35 Ideas that will change your productivity. Use these simple strategies to increase efficiency and make an impact every day.

http://chrislocurto.com/the-3-negative-mindsets-holding-you-back-right-now/

You have permission to feel worthy. You have permission to know that you are valued by somebody who is way more important than somebody else on this planet. You have permission, so make the decision right now. Make the decision right now. Choose.

http://chrislocurto.com/5-cant-ignore-keys-to-business-growth/

If you’ve run a business for more than a day, you know growing a company involves more than selling stuff.

Fast forward a year or two later when you’ve added team members, and you definitely know it involves more than that!

As an entrepreneur or leader, you know these issues, and so many more, are part of running a company and leading a team.

That said, I’ve learned how to eliminate or minimize them in my business so they don’t hold my team back or me from crushing it every day.

Here are 5 keys you can’t ignore to grow your business.

http://chrislocurto.com/downloads

Today, on the podcast, we are answering a question that came in from one of our listeners.

Justin writes, "I have to start with the obvious. Thanks for all that you guys are doing and keep killing it. I know you're always open to suggestions for podcast topics, and yes we are, so I wanted to throw out the idea of doing something high level on communication, and maybe topic in with your top 10 recommended books on communication.

I loved your list on the poverty mindset. I know how important you think communication is, and I think most of your listeners could benefit from what you have to say on the topic and from the books you recommend. Thanks again, and keep up the good work."

Thank you Justin, we appreciate all of that. I'm going to answer Justin's question but before I do I have created a tool for you to use to help you better communicate.

There are some do's and some don'ts of body language when you're communicating effectively. So make sure that you get today's download if you want to know these things, and you want the power of understanding body language, and the things to do and not to do for effective communication.

Here are the points we discuss:

Verbal Communication
Non-verbal Communication
Listening
Patience
Asking Questions
Respect
Problem Solving
Being Socially Aware
Self-Management
Responsibility and Accountability
Assertiveness

http://chrislocurto.com/how-to-move-forward-when-you-feel-stuck/

I am all about solving problems, fixing things, getting my hands dirty, and discovering the why behind the what...but what do you do when you feel stuck?
Today on the podcast, we hear from Jill, who is struggling with just that.
“Hi Chris, my name is Jill, I'm 45, I am not married, never married, no kids and have
found myself in a situation where I am not working, I've been looking for a job since
November, I moved across the country two years ago and still am not connected at
all.

I did that because I felt that's what the Lord was asking me to do, but I know
that I'm extremely closed down and I have a business, I'm an AdvoCare independent
distributor, have been since 2002 and can't seem to get myself to do that business
and it's all about not having a belief in myself.

I hear on your podcasts about life plan and agree that that's exactly what I need to do but I found myself having zero money, no ability to get to it and honestly I don't know what to do anymore.

I'm extremely unhappy and that's not the kind of person I am, so any hope as far as advice or action plan would be very, very welcome. Thanks Chris, I love everything you do.”
Wow! I know that there are a lot of people right now that can relate to Jill's question.

Finding value in our success, our business and our life can create a position of constantly wanting control and failing to trust God in the process. We need to establish our core value in the Creator of all things, even in our businesses. 

Brian Alex and I talk about what it is like to let go of control, finding our value in Christ and how to continue the patterns of following Him when that may look like letting go of our current situations.

http://chrislocurto.com/downloads

Do you have any bad habits? Do you wonder why so many successful Entrepreneurs are able to create habits that contribute to their success while others can't seem to get them to stick? Well then you are in for a treat on today's podcast. The crazy, incredibly talented Gretchen Rubin in on to talk about that very thing! One of the things with happiness and habits, is to manage your own mind, to really think about the mood that you're in or the way that you're feeling and think about, "What can I do to fix this? That is the biggest myth is that there's a right habit that everyone should follow and it will work for everyone. There's all different factors that could influence whether someone found it easier or harder to keep their habit of exercise. An important clue is, when have you succeeded and when have you failed? How do you measure people against each other? How do you create a framework for understanding the patterns that we see? This thing almost melted my brain, it was so hard to grasp. I realized that when it comes to habits, people fell into four very striking patterns. I divided all of humanity into four. There are upholders, questioners, obligers, and rebels. So, the challenge for each of us is to take advantage of the strengths and counterbalance the weaknesses so we can get ourselves to the place we would want to be.

Nearly every year 100 Jewish people are included in the Forbes 400 Wealthiest Americans. By demographic proportion, there shouldn’t be more than 8 or 9. How are they consistently wealthier than the rest of the population? Rabbi Lapin shares how on today’s episode of The Chris LoCurto Show!

Learn how to lead your team through conflict, struggle, and difficulties…right down into the details of what to say when you’re leading these conversations!

Show notes and resources here >> https://chrislocurto.com/how-to-tackle-tough-conversations-with-your-team/

TODAY is the last day to save $100 ($160 on each if you buy 2 or more) on your Next-Level Leadership LIVE Event tickets!

Don't miss it - it ends 1/29 at MIDNIGHT >> ChrisLoCurto.com/Events

Key Takeaways:

* What holds back leaders from longterm success with tough conversations [1:42]
* Learn the two outcomes of tough conversations for your team [06:05]
* The powerful method to get you started with tackling tough conversations [06:57]
* How to sideline what will keep you from being successful leading your team member to a solution [09:44]
* How to gain perspective from the team member [11:20]
* Next steps in guiding tough conversations [15:56]
* How to guide your team member to “self-discovery” [18:52]
* What to do when a team member is defensive, difficult or defiant in a tough conversation [21:57]

Grace. It’s something we all need. Oddly enough, it’s not something that we give very freely. Every single one of us has junk in our lives. Instead of judgement or ridicule, we need to give grace and receive grace.

You’ve had at least one leader who was a jerk, a leader who was rough, a leader who didn’t have grace. The thing is that you have to understand people do what they’re taught.

Leading with grace requires one huge, huge thing. The first thing that leading with grace requires is, a relationship with the almighty God. A relationship with the one who has the most grace.

Your God is somebody who loves you so much, so much that he wants to spend eternity with you, that he did the greatest act of grace ever, and that was on the cross.

That was him saying, “I want everlasting life with you and so I am going to take on the worlds worst beatings, the worlds worst punishment, so that I can have it with you.” All you’ve got to do is choose.

That act is such a massive act of love, and an act of grace.

Now what does that mean for leading? What it means is if I am going to treat people with grace I must first have it. I have been given so much grace that I must give grace.

I have had so much grace in my life because I have screwed so many things up, I have done so many things with stupid, I have done so many things wrong, and I have needed that grace from god even when I didn’t realize I was doing things wrong.

It was there, and it’s been there, and I’ve bee able to receive that. I’m able to look back on my life and see many of the things that God has done to give me grace I must give grace to others.

Leading others has to start with me, I start with the understanding that I have this grace.

Joel Boggess’s ReLaunch Show has been named one of the top five shows to jump start your inspiration and one of the top twenty business podcasts of 2015.

On today’s podcast Joel shares his discoveries about the value of determination, persistence, and faith on all sides. He illustrates how those three actions brought about a new beginning. Joel believes everyone has a message that is unique to them and the greatest gift we can give is to share that message.

As a bonus, Joel has given us his top 7 mistakes that podcasters make. Click below to receive your copy.

Bad attitudes will ruin your team. I say it all the time, champions want to be around other champions.

Negative team members will poison those around them, and ultimately your champions will leave because of it.
http://chrislocurto.com/7-ways-to-lead-a-negative-team-member/

Listen leaders, you’ve got to take action. You have to do something about it, because I can promise you this…allowing one negative team member to chase off two champions is going to implode your team.

if you don’t stop that right now, then what you are allowing the negativity to shape and mold your culture.

These team members are literally forcing culture on you, and the company, or at least that team.

If you are a team leader, it is absolutely shaping your team’s culture. DO NOT allow it. It is dangerous!

If your self-perception is wrong or distorted, your efforts and decisions will be misguided...

Here are 5 steps to leading yourself better starting this week: https://chrislocurto.com/5-critical-steps-to-lead-yourself-better/

Have you ever noticed that highly successful people have a distinct mindset? Do you wonder what they do to stay mentally strong?

On today's show, I unpack 18 Habits of Mentally Strong People. The stuff that so many people avoid doing, or have no clue that they should be doing them.

There are so many nuggets of wisdom in this podcast that we have created a FREE DOWNLOAD for you containing ALL 18 habits!

Words have the power to destroy. Learn how to speak life into people's lives.
https://chrislocurto.com/how-to-change-lives-with-your-words-and-the-study-behind-it/

Here's how to replace the stress that eats away at happiness and puts knots in your shoulders...with your words.

What's the science behind speaking life? Today we talk about how to reverse negativity, speak life into others, pray for others, and make an impact on the people in your life.

Marriage can be one of the most amazing parts of your life, and it can be the most stressful, challenging thing in your life - or anything in between.

Without the right answers and tools, unity breaks down and we weaken the relationship.

Get the free pdf download of "4 Principles to Build a Stronger Marriage" here >> https://chrislocurto.com/building-a-strong-marriage/

Today’s episode is strategic and tactical, AND you get a sneak peek into our operations...it's about getting solid execution at every level of your business.

In our interview, you’re going to learn how to…

*Have more effective internal communication
*Give accountability at the task level without getting bogged down
*Improve execution on projects.

Show notes and resources here >> https://chrislocurto.com/my-favorite-tool-for-communication-and-execution/

http://chrislocurto.com/work-by-design/

I am so excited to announce that the Work by Design Summit officially starts today!

It's all about Purpose, Productivity and Profit.

Click BELOW to get your FREE ticket!

https://mm216.isrefer.com/go/workbydesign/clo

Here are my top 5 reasons for highly recommending joining this summit:

The tactical information will transform your work - no matter what you do.

The speakers know the value of tactical information you can employ in your life. All sessions are geared toward delivering key value in the form of specific, actionable steps.

The experts will inspire you to level up to reach maximum productivity and profit.

The speakers are some of the most inspirational individuals around when it comes to guiding people to do their best work. Don't reinvent the wheel when it comes to figuring out how to work well.

Instead, let these amazing speakers motivate you as they tell you what to maximize, what to minimize, what to avoid and what to jump on.

The Work by Design Summit will deliver results.

The speakers are laser-focused on delivering advice you can immediately implement to get you results ... fast!

Implementing the recommended strategies and action items will enable you to get fast results and build on those results for long-term, lasting success. Guaranteed.

These experts won't be together again.

It's hard to learn from the best, because the best are busy! This rare chance to hear from these 50+ experts - FOR FREE - simply won't come around again. Jump on it while you can!

It's FREE for a limited time if you sign up today.

Typical conferences and retreats require a huge investment of time and money. The Work by Design Summit is different. Save your money, save your travel time and claim your ticket today!

Click BELOW to get your FREE ticket!
https://mm216.isrefer.com/go/workbydesign/clo

I really hope you'll take advantage and join today. I want to see you reach greater levels of success and learn to live and work better than you ever have before!

I hope to see you there!

Register today for the All Access Pass and get instant lifetime access to ALL interviews + incredible bonus gifts that you don't want to miss (seriously ... you don't want to miss out!).

Note that the price will triple in just a few short days - so get in on the low price now! Take that first step towards redesigning your life today!

http://chrislocurto.com/delivering-constructive-criticism-to-a-high-i-personality-style/

On today’s podcast, we are doing something a little bit different. We are taking your call-in questions over the phone.

We are super excited to try this out. Let us know if you enjoy this type of show. We want to know your thoughts so, leave a comment at the bottom of the post.

Now on to our first question!

Question 1:

One of the individuals that I coach is a great team member, has a ton of potential, and has been really receptive. Something came up last week when we were meeting that totally stumped me.

He’s a high D personality style, has a lot of I as well, so really can be sincere but on the job he’s totally task. As he and I were breaking down kind of what was going on on some of the actions that have happened and the behaviors that he had exhibited recently.

The thing that came out is that he doesn’t care about the individual that he’s working with at the moment. That’s pretty much how he said it and it kind of floored me for a minute.

He and I both have a good relationship. I let him know that I wasn’t judging his comment but I was totally bewildered, I didn’t know what to say. I don’t know where to go.

Here’s what we hit:

Adapting your personality style
Gaining Self-worth in a role
The need for control
The role your root system plays in your leadership
Fear of failing
What questions to ask to guide a team member to self-discovery
Delivering constructive criticism to a high I personality style
Question 2:

I’m having a harder time than I used to of taking a breath and making the time to be there with the individual rather than just trying to get through the agenda so I can get to the next thing. I don’t know how to get back to a place of patience and just focusing on the individual.

The balance between the task at hand and a teachable moment
Perspective when it comes to pressure and stress

There is a big chance during this Holiday Season you have been hurt by someone- and that someone is most likely going through a bunch of hurt themselves. This podcast, I get into the understanding that hurt people hurt people and how we can enable correct boundaries when we see this happening around us and in our own lives.

This season demands some healthy boundaries and expectations with those you have to spend the holidays with. In this second part podcast, today I will be discussing further into creating the right balance of how we need to spend this season, fully embrace the reason and the ability to know what we can handle and when we should just walk away from toxicity.

The Holiday Season seems to overwhelm us with overspending, overcommitting and overindulging; making the Holidays much more of a drag than a time of excitement. I am going to be addressing these three common grounds in the podcast today so we may find the balance of saying "yes" and "no".

We all make decisions based off of our influences, past or fears. There has to be a reason for why we look at life through our own personal lens and a way for us to break the patterns, see the reasons and work for the change we desire. 

Today, I dig a little deeper in the soil of the Root System and how it affects our lifestyle and business.

We constantly want it; we crave control while our lives continue to be loud and unaware of the lack of stillness we need in our daily walks. 

In the second part of this podcast, Brian and I continue to talk through the ways we can lose our obsession for control and give it back to God.

Finding value in our success, our business and our life can create a position of constantly wanting control and failing to trust God in the process. We need to establish our core value in the Creator of all things, even in our businesses. 

Brian Alex and I talk about what it is like to let go of control, finding our value in Christ and how to continue the patterns of following Him when that may look like letting go of our current situations.

Most brands dream of becoming viral overnight, but Claire Diaz-Ortiz is here to tell us that social media should be done in a very different way. 

Today I talk with Claire about her new book, "Social Media Success for Every Brand: The Five StoryBrand Pillars That Turn Posts Into Profits"  to gain insight on what she has to say about businesses and their social media platform

Holiday's are approaching and our goals we set back in January are sneaking up on us. 

Today, I will be talking about how to confidently finish the year off strong, accomplishing the goals you wanted and not getting overwhelmed. 

Ask yourself the right questions, ask your team the right questions and be ready to finish the year off well.

You Don't Have To Be "Stuck," To Experience Life Change

Meet, Matt Fenske, a leader and father who wasn't seeking life change, but found transformation anyway.

In our conversation, we talk about finding more contentment and a richer marriage while growing as a leader.

Get the full show notes here >> https://chrislocurto.com/you-dont-have-to-be-stuck-to-experience-life-change/

Feedback can seem useless and unproductive when not received well, or given by someone unhealthy. 

Today, I will be guiding the leader YOU are in how to receive quality feedback; inviting it to be productive on both sides so your leadership can grow, with your team: https://chrislocurto.com/how-leaders-can-get-productive-quality-feedback/

This can be one of our biggest leadership blindspots.

We often think we're open to feedback, but how we receive it keeps us from our greatest leadership opportunities.

Learn how to find quality feedback and create opportunity: https://chrislocurto.com/discover-the-leadership-opportunities-youre-missing

You may have unhealthy patterns in your life you are unaware of...

Today we will recognize these patterns and find solutions to prevent them from repeating in your life.

Go here to get this week's download >> https://chrislocurto.com/you-repeat-what-you-dont-repair/

If you are wanting more from your team, you can either make excuses for them or you can create solutions to get the team you desire.

Discover what may be holding them back, and learn how get the most out of your team.

Get this week's free leadership download here >> https://chrislocurto.com/how-to-get-more-out-of-your-team/

Our relationships have a profound impact on our lives.

They can have a healthy influence in our life or a toxic influence, and I want you to feel confident in how you evaluate the community in your life.

Learn the characteristics to look for, important action steps, and discover whether or not you have chosen a healthy community.

Get this episode's free download on choosing healthy community here >> https://chrislocurto.com/how-to-choose-healthy-community/

Do you feel like your business, project, or new leadership process is ready to scale?

Learn the important keys you must consider when scaling. There are 3 steps I am encouraging any kind of leader to take before they rush into scaling.

Get this week's free download on 3 Critical Ways To Scale here >> https://chrislocurto.com/is-your-business-set-up-to-scale/

Today, I'm getting personal and giving everyone an inside look into my leadership over the last 25 or so years.

If you understand and believe these three things I’m about to share, then you can take the right steps to move forward.

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in...
It doesn't matter what your specific issue is...

Learn 3 critical lessons to succeed in leadership.

Get resources and full show notes here >> https://chrislocurto.com/3-critical-lessons-from-my-leadership-journey/

Toxicity creates disunity, inefficiency, low productivity, gossip, backstabbing...the list goes on.

What do we do about it? How do we prevent it?

Learn how to stop toxicity as a leader.

Full show notes and resources here >> https://chrislocurto.com/how-to-stop-toxicity-as-a-leader-encore/

Why do we get stuck in life? What leads us there?

Here is the thing about being stuck: none of us plan for it, none of us quite know what to do with it, but it is never impossible to overcome and get moving again.

Learn 3 reasons we end up stuck, and how to reset and live the life you want.

Full show notes and resources here >> https://chrislocurto.com/3-powerful-actions-to-take-when-you-feel-stuck-in-life/

Tough stuff happens in our lives. How do you navigate work during a life crisis? There are healthy, and unhealthy tendencies when coping at work. Choosing unhealthy patterns can damage relationships and potentially your future at the company, long after the crisis is over.

>> Get this week's free pdf on " 4 ways to deal with life difficulties, without damaging your working relationships" here: https://chrislocurto.com/how-to-handle-work-through-a-life-crisis/

Are you stuck in "maintenance mode"?

It may look like...

* No roadmap or strategic goals to help you get there
* Overwhelmed leaders that are spread too thin
* Team members showing up for just a paycheck

Learn 3 reasons leaders get stuck in "maintenance mode" (and how to get out) >> https://chrislocurto.com/3-areas-that-hinder-leadership-momentum/