimistic but how we must force our expectations amid the pandemic to be realistic going forward ·          His top 6 business prongs that need analysis now to adapt to the pandemic ·          How Coronavirus data has affected him and tips he has on helping managers and teams cope with the reality of what’s to come   "To survive and thrive in the new abnormal, you have to make a radical departur

Shane Metcalf is co-founder of 15Five and one of the world’s leading pioneers in the space of cultural engineering and positive psychology and an expert in remote workplaces and workflow management. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Shane discuss:  ·          The combination of two qualities you HAVE to have or your remote teams will feel paranoia and fear. ·          Specific team exercises to help boost engagement ·          How to tell if your team is struggling with remote workplace setups ·          Questions to ask your team to help those not coping well with remote workplace setup, technology and/or culture   "You as a manager need to do everything possible to increase the amount of trust and also accountability particularly during a pandemic.” – Shane Metcalf   Join hosts Audrey Strong and C. Lee Smith every week as they dive into the aspects and concepts of good business

Tom Pisello is a thought leader and author on sales and marketing effectiveness, as well as a serial entrepreneur. He is well known from his podcasts, videos, blog posts, and newsletter as “the ROI Guy.” Tom is the Founder of the Evolved Selling Institute and currently Chief Evangelist for Mediafly, a leading sales enablement solution provider. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Tom discuss:  ·          How to changes you can sell as well remotely as well as you did in person ·          Top ways to keep selling in COVID-19 ·          Better methods to prepare interactive digital documents to make compelling sales sessions ·          Creating mini-presentations to keep virtual selling with prospects at a higher level of engagement   "Create little stories you can pivot to. As sales manager you have to teach your sellers to piece together these little mini presentations and be able to jump into these mini stories and in that mode as well to be able to basically share those as a whole presentation.” – Thomas Pise

Dr. John Johnson is a PhD economist and the CEO of Edgeworth Analytics, a DC-based data consulting firm that empowers professionals to unlock data’s potential. John understands how to transform companies’ raw, messy data into meaningful analysis and reliable results that empower informed decision-making. A teacher at heart, John is known for his ability to explain technical concepts simply and clearly. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and John discuss:  ·          Economic data on time and possible date on when the economy may start to recover & opinion on rehiring process for unemployed COVID-19 workers ·          Economic analysis on your business, demand for what you sell, remote working and extra costs potentially of reopening ·          Risk of infections of workers vs. running a remote business data points ·          Customer base analysis ·          Process for you to dig deep

Sam Schutte is the CEO of Unstoppable Software, Inc. The company's software development services as a development partner, and is the host of the podcast at unstoppabletalk.com (which covers the "intersection of business and technology innovation"). He is also the creator of The Virtual Tip Jar, which enables customers to support their favorite restaurant servers and services providers whose income has been negatively impacted during COVID-19. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Sam discuss:  Tech vulnerabilities caused by COVID-19 Technology that companies should be investing in now The Virtual Tip Jar he created to raise donations for those who’ve lost their jobs  "There’s some basic ones such as not having enough VPN accounts or VPN bandwidth you know most of the time when you set up a VPN at a company you don’t have enough for all 300 people to be on at one time.” – Sam Sch

At work, serving as President and CEO The Beacon Group, Cliff Farrah has spent more than 25 years advising clients on organic and inorganic growth strategies and tactics in Healthcare, Technology, Industrial, Energy and Defense marketplaces. His thought leading work on growth strategy, innovation commercialization, market disruption, and services/business model design has been successfully used by Fortune 100 clients around the globe. Mr. Farrah is the author of dozens of growth strategy and analytical frameworks, and is a guest lecturer at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business, where he received his MBA. At play, Cliff Farrah is a competitive sailor, a former high school sailing coach, US national amateur champion and has been profiled on ESPN and in Sailing magazine.  PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Cliff discuss:  ·          How the pandemic accelera

Coronavirus has caused layoffs of more than 26 million Americans from their jobs. Are older workers a liability or competitive advantage and if you are an older worker, how can you increase your value to your employer during this unprecedented time? Patti Temple Rocks is the author of a book called "I'm Not Done: It's Time to Talk About Ageism in the Workplace." She is also a senior partner at a Marketing agency in Chicago. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Patti discuss:  ·          Why mature workers are the last ones you should consider cutting ·          Conversations to have with older workers in choosing furloughs, layoffs and payroll reductions ·          Signs a company doesn’t value older workers ·          How late career workers can increase their value amid COVID-19   "The older worker – who may sometimes cost more, comes with incredibly valuable wisdom and experience

David Veech teaches leaders how to Love, Learn, and Let go. The actions following these decisions create an engaging workplace that harnesses the creative and productive power of people. He began his leadership journey with 20 years of service in the Army and he is still actively learning. Author of Leadersights: Creating Great Leaders Who Create Great Workplaces.. His messages will inspire you and your teams to obliterate obstacles, accelerate innovation, and elevate performance leaving everyone motivated and engaged for the future.And for Coronavirus, David says in responding to it, "Don’t return to normal. Return to BETTER." PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and David discuss:  ·          Tips on how to make your business and leadership better coming out of COVID-19 ·          Recommendations on process changes ·          Basic elements of a plan to emerge out of COVID-19 lockdown

Jeff Piersall is known as The Chaos Coach. A former high school and college basketball coach, Jeff is an entrepreneur that has recently exited his business and now specializes in M&A activity for small cap businesses. He is also the author of Dogs Don't Bark at Parked Cars. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Jeff discuss:  ·          How to Course Correct in a Crisis ·          Knee jerk reactions vs. course corrections ·          Money and opportunities to pursue amid the pandemic ·          How businesses can be more agile and pivot during the crisis   "The definitions of faith and fear are the same it’s a thing unseen in our future. Where you start on a course isn’t going to be where you end up unless you make the appropriate adjustments along the way.” – Jeff Piersall    Join hosts Audrey Strong and C. Lee Smith every week as they dive into the aspects and concepts of good busi

Jonathan Slain’s book, “Rock the Recession: How Successful Leaders Prepare For, Thrive During, and Create Wealth After Downturns” came out in September 2019 and is a #1 Amazon Best Seller. His tips are especially relevant today as the world heads into recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan coaches high growth leadership teams across the United States to implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System® also known as “Traction.” He focuses on working with entrepreneurial niche/specialty firms and large corporations ($10M+ in annual revenue), spending over 100 days per year working with teams just like yours. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Jonathan discuss:  ·          What kind of recession we are currently in ·          How to measure your “Recession Readiness” ·          How to organize a tier system for furloughs or layoffs ·          Opportunities that can occur in d

Rishad Tobaccowala is the author of Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data. He is also a Senior Advisor to the Publicis Groupe where he has spent his entire 37-year career, most recently serving as the Chief Growth Officer and Chief Strategist of the Groupe. He was named by BusinessWeek as one of the top business leaders for his pioneering innovation and TIME magazine dubbed him one of five “Marketing Innovators.” PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Rishad discuss:  ·          Tips on humanizing remote working in this environment and touchpoints to help humanity trump data ·          How to incentivize staff to change and lean into disruption ·          How to upgrade your mental operating system and inject more human touches into the work environment ·          The dangers of data vs. human stories and skills within the business ·          Embracing the co

Tom Peters is coauthor of In Search of Excellence—the book that changed the way the world does business and often tagged as the best business book ever. Also the author of The Excellence Dividend . Seventeen books and thirty-five years later, Tom is still at the forefront of the “management guru industry” he single-handedly invented. Also the recipient of the Thinkers50 Lifetime Achievement Award. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO ONLINE PLATFORM BANDWIDTH DEFICIENCIES DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THERE ARE SOME AUDIO DROPOUTS DURING THIS EPISODE. In this episode, Lee, Audrey and Tom discuss:  ·          Opinion on CEOs currently laying off thousands of employees ·          What is business responsibility in this Coronavirus epidemic? ·          How to “Manage By Walking Around without Walking Around” ·          Why leaders need to ramp up intimacy, kindness and thoughtfulness during this time    "Business is not about profit. It is about creating value if you do it right the profit will mostly follow. So what I will say to the b

Kristie Knights is a licensed professional counselor and has been in private practice for 20 years. She is an expert in trauma and suicidology. Kristie is the best selling author of UnSung Heroes: Deconstructing Suicide through Stories of Triumph. She is also the Founder of iRise Leadership; which is a 501(c)3 Non Profit with a mission to eradicate suicide. They offer training, education, and resources in suicide awareness and prevention to leaders, the community, organizations, schools, churches, and the corporate world. PLEASE NOTE: Due to Coronavirus and remote meeting platform strain, there is some audio dropout throughout this recording. "This is a time for leaders who do very well with boots-on-the-ground, high crisis mentality to really shine. And for those who struggle, to really listen up and lean on those types of leaders within their organization who do well with that type of mentality." - Kristie Knights In this episode, Lee, Audrey and Kristie discuss: How managers can implement a culture of