Leaders Love Company

Even though he wasn’t anticipating it, my guest, Rick Nahmias, managed to build a thriving, sustainable non-profit over the past 9 years by simply providing fresh produce to those in need. He noticed that food waste and hunger were huge issues for many living in Los Angeles and he also noticed that many houses had an abundance of fresh produce. So he decided to launch Food Forward in an effort to recover surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste. What We Cover Today: How Rick turned an experiment with harvesting food from people’s backyards into a highly successful non-profit Why focusing on the three tenets of Food Forward - supply chain, leadership, and need – allowed the company to grow Why he compares building his non-profit to building a sandbox and how that affects who he invites to play with him What “food justice” means What type of activity Rick requires of all candidates before he hires them and brings them into the Food Forward family Why you should include your staff in the hiring process

Understanding the legalities of forming your business and knowing how to draft contracts that reflect your values as a business owner are some of the topics we cover in this episode.  I'm joined by conscious business lawyer, Adrienne Fischer. Adrienne has her own practice in Denver, Co where she helps startups and small businesses with their business formation, contracts, and mediation needs. Adrienne is passionate about helping business owners like you – those who are mindful of their business practices and the impact that they’re making in the community.  What You’ll Learn in this Episode What entity types are available to you when you’re starting your business? What the two types of corporations are? What is a B-corporation and how can you become certified as one? Can you draft and negotiate contracts that provide structure and still reflect your values? The most popular/common types of contracts you need as a business owner How to crate agreements that help guide your decision-making when there’s a break

Assembling a team that works well together, that shares in the wins and losses together, and that has trust built-in is crucial to your company’s overall success. After all, if your team players don’t play nice, then they won’t be effective. I’m joined by agile coach/trainer, product manager and business consultant at cPrime, Kreisler Ng, and he shares what it takes to build a cohesive team that thrives. Also, if you're interested in checking out my Forbes article about the 4 qualities you need to move forward as an entrepreneur, here it is.  What You’ll Learn in This Episode: What makes certain teams strong and others not? Where to starting when assembling a team? What can sports teams teach us about working and moving as a unit? Tuckman’s Team Formation Model of forming, storming, norming and performing How do you balance the needs of the individual employee who wants to succeed with the needs of the entire team together? Does one’s culture and background affect their ability to be a team member? Why you s

I explore the idea that leadership is just not cool enough. While that statement might offend a lot of people, especially those who are huge believers in the power of leadership development (like I do!), you have to admit, leadership suffers from a PR problem. Especially when compared to the oft-glamorous portrayal of BOSS, specifically on social media. While many seem to love the idea of being a boss, what we really need are leaders!  In this episode, I share 3 ways we can reinvigorate the idea of leadership. I discuss how you, as a business owner, can make sure that leadership is appealing to your employees. After all, how can you expect your employees to step up and fill leadership positions (and ultimately drive your business forward) if they’re not excited about the notion of leading? Share your thoughts with me about this episode on Twitter @nicoleabboud Thanks for Checking Out the Show Notes and for Listening! I really hope you enjoyed this episode. I would really appreciate it if you shared this show

Understanding the underlying beliefs and assumptions that drive your behaviors is an important first step to understanding yourself as a leader. In this episode, I’m joined by the Enneagram expert, Wendy Appel, to discuss the 9 types of the Enneagram and explain how gaining a deeper understanding of our habits and motivations can lead to extraordinary results as leaders. To follow along with the Enneagram graphic, visit Wendy's site here.  What You’ll Learn in this Episode: What is the Enneagram and why is it important to know  How by beginning to explore the Enneagram, you’ll begin to understand a lot more about what drives you What are the 9 types of the Enneagram 1 – Perfectionist  2 – People please  3 – Achiever  4 – Individualist  5 – Detached observer 6 – Loyal skeptic 7 – Enthusiast 8 - Boss 9 – Peacemaker How does one figure out which type they fall under? Why it’s important for business leaders to understand the Enneagram type and dynamics of those around them, whether it’s their employees or the

Show Notes What are the 4 underlying values that every business must possess if it hopes to weather changes that are present in the current business environment? My guest, Dr. David Holzmer, is an organizational consultant and leadership advisor, and he joins us to share what he learned from studying successful leaders and their teams.   What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The major shift that has occurred in how businesses create value and why many current businesses have failed to notice these changes What three radically changing forces must a business navigate these days Why the “heroic leader” is the not the rule, but the exception Why you must focus on the micro-changes that are occurring every day in the business environment Why you should become comfortable with change Teams that were successful at weathering changes had a few things in common - the leaders at the top were great at creating a nurturing work environment: 1) high in psychological safety, 2) high in interdependence, 3) lots of effort pla

What void does your business fill? That is the first question to ask yourself when you’re trying to figure out your business purpose. Once you have that figured out, then it’s time to execute! I’m joined by former Head of Global Employee Engagement for Tesla Motors, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, theatrical director, and producer, Louis Efron and he shares his insight on how to discover and execute on your company’s purpose. What You’ll Learn in this Episode: What one question you can ask yourself to figure out your business purpose Why your business must get clear on its purpose The purpose keeps your employees engaged and connected to the company and leads to more productivity How often must you reiterate your business purpose to your employees? What to do to bring employees who have drifted away from the purpose How you can communicate your purpose during hiring so that you’re making the right decision Once you’ve figured out your purpose, how to convey that to customers and community members What we can

Paul Spiegelman and his two brothers started BerylHealth in the mid-80’s and grew it from just the three of them to over 400 employees and nearly $40 million in annual revenue. Paul believes that the company’s secret sauce was its unique company culture. That is the focus of today’s episode: workplace culture and its importance in helping you grow your business. Paul joins us to share his insight on how leaders can focus on creating an employee-first, culture-focused company.   What You’ll Learn in this Episode: Why establishing an employee-focused culture is good for business How Paul decided that creating a workplace where employees woke up excited to go to work would help business in the long run What the Circle of Growth philosophy is and why you should know about it What is company culture anyways? How can a new business owner establish their company culture when it’s still one person Why it’s important to relay your company culture to your customer because that becomes your differentiating factor The s

Many people cringe when they hear the term “Human Resources” but our guest today, Ashley Cox, is the most welcoming and knowledgeable Human Resources expert. She is the founder of SproutHR, where she helps entrepreneurs learn all about how to hire, train, and lead a thriving team. She joins us today to share her insight on how you can hire your first (or next) employee the right way. Ashley explains what specific and unique challenges small businesses face when they’re hiring and managing team growth. What You’ll Learn in this Episode What is the purpose of a human resources department? What are they meant to do? How important is it to have someone who is in charge of people operations? What is the perfect time to hire help and start building out your team? What can you be doing right now as a business owner to prepare yourself to hire others who are aligned with your values and are excited to serve your customers The steps business owners can put in place to prepare themselves to hire their first employee 

Is it important for your employees to feel like they belong at work? Who’s responsible for creating that sense of belonging – the employees themselves or the organizational leaders? In this episode, Neha Sampat, founder, coach, and consultant at GenLead|BelongLab, joins us to share her insight on how organization leaders should and can create a place of belonging so that employees feel engaged and feel like they’re being heard.    A little more about our guest: Neha Sampat, Esq. is founder, coach, and consultant at GenLead|BelongLab, where she helps organizations create peak-performance, inclusive teams and empowers individuals to develop job situations that engage both their hearts and their minds. She cultivates profound transformation through writing, speaking, consulting, and training on bias, inclusion & belonging, Imposter Syndrome, leadership & people management, career transition, and generational diversity. She also co-founded and co-chairs San Leandro Women Entrepreneurs. Learn more about he

My guest, Randy Hawthorne, co-Founder of Nonprofit Hub, joins us to discuss why every he believes every business needs to have a powerful mission statement. Randy also breaks down his method that business owners can implement to begin crafting their dynamic mission statement.   What You’ll Learn: What is a mission statement and why does every business need one? Why your mission statement is one of the first things you should focus on and create when you launch a business Deciphering your “why” is more than just a cool fad to participate in What is the key component when you want to get started when creating your mission statement? The best way to start crafting your mission statement is to start by telling stories about how you want your product or service to affect people when they interact with it Should you create your mission statement alone or with others? How often should you update your statement? Why it’s important to share your mission with your employees and customers in order to get others to get

Whether you consider yourself an entrepreneur or a business owner (apparently, there's a difference), this episode will help guide you through the various stages of growth of your business.  In today's episode, I'm joined by Professor Emeritus and organizational growth expert, Professor Eric Flamholtz.  Prof. Flamholtz is a Professor Emeritus in the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and holds a PhD in Organizational behavior and human resource management. He has helped hundreds of organizations make successful transitions at different stages of growth and development. Why this episode will make you a better leader What’s the difference between an entrepreneur and a business owner? Is there a difference? What role does the founder play in the growth of a business? What is the classic problem of companies that grow too quickly? What is organizational cancer? What are the 7 key stages of growth that a company goes through New venture, rapid growth, metamorphosis, consolidation, continued growth, integratio

What is the purpose of business? Nobel Prize winning economist, Milton Friedman, said it’s to maximize profit for shareholders. Peter Drucker, management expert, stated that the point of business is to create customer. Today, Professor Michael Dorff, a law professor at Southwestern Law School and the director of the Technology, Law, and Entrepreneurship program, joins us to set the record straight as to why businesses exist.  How this episode will make you a better leader: How Henry Ford and the Dodge Brothers helped shape the type of business you’re building today What is the purpose of business anyways? How you can almost always justify whatever good act the company wants to do to maximizing shareholder profits What we can learn from Craigslist’s statement that their main goal wasn’t to make profits for Ebay (it’s owner) How the CSR governance movement changed the responsibilities of corporations How you can be pro-social with your business What is the BIA-certification by B-Lab and is it something your co

Welcome to my brand new show, Leaders Love Company! I'm so happy to meet you. In this inaugural episode, I share a little bit about why this show exists and why you should keep tuning in each week.  Of course, I tell you a little bit more about myself.  Please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE so you can get each new episode delivered directly to your podcast player of choice.  Leaders sure do love company so be sure to get social with me:  Instagram | Facebook | Twitter  Or email me at nicole[at]nicoleabboud.com