The Clear Path Connection is a show that focuses on the services we provide, important issues facing the veteran community, and ways that we can unite to better assist the men and women who served our country. Clear Path for Veterans, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is Upstate New York’s archetype Veteran Service Organization serving as a hub of information, programs and resources. We are a welcoming community of staff and volunteers serving all Veterans and their families. As a single ...
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Rob Fonte is the host of the Leadership Jam Session Podcast, where every other week you'll get to hear leaders at all levels of management share their practical solutions to the management challenges you face every day. On this podcast, Rob shares leadership experiences with listeners by bringing in leaders from all different levels to “Jam” on a variety of leadership topics. Some of the best insights are captured from just listening and learning from each other as they share their experienc ...
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096: Career Development: The Importance of Breadth
25:47
25:47
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In this episode, I take you back to the middle of a conversation I had in 2023 around the intricacies of career development with distinguished guests, Mark Jarvis and Brian Reardon, who both hold leadership roles in learning and development. This was a conversation full of insights for those navigating the complexities of building a rewarding caree…
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095: Navigating Leadership: Melanie Lennear on Vulnerability and Crucial Conversations
37:00
37:00
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In this episode, I sit with Melanie Lennear, a seasoned healthcare professional with 18 years of experience and a track record of managing an award-winning sales team. Melanie shares her guiding principles of leadership, emphasizing faith, family support, personal growth, and maintaining a growth mindset. Transitioning from a peer to a management r…
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094: Lessons in Leadership: Cultural Adaptability, Honesty, and Transparency, with Jovan Antunovic
28:56
28:56
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28:56
In this episode, I sit down with Jovan Antunovic, an international business leader with over 25 years of experience across the specialty pharmaceutical, medical device, medical equipment, and diagnostics industries. Jovan brings a wealth of global insights, having led cross-functional teams in the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan. Jovan shares his gui…
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093: Our People Finish First, with NASCAR L&D Leader, Rob Carman
34:17
34:17
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In this episode, I sit with Rob Carman, Senior Director of L&D for NASCAR. Rob shares his insights on leadership, team development, and the importance of emotional intelligence in fostering a positive and productive work environment. He emphasizes the crucial role of trust, honesty, and passion in leadership, likening emotional intelligence to "the…
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092: How Gen X Can Transform Leadership, with Dr. Robert DeFinis
32:36
32:36
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In this episode, I have a dynamic conversation with Dr. Robert DeFinis, exploring various aspects of leadership, generational dynamics, and the unique qualities of Generation X (Gen X) leaders. Dr. DeFinis, who has worked with children, athletes, coaches, leaders, and organizations for over 20 years has a diversified background with extensive exper…
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091: How Leaders Can Get to "The Point", with Steve Woodruff
27:31
27:31
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In episode 91 of the Leadership Jam Session, I sit with the King of Clarity, Steve Woodruff, to talk about his new book titled "The Point: How to Win with Clarity-Fueled Communications." The book is an expansion of Woodruff's previous work, "Clarity Wins," and it offers a practical and universal formula for clear communication applicable to any typ…
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090: How a People-Centric Approach changed everything, with Jonathan Cinelli
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In episode 90 of the Leadership Jam Session Podcast, I sit with Jonathan Cinelli, a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in the construction industry. Jonathan is the host of the People First Then Construction podcast and is also the author of Kick Your Ego Aside and Put People First. He shares his leadership journey and transformation …
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089: Coaching to different generations, with Kim Catania
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33:14
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In this episode, I sit with Kim Catania, a successful strategic and leadership development consultant, to discuss the challenges and nuances of coaching and leading the younger generations in the workforce, specifically Millennials and Generation Z. Kim is member of LTEN, the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, and is a guest lecturer at Sacred…
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088: The A to Z of being the best leader you can be, with Dr. Yvonne Bleam
20:56
20:56
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In this episode, I sit with Dr. Yvonne Bleam, Senior Director of Training and Development at Geron Corporation and author of "A to Z of being the best leader you can be, leading through the alphabet," discusses the importance of teaching leadership concepts to children. Yvonne emphasizes that adults have a responsibility to raise tomorrow's leaders…
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087: Crafting a Personal Leadership Model, with Tim McElderry
30:44
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In this episode, I sit with Tim McElderry, a Director of Commercial Leadership Training in the biopharmaceutical industry. Tim shares his leadership journey, including the creation of his personal leadership model, and how he intends to apply his expertise in leadership in a bid for public office. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Tim's leadership journey started wit…
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086: The art of knowing when training or coaching is the solution
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28:23
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In today's fast paced and ever evolving world, the success of any organization hinges on the skills and expertise of its employees. But how can organizations ensure that their workforce is equipped with the right knowledge and abilities to thrive in a highly competitive landscape? That's where training and coaching come into play. Joining me today …
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This is part two of a two-part recording where I sit with several coaches that participated in a recent Emerging Leaders program that I create and facilitate. These are seasoned leaders, hand selected by the organization to help coach assigned participants throughout the entire duration of the program. You'll hear perspectives around the importance…
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For many of my clients, I create and facilitate what's called an Emerging Leaders program. It's designed to prepare emerging leaders for their first management positions. Participants learn and apply foundational leadership skills throughout a multi-phased experiential journey. At the core of the program is the use of internal managers to serve as …
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083: How to Turn Around a Failing Culture, with Rob DiTota
29:26
29:26
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In this episode, I sit with Rob DiTota, vice president of US commercial for a large medical device organization and has over 25 years of healthcare experience with 15 years of leadership experience. Rob has a unique background where you will hear him talk about his leadership experience as an officer in the fire services, as well as his leadership …
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082: How Leadership Begets Followership, with Michael Lyons
36:20
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In this episode, I sit with Michael Lyons, who serves as president and general manager of oncology at Myriad Genetics, where he brings over 20 years of experience in the biotech, MedTech, and pharmaceutical space. Michael was recognized by PharmaVoice Magazine as one of the top 100 most inspiring global leaders, and Pharmaceutical Executive Magazin…
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081: Seeking to Understand First, with Sandy Black
22:10
22:10
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In this episode, I sit with Sandy Black who’s Vice President of North America Commercial Operations at LivaNova, a global medical technology company. Sandy's responsible for several departments within the commercial side of the organization including commercial data and analytics, sales incentives, commercial excellence and training, customer servi…
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080: The pouring, pulling, and pushing of Leadership
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In this episode, I sit with Edgar Butler Jr. Edgar is a seasoned leader with a background in the insurance industry. Edgar is also a leadership and employee development coach and author of Clarify, Construct, and Control Your Career. We discuss Edgar’s early days that shaped and molded his leadership style with great tips and a framework for leadin…
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In this episode, I sit with Dr. Calvin Lawrence. Dr. Calvin is a motivational speaker and a leadership consultant. He has over 40 years of experience teaching and leading in the educational system at the high school and collegiate level. He also has a doctorate in educational leadership and administration. We discuss the successes and mistakes lear…
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078: On Mission: Your Journey to Authentic Leadership
29:24
29:24
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In this episode, I sit with co-authors Sean Georges and Dr. John Buford to talk about their recently published book titled, On mission: Your Journey to Authentic Leadership. The book serves as a resource for personal leadership development, crafted by Sean and John, two former marine officers with a combined 80 years of leadership experience in mil…
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In this episode, I sit with several leaders during a Leaders Jam Session monthly call. Our discussion focused on employees who tender their resignation because they’ve received an offer for another job that pays more. How would you handle this situation? KEY TAKEAWAYS Very rarely does someone leave a job strictly based on money. Ask good questions …
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076: Humility – The “H Factor” in Leadership, with Dr. Matt Sowcik
36:23
36:23
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In this episode, I sit with Dr. Matt Sowcik, Assistant Professor of Leadership Education at the University of Florida, and author of a new book titled, “The H Factor: The intersection between humility and great leadership”. Dr. Matt and I talk about humility as key factor in leadership, some of its underpinnings, and how to overcome the widely felt…
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075: Public and Private Sector: Common Leadership Principles, with Police Chief Joe Kelly
29:42
29:42
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In this episode, I sit with the Chief of Police for the Yardley Borough (Pennsylvania) police department, Joe Kelly. Prior to joining the Yardley police department, he spent 23 years with the New Jersey transit police retiring at the rank of a deputy. Chief Kelly and I talk about his leadership journey, his approach, and what leadership looks like …
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074: The future of leadership is to be a Wayfinder
23:39
23:39
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In this episode, I sit with leadership expert and organizational psychologist, Dr. Ciela Hartanov, who was part of the founding team of the Google School for Leaders as well as Head of Next Practice, Innovation and Strategy at Google, where she developed projects designed to shape the future of leadership and work. Dr. Ciela currently runs humcolle…
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073: The Crossroads between Neuropsychology and Emotional Intelligence
45:42
45:42
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In this episode, I sit with experienced neuropsychologist Dr. Julia DiGangi, who shows you how to expand the power of your nervous system to hold more emotional voltage. As a brain scientist, Dr. Julia knows that your nervous system is your portal to power. She will show you how to take the pain in your life - your stress, your struggle, your suffe…
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In this episode, I am in the middle of a Leaders Jam Session – a monthly group jam session that I host where participants get to share and learn from one another on how to tackle daily leadership challenges. Here, we’re talking about best practices for how to plan and run a successful team meeting, whether it’s a one or multi-day meeting. Key Takea…
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In this episode, I sit with two-time guest Major General (ret.) Craig B. Whelden. General Whelden spent 30 years in the U.S. Army, followed by seven in the private sector, and another nine as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) with the U.S. Marine Corps. General Whelden has had a very interesting military career including being present …
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070: How to encourage work-life balance with your teams
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The topic of work-life balance is always top of mind for new and tenured leaders, and it means something different to all of us. In this episode, James and I tackle this topic which was inspired by some dialogue from a LinkedIn post I was tagged in. Tune in for a tips and advice on how to encourage work-life balance with your teams (and with yourse…
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069: The DNA of a Winner with best selling author Brad Dalton
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In this episode I sit with Brad Dalton. Brad is a motivational and inspirational speaker, an empowerment and success coach, and a lifelong educator. We discuss his best-selling book DNA of a winner, eight steps to building the soul print of a winner. Warning - Brad’s positivity and energy are contagious! KEY TAKEAWAYS Great leaders are great teache…
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In this episode, I sit with previous guests Kim Metcalf and Paul Catanzaro to discuss leadership lessons from the hit series, Ted Lasso. There are so many leadership learnings and awesome quotes from this show, we thought we should take the time to unpack a few. Key Takeaways: Know and respect your people (3:29) Trust and Accountability (5:17) Comp…
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In this episode I sit with Martine Kalaw, MPA. Martine is an Organizational Development expert, author, speaker, and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) consultant and trainer for corporate executives with more than a decade of experience increasing the performance and productivity of fortune 500 companies and tech startups. We discuss her lat…
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066: How Creating Strong Bonds Creates High-Performing Teams, with Andrej Baranek
21:09
21:09
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Looking to create a strong bond with your team? In this episode I sit with Andrej Baranek, a Vice President of Strategic manufacturing and tenured leader of global teams. We discuss Andrej’s leadership journey as he shares several useful tips and advice for creating high-performing teams, including an initiative he launched during the pandemic call…
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065: Chasing the 'Why', with Aric Burkhart
24:39
24:39
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In this episode I sit with Aric Burkhart, who is a senior national sales director, with over 16 years of healthcare industry experience and more than 12 years of leadership experience. We discuss Aric’s leadership journey as he shares several useful tips and advice for leading teams, including an initiative he launched with his team called ‘Chase t…
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How can leaders become better communicators? Steve Woodruff is a well-respected speaker and workshop facilitator, known as the 'king of clarity' throughout the business world. Steve has over 25 years of consulting experience in the life sciences training industry. He is also the author of the Amazon best-selling book "Clarity Wins. Get Heard. Get R…
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063: 2021 Year-End Wrap up & Lessons Learned
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16:51
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As 2021 comes to an end, I wanted to thank my audience and guests for their support and valuable contributions. To discuss some of the essential leadership themes we covered on the podcast, I welcome James Christie, my podcast producer. Tune in to learn our top leadership tips and lessons from 2021. We also discuss the challenges leaders will be fa…
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062: How to Keep Your Vision Alive with Your Team
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How can leaders keep their vision alive and consistent with their teams? In our latest Coach’s Jam Session, we discussed the best techniques and approaches to keep your vision alive throughout the year. Tune in to learn our tips on creating an impactful and purposeful message for your vision. We’ll also discuss the importance of understanding diffe…
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061– Ask Rob: Field-Based vs. Home Office Team Management with James Christie
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What is the difference between managing field-based vs. home office teams? In our 'Ask Rob' series, people reach out to me through my website asking for leadership advice. To help me tackle this particular question, I sat down with James Christie, my podcast producer. Tune in to learn our tips on how to manage teams in both scenarios successfully. …
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060: How to Keep Employees Engaged in a Hybrid Workplace
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How can leaders keep their employees engaged during extended COVID lockdowns? During our latest Coach’s Jam Session, we examined the challenges and benefits of working in a hybrid workplace. Tune in to learn how to keep your people motivated in times of uncertainty. We discuss the importance of developing a supportive leadership style and understan…
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059: How to Become More Efficient by Leveraging Your Productivity Style
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How can you be more effective and impactful in your work? Carson Tate is the Founder and Managing Partner of Working Simply. We discuss her Productivity Style Assessment, designed to help you learn your cognitive style and become more efficient at work. We'll also talk about her view on my scores after taking the assessment! Carson and her consulti…
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058 – Ask Rob: What Are the Advantages of Situational Leadership?
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What is situational leadership, and what are some of its benefits? I've always been a big fan of the situational leadership model. To me, it's the very backbone of leadership, and in today's 'Ask Rob' segment, I explain precisely why. I break down the model's four stages, and I share a few examples of how it works. I also explain why new managers s…
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057: Four Attributes of Successful Leaders with Jon Macaskill, Retired Navy SEAL Commander
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What are some attributes that successful leaders and teams share? Jon Macaskill is a retired Navy SEAL commander who served in the military for almost 24 years. He joins me to discuss four attributes of successful leaders he has witnessed throughout his career. Today, Jon uses his experience and personal stories to help organizations overcome some …
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056 – Ask Rob: What’s the Fastest Way to Gain Your Employees’ Trust?
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Can you reduce the amount of time it takes to build trust with your employees? This is a question that regularly comes up in my workshops. And in this new installment of our ‘Ask Rob’ series, that’s precisely what I’m discussing. I share a few techniques I use to reduce the timeline of building trust with my employees. I also examine some of the re…
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055: How to Assess Self-Awareness During a Job Interview
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As a manager, you'll often find yourself trying to hire for an open position. While this is a standard process, choosing the right applicant can sometimes get tricky. How do you determine who the person sitting down in front of you truly is? Moreover, how can you find out whether or not they have or lack self-awareness? Today's episode will consist…
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054: Leadership Tips From Dave Forman, US Submarine Captain
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What are the fundamentals of good leadership? Today's guest is Captain Dave Forman, US Navy Submarine Captain and founder of Wolfpack Leadership. Dave provides his clients with practical training and the application of proven leadership methods from US submarines. He has over 20 years of experience at all leadership levels, from line manager to chi…
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053: Top Challenges of Managing in a Matrix Environment
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The matrix environment: When you have employees reporting to you and reporting to other managers on a dotted line. Getting everyone on the same page with this type of team alignment can get a little confusing. Nevertheless, a matrix environment defined by sincerity, humility, and communication can yield impressive results. So, what are the most sig…
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052: Sometimes It’s the Little Things That Matters Most
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How do great leaders approach team management? Today's guest is Scott Holmes, a good friend who used to work with me at a previous company. Scott is a great leader and has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. He is currently the vice president of the commercial business group at a startup biotech company. In this week's episode o…
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051 - Ask Rob: How Do I Know If I’m a Good Leader?
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Many of you reach out to me from time to time with a challenging management scenario, where you'd like to get guidance on how to approach that. Today's episode will feature a new format that we rolled out called ‘Ask Rob’. Today's question is from Doug, who is from Colorado: "Hi, Rob. I was recently promoted into a management position about eight m…
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050: How to Manage An Employee Who Lacks Self-Awareness
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Today's episode will focus on a prevalent yet challenging scenario that plagues all of us: How do you deal with an employee who lacks self-awareness? As leaders, we've all been there, and I'm confident you've seen this scenario time and time again. However, objectively assessing the situation can get tricky. Sometimes, it may even boil down to a di…
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049: Remembering 9/11: Part 2 – Our Personal Stories
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Earlier this week we released the first part of our tribute to the 20th anniversary of 9/11, where I shared a bit about my time as an officer in the Fire Department of my hometown, Kenilworth, New Jersey. I talked about some of the leadership lessons I learned during those years and how I led a firefighters company into New York City on 9/11. So, t…
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048: Remembering 9/11: Part 1- What My Time As A Firefighter Taught Me About Leadership
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As the Leadership Jam Session Podcast is approaching its 50th episode, I want to thank all of my listeners for investing your time to tune in and listen to my podcast. In this episode I share a little bit about my time as an officer in the Fire Department of my hometown, Kenilworth, New Jersey, and some of the valuable lessons on leadership I got t…
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047 – Ask Rob: How to Handle Two Employees Who Are Not Getting Along
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Today's episode will feature a new format we're launching called 'Ask Rob', where I answer questions I've received from listeners on how to handle challenging scenarios related to managing teams. This episode is based on a question I recently received asking me how to manage two employees who are not getting along but need to work together to achie…
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