Every company is more than mere numbers. At its core, every business is about people and relationships, which are built on top of communication. The only way to improve business is by improving people, but how can we do that effectively?

Steven Gaffney is a leading expert on increasing business profit through change management, honest communication, and high-performing teams. He has 25+ years of experience and works directly with fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Marriott, Allstate Insurance, and even with the US. Government and the military. He has also authored four groundbreaking books, and he’s in the process of releasing and writing a few further ones.

In this episode, Steven discusses how adversities are opportunities in disguise that really help us improve how we operate in business and life. Furthermore, he shares with us the core elements of becoming a great leader that encourages others to become high achievers, including what’s needed to build a powerful culture that helps people, teams, and businesses thrive.

 “With every problem, there’s an opportunity, and it is an opportunity to grow”. – Steven Gaffney

In this episode:

• [01:43] Presenting Steven Gaffeny
• [02:29] Steven’s backstory: How did he become the leading expert he is today?
• [03:25] Two keys to Steven’s success.     
• [04:15] How did Steven get started with seminars that evolved into Honest Communication: “I found out the biggest problem is not what people say, it’s actually what they don’t say to each other”.     
• [05:15] Even when you’re doing what you love, things can go wrong.     
• [06:55] “With every problem, there’s an opportunity, and it is an opportunity to grow”.

08:05 Tough times, The Great Recession and Opportunity:

• [08:30] Keeping focus on what you can really control
• [09:00] You can miss-attribute why things are going well: When things take a tough turn, you’re left with problems that were already there but didn’t pay attention to.
• [10:45] “Who we surround ourselves with has a lot to do with how we’re going to be successful”.
• [14:30] We must be aware of things and how our inputs impact our outputs.

15:56 The 4-Key Areas of High Achievement:

• [16:30] First: Learning how to deal with what you don’t love to do in Business.
• [17:50] Second: Honest communication is about creating an environment to analyze the facts (even though we might not like them!)
• [21:10] Third: Business is a team sport, to be successful we need to build a Great High Achieving Team around us.
• [25:34] Elaborating on what it takes to Create a High Achieving Team: The PGS North Star.
• [29:59] Continued conversation about Building a great team: The real impact of Values and Integrity in Business.
• [32:50] “Great leaders hold people accountable and have those tough conversations.”
• [36:40] Leadership is not a position, it’s a state of mind that goes beyond a top-down relationship.
• [38:10] (Going back to the 4-key Areas). Fourth: Elements of a Powerful Culture, Morale, and Mindset that Lead to growth.
• [43:08] How to shift from a powerless to a powerful mindset.
• [45:00] Reframing is a tool to create the right environment in which people thrive.
• [54:42] Two key points to becoming a high achiever.

About Steven Gaffney

Steven Gaffney is a leading expert on creating high-achieving organizations through clearly defined processes and frameworks. In his more than 25 years of experience, he has helped fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Marriott, Allstate Insurance, and even with the US. Government and the military.

Connect with Steven Gaffney

On LinkedIn

On Facebook

On YouTube

Steven’s Website

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

Steven’s First Book – Honest Communication

Chris Hirst – No B*llshit Leadership

Modified on: 28 August 2022