The Front By Lead The Team With Host Mike Phillips

Today, on this Father’s day episode of the FRONT... I just wanted to share the three things I am thankful for, my three kids: Colin, Carter, and Emersyn. And here are a few notes on what I am most proud of from each of them. https://youtu.be/5ejjUHqJb1A Colin His character, he has a very strong moral compass, at 17 we trust him beyond measure to make good decisions. Integrity and honesty, he is always direct and straightforward. Work ethic, in everything he does, he pours himself into it; from school work to athletics. Shawn Carter Integrity, Carter is legit. If you ask him something you can expect the honest answer. His Intelligence, he works to expand his intelligence daily and is always trying to figure out how things work. Confidence, especially as he heads into his teenage years. He is really coming out of his shell. His desire to improve, in athletics for example, right now he requested to go to the gym and work on his skills five days a week, to get better and advance. Emersyn Her caring. Sh

This week my guest is Mark Tewart!  You can connect with Mark on his website at Tewart.com. Mark is known nationally for his leadership and sales performance both inside and out of the Automotive Industry! What an amazing interview. Great insight, genuinely caring. Mark Tewart was such a fantastic way to start out the "Live Leadership Lesson Series" This show is great! It is a MUST watch episode for sure! https://youtu.be/-woFMKFww74 --- "Live Leadership Lessons from The FRONT" are live interviews with people that are known for their performance, work ethic, character, integrity, business skillsets, and of course their leadership skills. These are the experts to tune in and learn from! We hope you've enjoyed the show! Each podcast is a 15-30 minute live interview. --- AND please SUBSCRIBE and you can tune in to the replay on http://www.LeadTheTeam.TV --- Download This Episode Now!  My channel for leadership and motivation is http://www.LeadTheTeam.TV and please check out the shop for great gear at http://www.

If you want to have the most growth. You must have an open mind. I often think about what are our biggest opportunities to learn, and to grow, and to be further forward tomorrow than where we are at today. I think one of the most important traits that allows for efficient growth and human potential is open-mindedness. https://youtu.be/d75rCK9q4IY First, let’s define what open-minded is. Open-minded is being willing to consider new ideas. It’s being unprejudiced to how your current state is. AND here is a big one, it is caring enough about yourself to listen to others, even when the advice isn’t something you want to hear. Here is why I am sharing that. Often, we may ask others for advice but then, fail to accept what it is that they have to offer, especially if it doesn’t coincide with what we think we want. And sometimes, it isn’t that we are asking for advice, but for reinforcement of what we are already doing. Meaning, we want the other party to simply tell us we are doing great – so we can feel reinforced

Here we go... in the beginning... – "Live Leadership Lessons from The FRONT" Today on the FRONT I am talking about my upcoming series. https://youtu.be/Kq-lUvFY-UM So a few things – Beginning next week – the Wednesday shows will be live on Facebook and will be interview style shows that run from 15-30 minutes (I am starting this on my personal Facebook Page and will distribute to The FRONT with Mike Phillips Facebook page) Sunday shows will be the traditional episodes of THE FRONT. Some may be live, some pre-recorded content and shared beginning on my YouTube and The FRONT Facebook Page (http://facebook.com/TheFRONTwithMikePhillips) If you are in leadership or know someone in leadership that would be a good fit for the show and to do an interview! Let me know! AND you can sign up on my website at http://www.leadtheteam.net/about/guest-booking-for-the-front/   What is the FRONT Leadership Podcast About? I have three primary focuses. Sales Training – for every industry. People are people. And salespeople’s p

  RECORDED ON YOUTUBE LIVE! You MUST love the purpose more than the process! I was training with some people this past week and this just came out. “Love the purpose more than the process.” ~ Mike Phillips https://youtu.be/-KP95JBiHTo Purpose is the WHY is something getting done. It’s the reason. Process is HOW. It’s the actual actions and steps to accomplish a task. Now at the time, we were talking about navigating through a sales call. What is the purpose of the sales call. Ultimately to serve the customer with enough connection and information that they agree to meet – in this case come in and look at a car. Then I started thinking – that applies to so many other areas of our life as well. So often we fall in love with the process of doing things. The WHY to get it done, rather than the HOW or WHAT needs to get done. Let’s look at several scenarios. Youth Sports – I have three kids in athletics. And as a former youth coach myself so often, I became wrapped up in the steps. But… what about the outcome? The

There is something special about willingness. This is straight up having the will, preparedness, desire, and the want to do something. When you type the word willingness into Google, It’s just a bunch of definitions. There aren’t a plethora of articles, or blogs, or people talking about what it is to be willing… to do something. https://youtu.be/-4yS41tzI4I You’ve heard the saying: ready, willing, and able. Often people get to the point of readiness. They are ready, for example, to take on a new position or opportunity. They think it has become suitable for them and they can obtain that “thing” whatever it may be. BUT – if they are ready and never willing, that thing will pass them by. That thing will remain undone, or untapped. Same thing with ability. When people are able to accomplish something. They have the skillset. They have the power, the proficiency, and the intelligence. BUT again – if someone is not willing, all of the intelligence in the world is no replacement for taking action. Feeding the fire

Today I am sharing some reminders for my kids. And actually... these are also reminders from my kids! https://youtu.be/dllhy8VEeWE These three items are things that can work wonders. I remind my kids of these things regularly. Especially my daughter right now, this has been her mantra. We approach this with youth athletics, with our family, and I figured it would also apply to business! So here they are: Work Hard. - Having a good work ethic is important. When it comes to putting it all out there on a sports field, or in business, it is important to push yourself to work hard on what is right in front of you at the time. This will help get more done, and it will do wonders for your psyche too! Be Awesome! - This is all about how you talk to yourself. Being confident. Being kind when you speak to yourself. It's how we wire ourselves for internal dialogue. The better you treat yourself in your mind, it will display outwardly in your confidence and performance. Do what needs to be done. - Simple and straightfor

This episode of the FRONT is about the phone call and making the connection with the customer. This one is about sales. Whether you are in front line sales, especially auto sales, business development (or BDC), this one is for you. https://youtu.be/KFlZcaWWWx8 I appreciate that there are options other than just the phone call – there is text, chat, FB Messenger etc. But, as I have said in prior shows, I still love the art of the live phone call. The reason is that to me that is the tipping point – it’s right before you are going to get the meeting, or set the appointment with the customer. It’s the rush, before the real-life meeting. So here we go. These things are not process driven per se, but things that I see you must execute on during your call to set an appointment. Voice tone and set the tone. This is so critical to convey emotion over the phone – and so often we are simply not good at this part of the conversation. Works towards the next step. Every single thing you do should be to progress to the ne

Have you ever stopped in front of a building and watched the interactions at the door? I was walking out of a convenience store the other day, as a man moving slowly with a cane was approaching – my natural thought was then to step out and hold the door for this older gentlemen. That is when I thought of this episode. https://youtu.be/nC6gxBkuYVQ You see, some people hurry through the door.  Others hold the door for the people behind them.  What makes you decide to hold the door for the people behind you? When we hold the door for others, it makes it easier for them to get through. It makes things flow more quickly, not always for you, but for those coming behind you. And in most cases, you get a, “Thank you.” And if there are more people… there are more thank you’s. So… by doing the right thing for someone else, it also makes you feel good, even if only for a moment. What other interactions take place. How about not holding the door for the next person, why is that? Maybe we are in a hurry to get to where we

My #1's from each speaker at the Rockstar Auto Conference, May 2018 Today I am going to share my top take away from each speaker at the RockStar Auto Conference in that happened this past weekend in Vegas. These are not in order of importance, and there was certainly an entire LIST that I could share from each person. This would be an 8-hour show in itself – so let’s get started. https://youtu.be/8Z426fTjG-I First, Mat Koenig and Chris Speer – amazing. With everything in the details, from the way the room was set up, to keeping on track, adjusting as needed. Perfect. Really the logistics and flow of the conference, was all there! The speaker lineup – just fantastic. All very relevant people in automotive. Genuine, real, good human beings. Everyone was outstanding at connecting with the audience, well-prepared – and the content, just really second to none, fresh and engaging. I know I got a lot out of the conference, I feel like so many other people really did. My wife who is NOT in the automotive industry was

Happy Mother's Day! To all of the mom's - THANK YOU! You are unbelievable and amazing people! https://youtu.be/bAxnsUEL7tc For all of the things you do, the time, the energy you invest in your children, and your families. We love and appreciate you! Happy Mother's Day! Download This Episode Now! Thanks for reading and watching! Please subscribe at http://www.LeadTheTeam.tv and check out the Lead The Team SHOP online now at http://www.LeadTheTeam.net/shop

One valuable lesson that I learned from coaching youth sports, is some of the best lessons are taught on the spot. They are learned in the moment, in the NOW! https://youtu.be/IprqVd6nPH8 Often in leadership, we strive for structure. We want to have a training session, or a one-on-one opportunity, or a plan to mentor someone. Plans are good, we need those – but just as valuable are the life lessons and real-life application that comes from the right now. For example – let’s equate this to sports. Football, I like football as an analogy for business and especially sales. When you are learning a new play. You plan the play, you maybe watch the play happen and then you DO the play, you execute it. Or at least attempt to. As running back, for example, your job is to run the ball and score points – that’s the core. Maybe the play coming up is for you to receive the ball and run right. You run left. About the time of that first left mis-step, the coach is yelling, the whistle blows, play stops – that coach, if they

I’ve heard this quote before today – “Be Brave Enough to Start a Conversation That Matters” and It speaks to me. I’ve had notes on my list to have a talk about this for a bit, and today is when it matters

Today we talk about being deliberate. Being on purpose. Living on purpose. I’ve talked about the idea of being deliberate before – in learning (The FRONT#41 & The FRONT #46), in attitude (The FRONT #63), and in other areas. But what does it actually mean to be deliberate about something? The definition of deliberate is carefully weighed and considered, intentional. It is being calculated in what you do. https://youtu.be/iFW9DdC5LSY See so often people are just on cruise control – they are getting up and going but without clear definition. They are just … there. Many people haven’t thought beyond their next 5 minutes, let alone 30 days, or more. Social media is a prime example, people just post stuff, to post stuff. They don’t consider who it affects or how. OR what the longer-term result or outcome may be. There is not a reason behind the mention. Who does it benefit? Being deliberate takes thought and planning and then doing. In fact – here are three things that I think MUST happen, when we’re talking a

I’ve been reminded this week at least three, maybe four… or five times, in a short time frame, that the most growth comes from letting go of control. People in leadership – type A people who work their tails off to get to where they’re going. You know what they have a really hard time doing? Letting go of control. https://youtu.be/2R0EspsU2fU People that become the strongest leaders they want to leave a legacy and make a name for others. And then other people praise their leader's name and make them legendary. I said I have heard this (that I need to Let go and Let God for example) several times this week – it has come from friends, coaches, mentors, and then last night as a parent. My 17-year-old son, our oldest child, had prom. If you haven’t been through this with a child - whew – for me, I realized yesterday, this is the handoff. We are right around the corner from manhood. We did the parent thing, met the young lady's parents, went and got photos… and then we had to let these two young adults – go. On ou

Today I’m onto a simple subject, fortitude. We’re going to have a frank discussion and pull in character, and leadership. https://youtu.be/3Svp-Xk6fU4 Fortitude is defined as courage in pain or adversity. Coupled with character, which is the mental and moral strength of an individual, if you have those two things, you are on your way to being unstoppable. Let’s focus on fortitude however, it’s such an important characteristic for a leader to have. WHY? Because things don’t always go smoothly. We can kid ourselves and say that things are always sunshine and rainbows, but that’s not so. We’ve all worked with great leaders, and not so good ones. Some have it and some don’t – you get the idea. Here’s an example. If you are the GM of a store, automotive, retail, toy store, it doesn’t matter – anything that is a retail business. And traffic is “slow” or “off” – do you lose your cool with your staff, yell and just tell them – you need to get more people here! OR – do you buckle down, inspect what is happening or why

Doing what is right, isn't always easy. Even when it comes to success which uses mostly simple principles in the climb. Simple doesn’t always translate to easy. In fact, ask any person that you view as successful and they will likely tell you on how to hit success, one of the primary drivers, “Just do the right thing.” You’ve heard people say that... it has probably been said to you throughout your life. As a child, then a teenager, and now in business. https://youtu.be/cH-OaEQApoA Michael J Fox said ~ "Discipline is just doing the same thing the right way whether anyone’s watching or not." He then goes on to say ~ "Do the right thing, and then do the right thing, and that will lead you to the next right thing after that." That statement, “Just do the right thing,” has both guided and haunted people. Even if now things go terribly wrong in business or in life – the answer… Just do the right thing. See, there is really no downside to doing what is right. Morally, ethically, and just in general in our lives. Ev

Let's talk about a couple, two specifically key leadership skills! Today I’m sharing two skills that I think are highly underutilized once we get into leadership and management. And they are significant keys to success. And yes, I’ve probably mentioned these before… but, it’s one of those things that’s speaking to me right now. Before we get into it – no, these aren’t the only two things that you can do to experience high levels of success. Number One – Active Listening, and Number Two – Follow Through. These are both huge and can heavily determine individual levels and team successes https://youtu.be/TxwcAdWBSw4 I talked previously in episode #14 of THE FRONT about some leadership accountability traits, so maybe you check that one out too. For some other excellent leadership traits and notes. But, today these are the TWO MASSIVELY important things I’m talking about. So first let’s talk about active listening. Active Listening - Active listening means, as its name suggests, actively listening. That is fully

Welcome! Today, I’m talking about this podcast and some things I have coming up. I’ll be happy stop a few times, since we’re live, feel free to ask some questions in the sidebar! So, let’s chat. https://youtu.be/0dZbm61A7h0 This happens to be the 85th Episode of THE FRONT – I started this podcast to really focus on: Being out front, by constantly working on growth for yourself and growing others around you. Leading from the front, meaning getting up and taking action to impact others Continuing to be on the cutting edge, and the front of management, leadership, sales and other facets of business. One of the tough parts like so many online interactions – is you never really know who will connect with your content, or even who sees it. For me, it is about doing something good. As for subject matter, The FRONT focuses on three primary subjects that are very near and dear to me. Sales Training – The sales training I give I try to have be practical and useful. It comes from my almost 15 years in the auto indust

An eye to eye meeting and greeting of people is always valuable. And, one of the most important pieces of information that you will learn as a sales consultant is the professional greeting. https://youtu.be/5ScyC94Yy44 Whether you are a sales consultant in retail, working with customers in your everyday life. Or if you are B2B sales, hoping to deal with other professionals and sell your product or service. The way you greet people in person, eye to eye heavily will determine your success in sales.The script that you use, over and over again, the body language and mannerisms that you develop when meeting someone for the first time. Will have an impact on your level of success. Whether they should or not, people still judge by the first appearance, regardless of if they say they do or not, it happens. While I personally am a fan of the first meeting of professional dress i.e. shirt and tie, etc. I think for a first meeting this is always valuable. Here are a few steps to follow to have a successful first meetin