The Building Champions Podcast

Why do certain thoughts repeat in our minds? Author Jon Acuff calls these thoughts “soundtracks.” Is the stickiness of these repeating thoughts similar to the stickiness of the catchiest song? In this podcast episode, learn from songwriter and musician Rachael Price of Love, DEAN what makes a song sticky so that you can undermine the power of a repeating thought. Don’t let your leadership get stuck because of a limiting thought or belief.

If you have a capacity problem, you either reduce flow or increase size—and it’s vital to understand the variables and risk factors that can cause the limit to be reached. When we, as leaders, hit our capacity we need to either find a way to reduce the flow or grow our team and resources. But before we reach capacity, we can expand our leadership by properly resourcing, prioritizing, and delegating. In this podcast episode, learn from Joel Ayres of the Tualatin Valley Water District just how important it is to monitor capacity so that you can stay ahead of the demand curve and allow your work to flow with efficiency.

We like to think we have control over outcomes—but we really don’t. What we do have control over though is the process. An athlete disciplines themselves to get enough sleep, eat nutritiously, exercise, and practice, but they can’t control the weather on game day or whether the opposition shows up in a way that turns the outcome of the game in their favor. It’s the same in leadership—we can pour ourselves into the process, but we can’t always guarantee the outcome. In this podcast episode, learn from pickleball champion, Bonnie Williams, on how focusing on what you can control will ultimately help you trust yourself and the process you take to get the results you want. 

If you lead people, your regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings with them are one of your highest payoff activities as a leader. Yet too many leaders either don't commit to them – or are unsure about how to structure them to benefit both them and their people.  Dr. Tom Orazio has been a dentist for more than 40 years and sees the same things from some of his patients when it comes to their regular dental cleanings. We'll hop into the dental chair to learn more about how we can help set ourselves and our people up for success – and get the most from our one-on-one meetings. 

The Building Champions Podcast is back for Season 4.  New episodes coming September 10.  Catch up on past episodes at BuildingChampions.com/podcast 

How do you find the balance between thinking enough of yourself to leverage your talents and abilities, but not too much that you become arrogant? In leadership, finding the balance in humility is key. Timberline Lodge ski and ride school director, Steve Muise, teaches those new to skiing and snowboarding how to achieve and maintain balance. Strength and flexibility are needed to keep you from tumbling down the mountain when hitting rough terrain. Learn how you can apply Steve’s balance tips to your own journey toward becoming a humble leader—leverage your strengths with confidence and you will positively impact those around you.  For more information, to subscribe, or to catch up on previous episodes, visit us at: www.buildingchampions.com/podcast

We so often view stress as bad, the negative thing in our life that disrupts our desire for comfort and ease. But what if stress actually serves as a motivator—inciting us toward health and growth? If we strive to avoid stress at all times, are we choosing comfort at the expense of change and progress? Personal trainer and competitive power lifter, Brooke Rooney, explains how stress is foundational to strength training. You must continue to introduce new exercises and work different muscle groups to get stronger. By changing our perspective towards stress, we can view it as an opportunity to become healthier—both physically and mentally. Learn how you can apply Brooke’s strength training tips to your own leadership and welcome the stress that comes with growth. For more information, to subscribe, or to catch up on previous episodes, visit us at: www.buildingchampions.com/podcast

Basketball is a strong link game—teams can be built around the star player. Soccer is a weak link game—teams need qualified players in all positions in order to be successful. So what does this concept teach us about building our own teams and cultures? Learn from soccer coach Tracy Nelson of Portland Thorns Academy as she explains that building a winning soccer team requires not only skill, but chemistry, character and culture. You can’t just pick a star player and jeopardize the culture if they break apart the entire team. A successful team leverages individual strengths—and aligned towards a shared goal, they can win. Learn how you can apply these same principles to build stronger teams that deliver better results. For more information, to subscribe, or to catch up on previous episodes, visit us at: www.buildingchampions.com/podcast

As strange as it may be, research has shown that shared painful experiences actually promote stronger relationships, increased trust and willing cooperation. Can shared experiences then—both good and bad—bond teams together to create an environment for success? Andrew Paul shares how the intensity of his Navy SEAL training fostered deep connection within his team—causing them to think less about themselves and more about each other. This shared experience of suffering formed a team of people who began to see each new obstacle as a challenge to overcome—together. Learn how you can apply this idea to your own team and build resiliency within your organization. For more information, to subscribe, or to catch up on previous episodes, visit us at: www.buildingchampions.com/podcast

In today's modern world, we hear lots of talk about focusing on strengths—and for good reason. But what if our weaknesses are so big they actually cancel out our strengths? In those cases, the weaknesses can severely limit our leadership effectiveness—they can’t be ignored. The head of engineering at Daimler Trucks North America, Rainer Mueller-Finkeldei, explains how a single point of failure can cause an entire system to come crashing down—and how to recognize and avoid that by better understanding multiplicative systems. For more information, to subscribe, or to catch up on previous episodes, visit us at: www.buildingchampions.com/podcast