The last year has taught us a lot about listening, connecting, leading and engaging with people during times of high-stress, isolation and remote working. The best leaders, teams and organizations seek out ways to meet people where they are and support forward progress.
SHOW NOTES
1:28 – Jason introduces Season 4 episode 4 of the podcast. Welcome back to the podcast and thank you for listening. We wish to create content that engages your mind and heart and allows you to step back and think and add some positivity to your life. This podcast is about how to provide positive input while being an angel advocate.
3:10 – Be sure to rate this podcast so that we can help share this podcast further.
3:30 – 2020 was a challenging year and we are all happy with the New Year and the changes it brings. It was a year of growth and as we move into 2021 the challenges are still here but we are focusing on what’s in our control. What are the positive ways we are going to show up?
Be an angel advocate to help nudge people forward.
5:05 – Jason discusses the difference between Skepticism vs. Cynicism. It started from a story that Doug Ulman shared. Listen to his interview here about the story Jason mentions here. One of the last seats was open next to him and he noticed the voice coming onto the plane and the voice was Dan Rather. Of all the seats, Dan took a seat next to Doug on the plane. Dan Rather shares a lesson with Doug.
8:13 – Journalists are trained to be skeptical so that you can better understand the situation and better understand someone’s point of view. The spirit is to better understand their point of view. People are less skeptical and way more cynical. People now will trap people into their own beliefs or viewpoints or asking gotcha-questions.
11:00 – Some people might be journalists but very few of us actually are this. So we don’t want to get stuck in this kind of thinking. With the world we live in with social media it is hard to understand the other side or point of view. It is easier to sit back and be cynical and distrust things than to actually take time to research and understand the situation. It is quantity vs quality of knowledge of topics. Cynics distrust everything and you don’t want to be trapped in one or the other.
14:35 – Jason talks about his role as a coach. Some see themselves as devil’s advocate but Jason says he sees himself as an angel advocate for people. To help be a presence asking how he can support you to be the type of leader and person you want to be moving forward.
18:40 – Good skeptical questions can be a powerful thing to clarify to move forward for the mission. It is important that we come to them that we are seeking to understand.
What does it look like to ask clarifying questions?
Questions to Ponder
- Who are you an angel advocate for?
- Where are you in your own daily practice can you identify times that are skeptical, cynical?
- How can you ask more clarifying questions?
Remember where we look is where we go. Where we give our attention to is where we end up going.
If you like the podcast, have a question, or just want to share your thoughts about daring to begin please leave a comment below or please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.
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ABOUT THE THERMOSTAT
Conversations and micro-thoughts to engage your mind and heart.
A thermostat is proactive. It sets the temperature in a room. Controls the temperature. Regulates the temperature. But in today’s distracted, fast-paced and digital world, it’s easy for individuals and organizations to act more like thermometers, slipping into reactionary thinking, becoming scattered and inconsistent. The most compelling leaders, teams, organizations, families or collection of humans of any kind operate in thermostat mode. They calibrate their mind and heart to set the temperature for the vision and culture they want to create. Jason Barger, globally celebrated author, keynote speaker, and founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting, is the host of The Thermostat, a podcast journey to discover authentic leadership, create compelling cultures and find clarity of mission, vision, and values.