Pushing Beyond the Obvious - Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed
Who is on the show today
 
James “Chip” Massey is the CEO of Plowshare Communications, which advises business leaders on strategic negotiations and how to accelerate the sales process by building strong, powerful, and trust-based relationships.
 
Why is he on the show: 
 
For more than two decades, Massey served as an FBI Special Agent and hostage/crisis negotiator. During his tenure, his work ranged from collaborating with the CIA to crack espionage rings to high-profile corruption cases, to post-9/11 counter-terrorism investigations at key Washington, D.C. sites. As a hostage negotiator, he worked extensively in crisis situations, including international kidnappings and fugitive apprehensions.
 
Within the bureau, Massey was noted for his ability to quickly build rapport, and his deep expertise interviewing both victims and criminal suspects. He spent several years coordinating the FBI’s Victim-Witness Program, as well as directing the FBI Citizens Academy in Washington, D.C.
 
What did I learn from the conversation:

Hostage negotiations are like high stake sales meetings. The skills that you need to do well in both the situations are very similar. The most important skill is the ability to build rapport & trust really quickly. The fastest way to build trust is to do the little things right. They add up quickly. 
 
Empathy is a super-power that can propel us to success. Empathy comes from listening what the other person is saying so that we can understand what is going on in their lives. Listening is not just about listening to what is being said, but also to identify the emotions behind what is being said. IF we are able to identify & name the emotions that are being conveyed, we are already starting to empathise.  Open ended questions can help us delve and dive deeper to really understand our partner. 
 
In stressful situation, it is better to be the emotional leader. It is in our nature to mimic the emotion that we see. So, if we are talking to someone who is angry and yelling, typically, we start feeling the anger and our tone of our voice starts to go up as well. So, if we are able to resist that and are able to stay calm and lower our voices, the person who is angry will typically follow suit. It is human nature. Also, we need to allow people to speak and vent when they are running on high emotions. Their emotions need a vent out in order for them to calm down. 
 
When we (or someone) are in a crisis, all our senses start to get into a focused state. We will listen less, see less and think less. So, it is best to use short sentences, increase the volume of our speech and be in front and centre of the person’s vision for them to see us. Some phrases to avoid - “Calm down” or “I understand”. Both only end up flaring the other person’s emotions 
 
The more we talk, the less we listen and if we want to influence someone, we need to listen more than we talk. 
 
Books recommended: 
What is so obvious, but people often miss: 
 
- The need to listen more than we talk. 
 
Where can you reach him: 
 
You can find more information about Chip and his work on his website here

Who is on the show: 

In this episode, we host Denise Lee Yohn. She is a best selling author, keynote speaker and the leading authority on building great brands and exceptional organizations.

Why is she on the show:

Her book "Fusion" comes out today in which she shares her insights on the importance of bringing organisational culture & the power of branding together to create an organisation that can become a powerhouse of a business. 

Top 3 ideas I learnt from the conversation: 

1} It is critical that we know right from the start of our business about what do we stand for. We might still take on work that is not the ideal work so as to stay in business. We still need to keep looking for the ideal business and only talk or brand ourselves as per the ideal work or look for the ideal client. 

2} Organisations that are able to take their branding or promise to our customers and use that to build a culture that drives the behaviours that can enable the delivery of this promise are the one's that become exceptionally successful. 

3} It is important as leaders to understand that we need to be consistent in three aspects (ideological, tactical & symbolic). This means that as leaders our actions determine the culture we create. 

Resources mentioned: 

1} You can find all her books (Fusion, What Great Brands Do

2} Take the Fusion assessment here.

How to connect with her: 

You can find her blog here. You can connect with her on twitter @deniseleeyohn


In this epsiode, we host best selling author Dorie Clark. She has written multiple best selling books - Reinventing You, Stand Out & her latest book Entrepreneurially You. 

She shares great insights on how to create a brand for yourself and also about the importance of being entrepreneurial, even if you are not an entrepreneur. 

I had a great time talking to her and is an insightful conversation. 


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