Dose of Leadership with Richard Rierson | Authentic & Courageous Leadership Development

When Lee Cockerell announced his retirement on July 28, 2006 it marked the beginning of a new adventure for the former Executive Vice President of Operations for the Walt Disney World® Resort." As the Senior Operating Executive for ten years Lee led a team of 40,000 Cast Members and was responsible for the operations of 20 resort hotels, 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, a shopping & entertainment village and a sports and recreation complex in addition to the ancillary operations which supported the number one vacation destination in the world.” One of Lee’s major and lasting legacies was the creation of Disney Great Leader Strategies which continues on as the primary resource for developing the 7000 leaders at Walt Disney World. Click To Tweet → Awesome Interview With Lee Cockerell Lee has held various executive positions in the hospitality and entertainment business with Hilton Hotels for eight years and the Marriott Corporation for 17 years before joining Disney in 1990 to open the Disneyland Paris project.Lee has served as Chairman of the Board of Heart of Florida United Way. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). In 2005 Governor Bush appointed Lee to the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Public Service for the state of Florida.He is now dedicating his time to public speaking, authoring a book on leadership, management and service excellence which was published in 2008 and is now available in ten languages. Lee also performs leadership and service excellence consulting for organizations as well as the Disney Institute. Highlights from this Podcast: Lee discusses how he came from humbled beginnings in Oklahoma and ended up in a Executive VP position with Walt Disney World. Learn about Lee's transformation from an intimidating autocratic manager to all-inclusive leader / mentor. Learn about how all of us make a difference and we are all leaders like it or not. Learn about professionalism and setting the example and that it's a 24/7 lifestyle choice. Lee talks about his new book "The Customer Rules" and how rare true "service" actually is. Lee discusses how his Disney team responded to the crisis of September 11th, 2001  Download Your FREE Audiobook → 

In his early 20s Andrew Warner used credit cards and ingenuity to create a $30+ mil / year (in sales) internet business with his younger brother. He created Mixergy to help ambitious people who love business as much as he does to learn from a mix of experienced mentors. Andrew does that by inviting speakers to live events and online interviews. This interview is different than others in the sense that Andrew doesn't really consciously pursue leadership in the traditional sense.  However I chose Andrew because of his influence over the internet and his passion for teaching, learning, and helping others achieve their dreams and potential. That sounds like leadership to me! Just a take a look at his Mixergy Mission below and you will get a sense that Andrew really does lead from the heart. The Mixergy Mission: The Mixergy Mission is to introduce you to doers and thinkers whose ideas and stories are so powerful that just hearing them will change you. The Mixergy Mission is to give you an alternative to the “know-it-all, professional gurus.” Andrew wants to convince you that no single person knows it all. Andrew wants to show you that the best way to grow is to learn from a mix of smart people who are willing to share their expertise and experiences. The Mixergy Mission is to infect you with a passion for business and then help you build your business. The Mixergy Mission is to encourage YOU to have a mission, not just a startup, not just a company, but a calling. The Mixergy Mission is to act as a counter-weight to all the venture capitalists who’ll try to convince you that the only reason to build a business today is so you can flip it tomorrow. The world isn’t changed by people who have an eye on the exit. The Mixergy Mission is to convince you to follow a vision so big and important that you can’t do it alone.  

Jim Kouzes is a bestselling author, an award-winning speaker and, according to the Wall Street Journal, one of the twelve best executive educators in the United States. Jim Kouzes has been thinking about leadership ever since he was one of only a dozen Eagle Scouts to be selected to serve in John F. Kennedy’s honor guard when Kennedy was inaugurated President of the United States. Kennedy’s inaugural call to action —“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” — inspired Jim to join the Peace Corps, and he taught school in Turkey for two years. That experience made Jim realize that he wanted a career that offered two things: the chance to teach and the opportunity to serve. It was in his first job back in the U.S. where Jim trained community action agency managers that he found his calling. Jim has devoted his life to leadership development ever since. Currently Jim is Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, at Santa Clara University, and also lectures on leadership around the world to corporations, governments, and nonprofits. In 2010, Jim received the Thought Leadership Award from the Instructional Systems Association, the most prestigious award given by the trade association of training and development industry providers. He was listed as one of HR Magazine’s Most Influential International Thinkers for 2010 and 2011, named one of the 2010 and 2011 Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America, and ranked by Leadership Excellence magazine as number sixteen on its list of the Top 100 Thought Leaders. In 2006, Jim was presented with the Golden Gavel, the highest honor awarded by Toastmasters International. A highly-regarded leadership scholar and an experienced executive, Jim served as president, CEO, and chairman of the Tom Peters Company from 1988 through 1999, and prior to that led the Executive Development Center at Santa Clara University (1981–1987). He founded the Joint Center for Human Services Development at San Jose State University (1972–1980) and was on the staff of the School of Social Work, University of Texas. His career in training and development began in 1969 when he conducted seminars for Community Action Agency staff and volunteers in the war on poverty. Following graduation from Michigan State University (BA degree with honors in political science), he served as a Peace Corps volunteer (1967–1969). Highlights from this Podcast: Jim discusses how he became interested in leadership based on President John F. Kennedy's call to the nation. Everyone is capable and responsible to become a leader; we all make a difference. Leadership is an affair of the heart and rooted in love; Learn how the belief that we have to be "hard & emotionless" as leaders is a tragic myth. Learn that Courage is a choice and we are all capable of courageous actions; Jim uses Rosa Parks courageous story to drive this home.

David Allen is an author, consultant, international lecturer, founder and chairman of the David Allen Company. He is widely recognized as the world's leading authority on personal and organizational productivity. His thirty years of pioneering research, coaching and education of some of the world's highest-performing professionals, corporations and institutions, has earned him Forbes' recognition as one of the top five executive coaches in the United States. He was also named one of the "Top 100 thought leaders" byLeadership Magazine. Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes→ Fast Company hailed David Allen "One of the world's most influential thinkers" in the arena of personal productivity, for his outstanding programs and writing on time and stress management, the power of aligned focus and vision, and his ground-breaking methodologies in management and executive peak performance. Time Magazine labeled his first book, Getting Things Done as "the defining self-help business book of its time." David Allen is the author of three books: The international bestseller, Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Ready For Anything, and Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and Business of Life. Getting Things Done has been a perennial business bestseller since it's publication in 2001, and is now published in 28 languages. Highlights from this Podcast: David gives and overview of the Getting Things Done (GTD) Process and how you can get started today. GTD is less about organization and more about "Freeing space in the mind". Leaders at every level need to free up bandwidth to maximize their leadership potential. David discusses his famous "Mind Like Water" concept. Click for your FREE audiobook →    

Eugene “Gene” Kranz is a trailblazer, an engineer, a best-selling author and an inspiration. The Toledo native and 1951 graduate of Central Catholic High School is perhaps best known for his determination in the face of potential tragedy during the Apollo 13 space mission. The immortal words that characterized the crucial mission on the ground – “Failure is not an option” – are attributed to Kranz. Kranz’ love of country and exploration was forged after his mother opened her home to boarders, many of whom were young men in the United States Armed Forces. His fascination with flight led him to Parks College of Saint Louis University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1954. Commissioned in the U.S. Air Force later that year, he became a pilot of high performance aircraft and served as a flight test engineer at Holloman Air Force Base. His response to an advertisement for engineers in Aviation Weekly was the impetus for his journey into history. Kranz’ involvement in Project Mercury and Project Gemini gave him a central position in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s pioneering space exploration program. In 1962, he became branch chief for Flight Control Operations and assumed flight director duties for all Project Gemini missions. His job: “Train, plan and provide the remote site teams and systems engineers and procedures personnel for Mission Control.” Kranz’ steady, stoic demeanor became his trademark. Those in Mission Control when Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon during Apollo 11 recall that Kranz allowed 15 seconds of celebration, then ordered all personnel back to their stations, lest an emergency befall the spacecraft. His remarkable leadership during the successful retrieval of the Apollo 13 crew has been documented in several mediums, including the feature film “Apollo 13,” Kranz’ book, Failure is Not an Option, a New York Times bestseller published in 2002, and a cable miniseries, “From the Earth to the Moon,” among others. Before retiring from NASA with 37 years of federal service, Kranz was responsible for more than 6,000 employees and an annual budget of approximately $750 million. Now a motivational speaker who still uses his pilot’s wings, Kranz is the recipient of several prestigious awards: co-honoree, Presidential Medal of Freedom; distinguished member, Senior Executive Service; AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award; AAS Spaceflight Award; Gilruth Award, and FNASA Foundation’s Rotary National Award for Space Achievement’s National Space Trophy, to name a few.

Major General Perry M. Smith is an internationally known speaker, TV commentator, and bestselling author. Hundreds of millions of television viewers world-wide have come to know him for his regular appearances in CBS News during the current War in Iraq. He first became well known during the ’91 Persian Gulf War for his many appearances as a military analyst for the Cable News Network, the McNeil-Lehrer News Hour and NBC News. Smith is the president of Visionary Leadership and he has conducted workshops on leadership, strategic planning or ethics for Harvard's Kennedy School, UPS, Tiffany and Company, The Chautauqua Institution, The Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, Texas Instruments, The West Virginia Hospital Association, Andersen Consulting, the WK Kellogg Foundation, and Microsoft, as well as the governors of three states, and the mayor of Detroit. He also gives keynote speeches at conventions and conferences. His seven year relationship with CNN ended on June 14, 1998 when he resigned over an issue of integrity (CNN's egregious special accusing the military of using lethal nerve gas to kill our own soldiers during the Vietnam War). A retired major general, Smith served for 30 years in the U. S. Air Force. During his career he had a number of leadership experiences, including command of the F-15 wing at Bitburg, Germany where he provided leadership to 4000 personnel. Later, he served as the top Air Force planner and as the Commandant of the National War College, where he taught courses on leadership of large organizations and on strategic planning. He flew 180 combat missions in F-4 aircraft over North Vietnam and Laos during the Vietnam War. A graduate of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, he later earned his Ph.D. in International Relations from Columbia University. His dissertation earned the Helen Dwight Reid award from the American Political Science Association. His books include Rules and Tools for Leaders, Assignment Pentagon, and A Hero Among Heroes: Jimmie Dyess and the 4th Marine Division. The latter book is a biography of the only person to have earned America's two highest awards for heroism, the Medal of Honor and the Carnegie Medal. In 2002, Smith produced a 60-minute video, Twice a Hero: The Jimmie Dyess Story. With more than 300,000 copies in print, his most popular book is Rules and Tools for Leaders , a practical guide for leaders. It contains hundreds of rules of thumb and includes 25 checklists on how to hire, fire, plan, deal with the media, give compliments, run meetings, make decisions, provide counseling, check organizational ethics, transition into a new job, etc. After being interviewed by Katie Couric about the book, it reached #2 on the Amazon.com bestseller list. General Smith's clients include Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, Ford, Fuji, Pfizer, The Chautauqua Institution, The Kellogg Foundation, the governors of three states, and many universities including Harvard, George Washington, The University of South Carolina, Emory and Georgia Tech.

George Bradt is the founder and Managing Director of executive onboarding group PrimeGenesis. He has provided consulting assistance to Elizabeth Arden, Merrill Lynch, MTV, and Miller Brewing. Bradt received an AB from Harvard, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as an executive in sales, marketing, and general management around the world at Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and J.D. Power and Associates as chief executive of its Power Information Network spinoff. Bradt is author or co-author of three books about onboarding, "The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan", "Onboarding", and "The Total Onboarding Program" and two books about parenting, "Back-To-School Chats, Advice From Fathers To Their Sons", and "Back-To-School Chats - Advice From Mothers To Their Daughters". Bradt was also one of the authors of the iPad app New Leader Smart Tools. He writes a weekly column on Forbes.com, The New Leader's Playbook. Highlights From the Podcast: We are all new leaders - all the time. Leadership is about inspiring & enabling others Moving into new roles are crucible events of leadership and some of the toughest challenges people face. Nearly half of new leaders fail in their first 18 months - but there are steps that you can take to minimize this by: Getting a head start Managing the message Building a team George highlights on "Getting a head start" that the transition into your new position is not the time to rest on your laurels; this is the time to be different and identify key stakeholders and begin to develop key relationships. George points out how critical it is to "Embed a Burning Imperative" when building your team; making sure they are bought into a cause and the historical context of the company. George talks about how and why leaders fail; even referencing the latest fall of Lance Armstrong.

John Lee Dumas is the Founder and Host of EntrepreneurOnFire, a daily podcast that interviews todays most inspiring and successful Entrepreneurs.  EntrepreneurOnFire tells the journey of the spotlighted guest, sharing their early failures, AHA moments, and insight into what is working for them now and why. Every show ends with a 5-question “Lightning Round” that pulls priceless nuggets of information from these incredibly successful Entrepreneurs. Highlights of this Podcast: John talks about his experience as an Army Officer and his 13-month combat tour in Iraq and how it sparked his Entrepreneurial drive. John shares that it is better to have a "good plan now" instead of a "great/perfect plan to late". John talks about the future of Podcasting and where he thinks it's heading. One of John's great leadership heroes is Benjamin Franklin. A great discussion about how Leadership & Entrepreneurship is about a "journey". How John learned early on that you have to learn to "get comfortable & embrace your failures" if you're to be a successful leader. Rebounding from failures quickly & having a "rubber mentality" is a key aspect to being a successful leader.

Hey everyone, my name is Richard Rierson and I want to welcome you to the first episode of The Dose of Leadership Podcast.  Every Tuesday and Thursday I will bring you an interview with today's most relevant and motivating leaders; leaders that are dedicated to the pursuit of truth, common sense, and most importantly - courageous leadership. Each podcast will highlight & showcase leaders from all aspects of life. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, authors, speakers, military heroes, faith based leaders –  all will be highlighted on the Dose of Leadership Podcast. Here at DoseOfLeadership.com we believe that being a leader is not about holding a certain “position” or “title”. Instead Leadership is how we choose to live our lives; how we think, act, & carry ourselves. We believe that Leadership is a conscious choice and moral requirement; that we all have a leadership muscle we are obligated to exercise. DoseOfLeadership.com & the Dose of Leadership Podcast exist to help all of us become the leaders we are called to be. Every podcast will include links & references to everything of importance discussed during the show. A little more about me; I’m a husband, father of four daughters, public speaker, & entrepreneur.  For quite some time I’ve been wanting to create a resource for every day leaders like yourself. I’m passionate about leadership because I believe that it is central to every aspect of our lives. We all have this innate sense that something is wrong today; that something is sorely needed. If you’re like me, you’re tired of all of the hypocrisy, bureaucracy, chaos, & confusion everywhere around us. From our personal lives, our families, our schools, our workplace, our government; there seems to be a huge vacuum of leadership. All the challenges around us certainly demand solutions; but I believe that these solutions need to come from each one of us choosing to dedicate our lives to becoming more calm, confident, consistent, & courageous. To accomplish this we need to adopt a leadership philosophy rooted in common sense. I’ve had more than my fair share of leadership failures – both personally & professionally. Finding mentors and networking with quality leaders has always helped me deal with any regrets, insecurities, and faulty limiting beliefs.  I’ve created this podcast, to provide direct access to inspiring mentors & quality leaders; so we can all become the leaders we were meant to be.  I'm no different than you; I believe that we are all are on a leadership journey and I'm interested in building a community of like minded leaders so we can all better enrich our lives and fulfill our leadership obligation. I'm a born and bred Wichita, Kansas native and graduated from Wichita State University with a BS in Computer Science in 1991.  Upon graduation I accepted a commission in the United States Marine Corps where I spent 10 years active duty primarly as a KC-130 pilot. I’m currently a pilot for the Bombardier Flight Test Center in Wichita, Kansas. In the last five years with Bombardier, I’ve held various leadership positions as the Director of Project Engineering & Configuration Management and as Flight Test Team Manager for the Global Express flight deck upgrade. Other previous positions include Vice President of Operations & Vice President of Brand Communication for Value Place Hotels; Director of New Product Development & Director of International Operations for The Hayes Company; and Boeing 727 Flight Engineer for American Airlines. I also served ten years active duty as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps and ten years part-time with the Kansas Air National Guard & Air Force Reserve.  I’ve accumulated over 3,500 flight hours as an Aircraft Commander in the Lockheed KC-130, Boeing KC-135, CRJ-200, and as a Military Instructor Pilot in the Cessna T-37. I want to personally thank you for joining me here at DoseOfLeadership.com.  I truly hope that the episodes I produce,