The Crossroad Podcast: Redefining Effective Leadership

S3 Ep12: Crawl, Walk, Run

Building a healthy organizational culture is hard work. You have to crawl before you can walk. And walk before you can run. In today’s episode, we talk about life along the path. The daily grind is complicated and challenging. It requires us to learn and to adapt. It invites us to pursue our grand vision in small and intentional ways. When we set goals, milestones and strategies in alignment with our Transcendent vision, we will find ourselves participating in meaningful culture.

S3 Ep 11: Change and Be Changed

In this episode, we talk about what it looks like to steward your influence. There are lots of different kinds of influence, some more effective than others. All can be used for good or for ill. Building an effective organizational culture begins with individual character and the choices we make. We are all leaders, influencing the people around us. How do we steward that opportunity well? How do we open ourselves to learn and accept the leadership of others? In a healthy culture, each of us will teach and learn. We will influence and be influenced.

S3 Ep 10: Fervent Clarity

There is nothing more vital to building an organizational culture than effective communication. Although we are constantly sending and receiving messages, people are rarely as intentional as they ought to be. This results in divisive and confused organizations. How can we overcome the barriers of communication and unlock the key to organizational culture?

S3 Ep 9: Neither Idol nor Idiot

In this episode, we talk about the importance of human emotion. How can we steward our emotions well, giving them their proper due - no more and no less? People are emotional creatures. Although each person is responsible for stewarding their own emotions, organizations formulate mental models that serve as a framework or a template for how emotion is treated within the culture. With intention, we can build a framework that honors people and serves as a catalyst for healthy cultures and effective pursuit of our There.

S3 Ep 8: How To Win A Fight

In this episode, we address one of the most fundamental elements to building an effective organizational culture: seeking and sharing the truth. Truth is an acquired taste and when we seek it together, conflict is inevitable. But conflict is neutral, neither positive or negative. It is an opportunity. How we approach conflict and the path we take to resolve it can be a vital tool toward achieving the mission of our organizations.

S3 Ep 7: Boundaries Enhance Freedom

In this episode, we discuss the nature of boundaries and consequences. How does boundary setting enhance freedom? It creates walls that keep us from actions inconsistent with our character. And, by doing so, boundaries create pathways that help funnel us toward mission, values, and productivity. Consequences are not an eternal indictment; they are a way to get us back on track, to re-align with the kind of life, organization, and mission that truly matter to us.

S3 Ep 6: Whose Fault is it Anyway

In this episode, we talk about blame. Most organizations develop a certain kind of dynamic - one in which all of the participants are competing with one another for the titles and the spoils rather than working together to collaborate toward a mission. What causes us to make enemies out of one another? What perspective, structures, and messaging can we adopt to help turn our organizations into places where teammates thrive? Join us as we discuss the transformational power of focusing on what you can control.

S 3 Ep 5: Quitting Time

In this episode, we talk about the power of perseverance. The only thing that empowers us to push past obstacles, setbacks, and sorrow is a vision we believe in. If we want to establish a healthy organizational culture, our mental model around failing will play an integral part. Chasing after meaning is complicated and messy. We will make mistakes along the way. We will fall short. One of the key structures in organizational development is learning when to quit and when to see these setbacks as an opportunity to learn and grow.

S 3 Ep 4: Vision

In this episode, we examine the role of vision in an organizational culture. How do we determine a vision? Not just one that looks good or sounds impressive, but one that is true. Vision setting begins with analyzing what we value. The heart of a dysfunctional organization is the prevalence of competing visions. A clear and unified mission is the bedrock of a healthy organization.

S 3 Ep 3: Structure