Have you ever challenged yourself to leave your comfort zone and try something new or different? Terri Lechton is a speaker, writer, and educator who believes that everyone can live a life of adventure, no matter what their age, ability, or financial situation. As an asthmatic, non-athletic, and only just artistically proficient individual, she has pushed herself to complete a half-marathon in Antarctica, swing through obstacle courses, learn foreign languages, try stand-up comedy, earn a doctor...
Jun 21, 2021•46 min•Season 4Ep. 25
What business are you in? Whether you’re a CPA, CEO, lawyer, banker, entrepreneur, or anything else – the truth is you’re in the people business. Will Hill and Paul Miller are the hosts of the podcast “Pulse of the Practice.” Will has been with Thomson Reuters since 2001 and currently serves as Customer Proposition Strategy Lead. Paul is the owner of Business by Design, an advisory-focused tax and accounting firm. They are going to explore different aspects of building a sustainable relationship...
Jun 14, 2021•52 min•Season 4Ep. 24
Avish Parashar performed improv all through high school, but he stopped in college so he could focus on his studies – a decision greatly supported by his parents. That decision lasted only a few months, however, as after seeing an improv comedy show, he fell back in love. One week later, he auditioned for the campus improv group and the rest, as they say, is history. After graduating, he started Polywampus Improv Comedy, which performed regularly in and around the Philadelphia area for seven yea...
Jun 07, 2021•52 min•Season 4Ep. 23
I love a good challenge. Convincing business leaders that improv is a leadership method has been one of the most difficult. I have to dispel the myth that those who improvise are just "winging it” and “making stuff up." Let's address this myth in the improv process of preparation, practice, and letting go. To learn more and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources: How Martin Luther King Improvised “I Have A Dream” Change Your Mindset is a production of Crate Media Learn...
May 31, 2021•9 min•Season 4Ep. 22
As a leader, do you help your employees feel satisfied in their work or are you just focused on KPIs? Do your employees feel like they are doing something meaningful? Are you keeping your employees aware of developments in the business — even if it’s not good news? This is David Veech’s second appearance on the podcast and, in it, he answers these questions and more. He first appeared in season 3, episode 13: “Getting LEAN in Leadership,” where we discussed how the principles of LEAN manufacturi...
May 24, 2021•50 min•Season 4Ep. 21
In Season 4, Episode 4, 'Successful Negotiations in Corporate America,' the conversation centered around how the principles of improv can help you become a better negotiator. Let's take that discussion and expand on it with some unconventional techniques to help you achieve a win-win when you negotiate. This approach to negotiating requires a give-and-take conversation, and each party will have to give something up in order to get something in return. To learn more, and for the complete show not...
May 17, 2021•11 min•Season 4Ep. 20
How do you define hospitality concerning your customers or clients? Does your organization offer a "black tie" experience — or is it more business casual? Bob Pacanovsky has been an entrepreneur for 25 years, primarily in the hospitality industry. He and his team have created over 7,000 meetings, events, and receptions that each had just one chance to make a wild experience and a lasting impression on clients and guests alike. Now, as a keynote speaker and strategic trainer, he uses his two deca...
May 10, 2021•48 min•Season 4Ep. 19
Have you ever given a presentation only to realize, once you’ve finished, that you left out a critical detail? Or that you mispronounced a word, or someone’s name? Maybe you lost your train of thought in the middle of a sentence and blanked out momentarily, losing the focus of your audience. These mistakes come as a result of a lack of practice, confidence, our nerves operating in overdrive, or all of the above. They might be acceptable for a staff meeting, but not for a board meeting, all staff...
May 03, 2021•13 min•Season 4Ep. 18
Mj Callaway is a former corporate sales trainer and the only female sales executive to rank number one for a national builder. She knows, firsthand, the disruptions that leaders, managers, and executive teams handle daily and how to remain positive, productive, and profitable through it all. A two-time cancer survivor, she’s known for shifting staff attitudes and converting tactics into results. Her newly released book, “Bounce-Up: Outpower Adversity, Boost Resilience, Rebound Higher,” has been ...
Apr 26, 2021•53 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Innovation requires the acceptance of all ideas in order to move forward and be effective. Ego-driven leaders who shoot down ideas from their team stop innovation in its tracks. True creative innovation is fueled by the former, not the latter, approach. How can you and your team begin to change how you innovate, creating a more robust and engaging environment that encourages and rewards risk-taking, respect of others, patience, vulnerability, and giving everyone a say in the process? Start immed...
Apr 19, 2021•14 min•Season 4Ep. 16
What is your definition of success? What is your definition of significance? And what’s the difference between the two? Lauren “The Colonel's Daughter” Schieffer is returning to the show to answer these questions and more. In S4E7, she talked about choosing respect over drama. Most people are programmed to chase success. It’s outwardly focused, with the weighty titles, flashy accomplishments, accolades, and parking spaces. Significance is inwardly focused. It’s about being of service, first, and...
Apr 12, 2021•45 min•Season 4Ep. 15
What do you think about when you hear the word “empathy?” As a leader do you feel like you are empathetic with your team — or are you sympathetic? And why should you care? The better you treat and understand the people you serve through improv leadership, the more empowered they become. The ability to truly listen to another person and be able to empathize with them is showing gratitude, respect, and support. That costs you nothing but time — and that is time well spent. To learn more, and for t...
Apr 05, 2021•13 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Do you think of yourself as a salesperson? Do you subscribe to the notion that we are all in sales? Would you like to become a “rainmaker” for your organization or firm? Ed “The Rainmaker” Robinson has been a business growth advisor and sales trainer for over 30 years. His company provides business growth strategies and leadership skills that transform professionals into rainmakers. He refers to himself as a recovering CPA. In this conversation, he outlines the five step system to creating a bal...
Mar 29, 2021•50 min•Season 4Ep. 13
There are only a few things in life that we are confident of — death, taxes, and change. Do you look at change as an opportunity or something you would rather not experience? Do you expect that the new system installation will go smoothly or that there will be several bumps in the road? How many times have you had to change during this pandemic? As a leader, how do you manage change? Let’s look at the different approaches to change within an organization — designed and imposed change — and how o...
Mar 22, 2021•12 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Have you been successful in climbing the corporate ladder? What have you sacrificed during your ascension? Dr. Alan Patterson has more than three decades of international consulting experience in change management, leadership development, and executive coaching. In 2006 he formed Mentoré, a consulting practice that focuses on aligning strategy, organizational structure, job responsibilities, and skillsets to major shifts in the business. His expertise has been tapped by many global and national ...
Mar 15, 2021•50 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Have you ever been in a meeting and your boss asks you a question about your ideas on a particular subject? After you share your thoughts, your boss responds with negativity and dismissal. When your boss responds this way, creativity stops and it suppresses the rest of the group's creative thoughts and ideas. No one wants to be humiliated like this in front of others. The traditional corporate culture does not allow you to speak your mind and ask questions without feeling insecure or embarrassed...
Mar 08, 2021•12 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Do you cringe when you hear the word ‘negotiation?’ Russ Riddle is known as the Anomaly at Law because he’s down to earth, clearly communicates, and lavishes others with levity. He has practiced marriage for 37 years, law for 29, fatherhood for 28, and braved adventures as a juvenile probation officer and professional speaker. His love of levity stems in part from an intellectual property law practice that has served such clients as Barney, Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, and the voices...
Mar 01, 2021•53 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Why is it that CFOs so often struggle to be understood? First, CFOs speak in the foreign language of accounting. If they are not able to translate accounting jargon into English, then the people they work for will not understand the significance of what they are saying. Second, accounting has an image problem for non-accountants. It’s an image full of pages of mind-numbing numbers that make no sense, leading to ‘listener shut-down’ and creating a phenomenon that, in turn, leads to lack of accoun...
Feb 22, 2021•16 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Do you want to dump the drama, increase production, and lift morale? Do you want to have more engaged employees or members? How well do you handle conflict within your organization? Are you and your team having respectful communication with each other? Lauren Schieffer can address all of those questions and more. She’s the daughter of an Air Force officer, and she grew up being uprooted and relocated every couple of years. This experience imbued her with profound independence and the ability to ...
Feb 15, 2021•48 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Stress is part of our everyday lives, and it can come from so many sources: the daily frustrations of life, our jobs, our relationships, or just the ubiquitous challenges of living through a global pandemic. But stress isn’t always bad — it can motivate us into action. And even in those situations that might initially seem like the negative kind of stress, you have the power to turn it into something positive. And I have found that having an improvisor’s mindset can help you take on the stress t...
Feb 08, 2021•14 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Heather Ettinger is the author of “Lumination: Shining a Light on A Woman’s Journey to Financial Wellness.” As a champion for women and girls for over 30 years, Heather is widely recognized for her dedication to helping women build their financial acumen and wealth, culminating in the founding of Luma Wealth Advisors in 2017. She specializes in helping clients align their resources around their family values to create impact in their communities — shattering old-school beliefs about women and fi...
Feb 01, 2021•55 min•Season 4Ep. 5
What do you feel when you hear the word, negotiate? Dread, Anxiety, Excitement? Do you believe that negotiation skills can be taught? Do you agree with this statement – “we negotiate all the time?” Have you ever searched Google asking one or more of these questions: What skill is the most helpful during a negotiation? How does ego play a role in negotiating? What role does leverage play during negotiations? I will address all of these questions, and how the world of IMPROV can help make you a mu...
Jan 25, 2021•13 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Have you ever taken an accounting course for non-accountants and left the workshop even more confused? Would you agree that accounting has an image problem? Would you be interested in learning the fundamentals of accounting and finance in a way that does not get bogged down in complexity and focuses on simplicity? Adam Wilkinson is a sales partner and corporate educator at Colour Accounting. He advocates that accounting should be a standard form of literacy—just like reading, writing, and arithm...
Jan 18, 2021•52 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Let’s have a conversation about that voice in your head. You know the one. The voice that keeps coming back with the warning, “don’t say that idea out loud because people will think you are stupid or crazy.” Or, another favorite, “you have to be kidding me, you know you can’t speak in front of an audience – you will look like a fool.” You know that voice… and it has a lot more to say on any number of things – and none of it is good. This is the voice of your inner critic. And it can be dealt wit...
Jan 11, 2021•11 min•Season 4Ep. 2
We all have been on a dysfunctional team. And, when we are, we dread driving to work or zooming in; we dread being part of the team meeting because everyone is talking over each other; we dread dealing with members of the team who are disengaged. There is always one person who thinks they are the smartest person in the room, and they continuously tell everyone. Team members are missing deadlines, making excuses, exhibiting negative body language, and are abundantly clear with their “I don’t care...
Dec 28, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 35
Do you have value issues in your professional and personal lives? Do you derive your value from what you do? Do you say yes to everything? Jeff Koziatek is a nationally recognized speaker, certified life coach, author, award-winning entertainer, and mindset catalyst who wants to help people address the above questions in their lives. After 20 years of work in the entertainment industry producing award-winning films, running an event management company, and acting in movies and television, Jeff s...
Dec 21, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 34
Over the past two years, I’ve been doing research on the topic of improvisational leadership. In the book “Getting to Yes And” by Bob Kulhan, he discusses that effective leaders can answer four questions about themselves: Why this? Why now? What do I have to do? What’s in it for me? Bob discusses these questions as if he was to bring the tenets of improvisation into his firm. So why should you consider bringing improv into your organization? Let’s discuss that now. To learn more, and for the com...
Dec 14, 2020•13 min•Season 3Ep. 33
At the age of 27, Rachel Richards quit her job and retired, living off of $15,000 a month in passive income from her 40 residential rental units. She’s the author of “Money Honey” and “Passive Income, Aggressive Retirement,” and she has an online course entitled “Get Your Financial Shit Together.” To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: petermargaritis.com Resources: moneyhoneyrachel.com Instagram: @moneyhoneyrachel Read: “Money Honey” Read: “Passive Income, Aggressive Retirement”...
Dec 07, 2020•46 min•Season 2Ep. 32
We were all thrown into this virtual world kicking and screaming—virtual meetings, virtual presentations, and virtual happy hours suddenly becoming the norm. There are a few things to keep in mind when facilitating a virtual meeting or presentation, as well as things to consider when part of the audience. I have eight tips you can use to make sure your virtual meetings and presentations don’t suck. If you follow these tips, you should be well on your way to giving a better and more engaging virt...
Nov 30, 2020•11 min•Season 3Ep. 31
Would you describe your balance sheet as a fortress? Are your products and services properly priced at a profit or are they actually the silent killer of your business? Would you consider yourself someone who can see the future?” If you’re not sure about the answers to any of these questions, you really should be — and Ken "Mr. Biz" Wentworth is going to help you get there. Ken developed his business expertise during 20+ years in leadership positions, advising businesses, from Fortune 15 compani...
Nov 23, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 30
