Welcome to Misti's Insights
Is it good to provoke people?
"Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe." Winston Churchill What comes to mind when you hear the word provoke? Most people have...
Become a best place to work: Lessons from a 13-year-old Jewish girl
Another great question from you, my listeners – Thank you! Your Question: How do I make my company a best place to work? Thousands of leaders have visited Zappos to learn about what it takes to build a strong company culture. Ultimately, they want to become a magnet...
Do Religion and Leadership Go Together? An Exclusive Interview with Brian Holmes
“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’” – Brian Holmes Brain is the author of numerous books and curriculums, including the internationally acclaimed, The Ties That Bind, a...
6 Critical Steps to Securing Sponsorship, Followership, or Even Mentorship
Around this time last year, I decided to learn how to swim, and raise $500 for the Swim Across America Laboratory here in Baltimore. With a mean doggy paddle, fear of asking for money, and just fifteen weeks to make it happen, I was overwhelmed and quickly tired of...
Get Noticed: How to get the higher ups to acknowledge you as a leader
Another great question from you, my listeners – Thank you! Your Question: How do I get the "higher ups" to acknowledge I’m the leader of the team? How do I get my teammates to acknowledge that I’m the leader of the team? Tweet: “If your actions inspire others to dream...
How To Finish Important Projects
Before I head down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where I finished my first book, From Boomers To Bloggers: Success Strategies Across Generations, I want to share a simple message with you. Here it is: Every single one of us has greatness within us. We all want...
Top leadership trait to stretching beyond limits
A very special “Thank You” all of your for asking such awesome questions! You can submit yours here. Your question, answered: What is the one trait that leaders must have that challenges us to stretch beyond our own limits to do our very best? Most of us unknowingly...
Are You a Grit or an Oat?
Looking up at his battered face, I longed to understand his experience of the world. I tried to imagine how the twelve-year old he once was ended up in prison? How had he even survived a gunshot to the head? How had he made it past eighteen, much less to thirty-four?...
7 steps to Uncovering your Vision
A very special “Thank You” all of your for asking such awesome questions! You can submit yours here. Your question, answered: How do I craft and communicate a compelling vision? First, what a great question—the three C’s make it even more fun! It never fails to amaze...
Why Guzzling Gallons of Chlorinated Water is Good For You
About this time last year I first started learning how to swim. While I had a mean doggy paddle, I had no idea how to put one hand in front of the other. Well, I mean, I could, I just wouldn’t make much progress. With the support of the Swim Across America coaches, I...
Improve Your Chances of Getting Them to Hear/Listen
In a recent survey, I asked for your most pressing questions about giving and receiving critical feedback. The following are a few of the specific questions I seek to answer through this podcast: Which is more important – immediate feedback or feedback that is thought...
Why They Don’t Want To Help You Improve
Generally, I am up for the challenge of giving difficult feedback. Helping someone understand how they may be getting in their own way can be rewarding, particularly because few like to give feedback and most want to learn from it. It’s for this reason that I push...
Get People to Take Action NOW: Interview with Mark Goulston
This interview is filled with valuable insight for executives, those striving to be in a leadership position, and those ready to discover proven strategies for winning people over. Beyond a business advisor, speaker, and coach who honed his skills as an FBI/police...
No More Management, Mayor Rawlings-Blake, #Lead The Way
I’m not much of a political person. I vote, but I don’t follow politics, generally. That all changed for me as I inadvertently sat, stuck in my car, just blocks away from the riots on Monday, April 27th here in Baltimore. Having completely forgotten about the...
What Negative Reviews Really Tell Us
I recently traveled to Vieques, a small island off Puerto Rico, and found myself using Trip Advisor, searching for restaurant recommendations. While touring I noticed a restaurant called Roy’s. Open from 9-1, conveniently located and with low prices, it would be...
The Key to Receptivity When Getting Negative Feedback
In a recent survey, I asked for your top two questions about influence and growth. As with most survey’s I’ve sent, receiving negative feedback was one of the top questions. Here was the specific question: How do I be receptive to getting constructive,...
What To Do When Your Team Is Letting You Down
When polled, 99.999% of people will tell you that they want to succeed. They are doing everything they know how to do in order to achieve excellence, gain approval, make friends, and get picked for advancement and opportunity. So, what gives? Why do certain members of...
How To Keep Employees From Asking For a Raise
Want to keep your team motivated and focused on their work, without having to worry where to pull funds in order to pay them more? Shortly after a speech I delivered on “Provoking Greatness,” here in Baltimore, Maryland, I had a chance to grab coffee with a hustler....