Today’s guest believes we are all connected and can achieve more significant results when we learn how to build relationships with all people, regardless of their packaging.

She is a diversity and inclusion strategist who specializes in helping organizations make diversity and inclusion a competitive advantage. She is the author of two books and was included among the top 100 Global Thought Leaders on Diversity and Inclusion by The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

She is a past president of the Global Speakers Federation and was recently inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame.

She has presented to audiences on six continents and in thirty-seven countries, plus in the middle of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Please join me in welcoming Lenora Billings-Harris.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “True leaders have a vision with clarity of outcomes. They inspire others by the way they carry themselves and have the ability to direct, guide, and listen.”
• how her leadership skills first showed up in elementary school when other students would go to her when something needed to be taken to a teacher or the principal.
• how her grandparents and her dad helped develop her leadership skills.
• the most rewarding part of her work today, when she sees people globally realizing that peace is the way.
• her methods for helping businesses create a culture of inclusion and diversity.
• the significance of her trips to Africa, and how that love started when she was in third grade.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 147

Today’s guest was called “a cult legend in the online community-building world” by Mashable.

He has been at the forefront of building highly curated, technology-enabled communities for ambitious professionals. He is focused on creating a strong membership experience and positive business outcomes for thousands of successful executives, thought leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs across the country.

He first co-founded Brazen Technologies, a career-management site for high-achieving young professionals and ambitious college students. After that, he went on to co-found Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization for leading entrepreneurs. In 2018, along with his business partner Scott Gerber, he authored Superconnector: Stop Networking & Start Building Business Relationships That Matter.

Today, he and his team are building the future of professional organizations with The Community Company, an organization which creates community programs for global brands and media companies.

Please join me in welcoming Ryan Paugh.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is being a person who puts other people’s needs in front of their own to focus on how they can help other people do their best work, sometimes at the sacrifice of what they are working on.”
• how his focus for business growth is on helping the people on his team break through barriers to be their best.
• how his empathy and desire for everyone to feel connected has existed his whole life, and how connecting people began when he was young.
• what being a superconnector looks like for him as an introverted and analytical person.
• his thoughts on networking events and how he creates an oasis for people who want to connect with others away from the noise.
• how he connects with people in his extended network, using a combination of strategy, intention, and serendipity.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 146

Today’s guest helps her clients grow profitable businesses to create lives that they love.

She is a speaker, international business growth strategist, author of “The Heart of Entrepreneurship: It’s Your Time to Shine”, and the host of the Thought Leaders Business Lab podcast.

She has 25 years of personal experience in building and growing businesses and has spent the last 8 years helping people turn their expertise into a thriving business so they have more income, freedom, and impact. She uses 3 key principles of positioning, profile, and leverage to help people become the go-to authority in their industry.

Please join me in welcoming Samantha Riley.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts about leadership: “Leadership can be described by words but it’s more than that, it’s also a feeling. It’s important for leaders to have great vision, a lot of courage to make the right decisions.”
• how her entrepreneur life began when she was around eight years old and started selling baked goods at school.
• how she started in a government job, doing what was expected, and how that led to her starting her first two businesses within six months of each other when she was 20 years old.
• her personal transition journey that also led to a career transition as well.
• how she started learning to not just see what people were coming to her with but also what they were asking her for, and how that moved her into her role as a business coach.
• the value she places on being a connector and what that looks like for her.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 145

I have a special treat for you this week. This will be the first time I’ve had someone back on the show and it’s for a very good reason. My guest is a people expert who inspires organizations and individuals to build real relationships and get real results.

Named one of Forbes Top 25 Networking Experts, she is the author of several books including “The Connectors Advantage: 7 Mindsets to Grow Your Influence and Impact,” which was just released a couple of months ago.

For this book, she interviewed over two dozen networking experts, including Marshall Goldsmith, Dorie Clark, Ivan Misner, Susan RoAnn, and yours truly. I feel quite fortunate to be mentioned with this esteemed group – many of whom I’ve interviewed.

Connectors think and act a certain way that makes things happen faster, easier, and often with a better result. If you feel like your networking is not translating into results or everyone else seems to be getting ahead even though you are just as smart – then you’ll appreciate the great advice from these connectors.

Please join me in welcoming back Michelle Tillis Lederman.

In this episode we discuss:

• her new book about connectors, called “The Connector’s Advantage.”
• how being a connector is on a spectrum that spans from emerging connectors to global super connectors.
• abundance and scarcity mindsets and why it is important to come from a place of abundance, but also why it is important to not beat yourself up when you experience a moment of scarcity thinking.
• her method for adding extra opportunity to connect with people by identifying “underutilized time” and using that to call or spend time with other people.
• the right way to ask for favors.
• how to be an inclusive connector.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 144