The Front By Lead The Team With Host Mike Phillips

Leaders are always watched. Even when they are not on the field! I love football as an analogy for business. ANy sports really share so many similarities in leadership and the business world. Leadership is an all the time thing. Many newer managers want to grandstand and show what they can accomplish while they are on the "field" and in play. The reality is that if you are in a leadership role, you are being watched ALL the time! Both your teammates (staff and peers) and the fans (other departments) are watching all the time to see how you perform as a leader... even when you are on the sideline. Are you leading from the front and showing character and poise? Or are you a one-dimensional taking the limelight from your team to show how good you are? Because you really should invest in your people, grow them and make them self-sufficient. and then when you cheer and lead from the sideline, you will like take more wins than losses!   Download This Episode Now!  

In training, you should TELL  and SHOW your staff to get the best out of them! Training and teaching are all about being in the front! We likely all remember the weekly "show and tell" when we were in school. Well, in leadership and management it's the inverse. You must TELL and SHOW your people what needs to be done! Effective training boils down to good communication followed by action. It is also being able to perform the task you are asking to get done yourself. You must clearly communicate what you want to be done; the goal or the task at hand. And, you must be able to articulate it in a manner that your peers or employees are able to comprehend.  If, as a leader, you cannot or will not do the things you want your people to do, then your team will lack accountability. Without accountability, your team, and your business cannot grow. So, train, teach, and grow others around you. Tell people what you want as an outcome, and then be able to show them to help bring them along! Download This Episode Now!  

If you want greater success... you MUST manage your state and up your attitude! So tonight I'm having a discussion on managing your state of mind and upping your attitude! Staying positive is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself for business! https://youtu.be/fhW1di172E8 Positive self-talk is important. Because positive self-talk leads to positive outcomes. positive outcomes give you a positive self-image and a good self-image keeps the positive attitude strong. Affirmations are a part of positive self-talk. When setting your mind right with an affirmation it is important that you declare the affirmation as if it is already true! Things that help with positivity for me are: Positive books, CD's and Audio Having positive peers Subscribing to positive content online Planning your day/work Positive meditation - either in the morning or at night. AND - here are my 6 steps for positive meditation: Do some light exercise. (10 pushups and 10 situps, get the blood flowing!) Get into a comfortabl

Mediocrity is Garbage. If your life is important then you will stop making excuses and take action! Mediocrity is boring and uninspiring. Excellence and chasing your dream is hard! Everyone has a dream, what is yours? What did you want to do before "real life" set in? I challenge you to look at yourself as a champion and take action! Do something, you have to start right now! Once you have made the decision, even a few minutes every day can move you further along towards excellence! So whatever it is that you want to be, do or have. Just decide. Then START!    

*** NOTE - Yes, the is a re-edited video and re-post of my original Facebook Live Challenge Day 24. (This can be viewed at the link here.) I wanted to add it as an audio podcast as well, and a little refresh and reboot never hurts! So thank you for checking it out this week! *** You must grow a little everyday day and stay teachable to see ultimate success. It's so important to stay receptive, listen and be willing to learn. Here are a few points for continued growth and learning. People who learn more, tend to earn more. Through adult learning, people are often more open minded and more socially connected, more involved in their communities and more likely to be active. Active both physically and mentally! People who are willing to continually grow tend to invest more into other people and more often into other people (mentoring). Continued growth and learning contributes to higher self-confidence. The more you know, the more willing you are to stretch and the stronger willed you are. (This can be both go

Follow through and follow up (with customers) seems to be, to many people, a lost art. I used to think that lack of follow up, or a follow up "problem" was exclusive to salespeople, in the traditional sense. I have had several experiences with many businesses lately where there is no follow through. Meaning someone at the business tells me they will do something, and then they just don't. And this is a wide variety of businesses - gymnastics camps, gym memberships, dentists, retail - it's a rampant problem. So... I figured it would make a great topic for my show tonight. So... here we go!

It's true. An excellent coach isn't in the huddle. They let their players play! When it comes game time. You must trust your people to execute. The coach is not on the field with the players, so let the leaders lead in the moment. And, vice-versa, as a top performer, you know what to do... DO IT! The job needs to get done and you need to be able to be counted on to do it and to make the play! The same goes for business, if you are a staff member, maybe a middle-manager, and you have been trained and you know what to do. You know what needs to be done by others to execute. THEN DO IT!  

It's all about the leadership, positivity, and motivation! As you know that is the focus of my twice weekly podcast and blog. So today, I am just throwing out a pure 9 minutes of those things that are important to me. Energy, Enthusiasm, Excitement, Motivation and Positive Attitudes! I love this stuff, it fires me up!! So please, check out my recent video blog below, or my podcast (available on iHeart, Google Play, and iTunes). I hope you enjoy today's message!

You must take charge. You must participate in your own rescue. Grab the life preserver. Today I am talking about taking charge and being an active participant in your own rescue. Taking charge has so many meanings. Taking charge of your health, of your life, of your family, and of yourself. There are a whole lot of things that you can take charge of. SO… Are you? Okay, so that’s too broad an area to go over in a 10-minute run (below). So let’s talk about taking charge in business. Let’s talk about being an active participant in your business. And this one is not just for the leaders and managers of the world out there. This is really for anyone that wants to see some level of success. It’s especially for those of you that have ever said to yourselves… “man if I was in charge I would do…” So how do you get there? You must take charge, act and take necessary steps toward your dream or goal. If you ever want to see any major level of success. Regardless of your level or title in an organization, especially the e

No one likes drama. Especially at work! Eliminating Animosity and Drama in Your Workplace As a leader, you cannot accept the drama, gossip, and animosity that sometimes brews in a place of business. It’s inevitable, no matter how much you would like everything in harmony. Drama happens. People may talk behind others backs (gossip), judge appearance, and then it bleeds into work activities, and work ethic. One thing I have seen is that REALLY good people will not stay in a place where the environment is shitty. First thing is first. Make sure that it isn’t you, the leader or manager that is the problem. If you are the source of the drama or negativity, you got some work to do. No one else will change you and in fact, most of the people that work with or for you will stop trying for fear that you will verbally beat the crap out of them. You need to look in the mirror, get introspective. Look at your stress levels, your work ethic and so on. You should be certain first and foremost that you are not the source of

Leadership Accountability - GET SOME! The definition of accountability is the state of being accountable or an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility. Is this you? Are you completing tasks with the same diligence that you assign to your staff? Are you performing the duties necessary to lead and get out in front? Do you have the ability to perform the tasks that you are asking of others? Are you present in the moment? Is your team and/or department consistently hitting their goals? Key points of Leadership Accountability: Being present in the moment with your staff, not just showing up, but participating in your team’s well-being and the pursuit of the goals. Having the ability to assist in completing tasks that have been delegated to others. You can’t coach what you don’t know Leaders being responsible for their job duties as well as those that answer to them. Leaders that are the most actionable and involved receive more lateral praise from other leaders and from other staff members when working

The Leadership Ripple Effect is just like throwing a stone into a pond. Whether you are positive or negative, the leadership ripple hits the shore. It produces a powerful force and distributes either the positivity or negativity along the shore. You must understand that as a leader, mentor, and manager, your attitude, energy, and emotions are amplified through the people you work with. The ripple of leadership can be a powerful force of positivity or... it can be the opposite.  I choose to focus on the positive, so let's stay there. (WATCH THE VIDEO) You are a driving force as an emotional wave of leadership that will influence other people. Be the positive ripple! Thanks for tuning in! -Mike

Childlike Perseverance, meaning you should try UNTIL... Perseverance is going until you complete a task. It is not trying, it is all about doing. Here are a few tips to get you to the end of your tasks! Everyone faces challenges in life, but it’s not the obstacles that define us. Rather, it is the way that we stand up for ourselves and push back against them that ultimately writes our character.  Kids Ignore the Rain. They only look for the rainbow. Courage and confidence come through every experience you have in your life. Maximize it. Love it, live it. Nothing is worth more than being in the present and capturing moments! It's the stuff that's right in front of you right now! Hope is powerful. Hold onto it: Beauty can grow from darkness and uncertainty. To cultivate it, we simply have to find that little snippet of hope and hold onto it—and we all have the strength to do that. See Bright Side: When your perspective seems to be working against you, make that important decision to flip the coin—change the pa

Consistency is one of the keys to success!! We have all heard "success leaves clues." The biggest key to success, in my opinion, is consistency. So tonight I am spending a bit of time discussing a few key ways to stay consistent and accomplish more of your tasks! Make a conscious decision to remain consistent. Make this an absolute. A decision to cut off any other possibility! Consistent actions require consistent thinking. Change the way you look at time. You have plenty of it... tackle your tasks right now. Start saying, "The only time I have is RIGHT NOW." HAVE A GOAL! Write the goal or goals down, and hold yourself accountable. Remember those feelings of frustration and negativity are temporary and can be managed. The more positive you are the more consistent you are. There is power in multitasking, but to be more consistent, do one thing at a time. Be in the present, in the now with what you are working on. Focus on completing the task in front of you and doing it with excellence.  

This is my recap last week from Philadelphia and The Internet Sales 20 Group Recap (#IS20G) This week I recap my trip to Philadelphia, PA for the Internet Sales 20 Group.This conference (or event) is hosted by Sean V. and Karen Bradley's company Dealer Synergy. It was an excellent event. Hosted by great people. There was everything automotive,  This conference (or event) is hosted by Sean V. and Karen Bradley's company Dealer Synergy. It was an excellent event. Hosted by great people. There was everything automotive, internet, and BDC (even some F&I). As with the last event I attended, I got a ton of knowledge. They also provided great motivation and inspiration plus several actionable items I could begin to work on in my dealership right away. Please take the 20 or so minutes to watch, and I hope you enjoy the recap I have put together of my trip from Colorado Springs to Philadelphia and back again! Thanks, Mike CHECK OUT THIS WEEKS VIDEO BLOG! - http://LeadTheTeam.TV

The process is the power, and there is power in the process of anything! I start off by discussing the sales process for handling a customer in person. Then  I chat for a few minutes about the phone and BDC process that we use to walk a customer through setting an appointment. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWGCiqTd82I[/embedyt] Keep in mind process is what will get you from the start of ANYTHING to its finish!You have heard that "Success leaves clues." It's true. If you follow the process of those that came before you, you can reproduce the same results. This is true for business, to baking, to bible plans. Just see it through to the end and you will see that the process is the power!   Download This Episode Now! [subscribe2]

Here are several things I think make people successful! Successful people have fun! Laugh, enjoy life! Gain other peoples' respect. Be positive, show your character and be awesome! Keep in mind, respect is earned, not given. Gain the appreciation of others. Invest your time and energy in other people and they will do the same for you. Leave the world better than when you started today. Make a positive influence and #IMPACT on others. Teach others and leave them better than you found them. Find the best out of other people. Look for the good. Learn one new thing each day. If you are always growing and learning, then it gives you life and will keep you moving. Focus on the present and the future. Focus on your excellence in these two areas. You shouldn't live in the past. Always be moving forward! Tune in each Wednesday and Sunday for more episodes of "The FRONT." You can check out of the video blog episodes on YouTube on The FRONT Playlist

When the door opens... sometimes you have to step into the black hole, the void. You must have the courage to walk by faith, and not by sight. When you make the choice to go through the doorway, it always has two outcomes. Sometimes you just have to make the decision to leap! Please watch the video and maybe it will help you to move forward. In your life's journey, remember, "It's not the destination, just a stop along  the way!" Enjoy the stops! You can check out of the video blog episodes on YouTube on The FRONT Playlist

Eliminate "the scaries" & sales fear This is a few tips on how to eliminate the fear during the sale. The two primary fears: Fear of rejection or fear of failure. When these two fears set in, then often salespeople will avoid the customer. And we want to avoid that feeling and make sure to get you in front of many customers and make more sales. Keep in mind, that fear is a learned behavior and it truly is made up in our own mind. So if you can learn this behavior, you can unlearn it. So tune into the video above and get a few excellent tips to eliminate your sales fear ("the scaries"). Here are a few quick points and reminders. Continue learning. Keep educating yourself.  Know your outcome Stay focused on your outcome HAVE FUN! Keep practicing As always you can check out my audio podcast here as well. You can check out of the video blog episodes on YouTube on The FRONT Playlist  

It's no secret, people will accomplish more when they are told they can! That's really one of the secret ingredients in success. A great coach or mentor simply telling you that you can do it. By no means, do I mean or imply that someone is saying that an individual "can't" accomplish something. But, when you have a great coach, mentor, or heck... a cheerleader. You always tend to exceed expectations. So, two key stories or idioms that I share in the video are regarding one of the youth hockey teams I coached. And second, some early recollection from my sales career. You can check out of the video blog episodes on YouTube on The FRONT Playlist