23 APR 2024 · In this episode of The Chris LoCurto Show, we dive deep into the delicate process of second-generation transitions in small businesses. This episode is all about you, the founders, as you prepare to pass down your legacy. We explore the crucial dos and don'ts to guide you through this pivotal phase of succession planning. From formalizing transition plans to navigating emotional dynamics, join us as we uncover actionable insights to ensure a seamless handover and preserve your family business's legacy for generations to come.

16 APR 2024 · We delve into the critical aspects of business growth and customer relations. Discover how avoiding fake delegation can fuel frustration and burnout, while embracing mistakes as invaluable learning opportunities fosters a culture of accountability and growth. Learn the importance of proactive customer service in building trust, loyalty, and ultimately, business success. Tune in to gain insights on gracefully handling mistakes and prioritizing proactive customer care to propel your business forward.

9 APR 2024 · Fake delegation is a common problem where leaders micromanage or take tasks back. Proper delegation is crucial for business growth and team productivity. Clarity is key in delegation to avoid confusion and inefficiency. Leaders should focus on higher-level tasks and delegate administrative work. Micromanagement erodes trust, while empowerment builds trust and encourages autonomy. Being a bottleneck boss slows down growth and hinders productivity. Cultivating confidence in team members is important for their development and risk-taking. Leaders should communicate expectations clearly and provide feedback for growth. Confronting unspoken challenges and addressing silent overload is necessary for effective delegation and team success.

2 APR 2024 · Justin Epple discusses Next Level Life on the Chris LoCurto Show, highlighting its transformative impact on personal growth and professional success. He emphasizes the importance of understanding one's worth and making better decisions, handling conflict, and improving communication and relationships. Next Level Life shocks controlling behaviors, promotes healthier interactions, and recommends setting boundaries. Investing in personal development yields immediate returns, emphasizing the importance of implementing changes now. For more information, visit chrislocurto.com/nextlevellife.

26 MAR 2024 · The Chris LoCurto Show features guest Patrick Devereux, who shares how personal growth has contributed to his success in leadership and business growth. As the president of Family Medical Services, Patrick sought leadership development and coaching to enhance his skills. Attending the Next Level Life event helped him prioritize his personal and professional life, set boundaries, and improve his mindset and confidence. Patrick's improved self-awareness and communication skills have positively influenced his leadership style and personal relationships. 

19 MAR 2024 · Processes, meetings, and communication are vital for productivity, but team happiness is equally crucial. Soft skills like leadership and communication are essential for fostering a positive work environment. Happiness is contagious and influences others' choices, impacting retention. A leader's attitude significantly affects team productivity and success. Balancing soft and hard skills is key for both happiness and profitability. Setting clear expectations and encouraging open expression fosters collaboration. Consistent feedback and recognition boost morale. Providing growth opportunities increases team investment. Leading with healthy accountability promotes growth and resilience. A clear mission and vision are vital for effective leadership. Prioritizing happiness in the workplace boosts productivity, profit, and innovation. Building a strong culture leads to lasting success.

12 MAR 2024 · Use the timestamps to get to your favorite part: Vulnerability as a strength in leadership. (0:00) Vulnerability in leadership and trust. (4:25) Vulnerability and trust in leadership. (9:17) Vulnerability and admitting mistakes in leadership. (13:49) Vulnerability and resilience in leadership. (17:34) Vulnerability in leadership and team building. (24:56) Cultivating team vulnerability in business leadership. (29:22)

5 MAR 2024 · - Leadership isolation and its impact on health. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=0s - Joel Fortner discusses the isolation and loneliness experienced by small business owners, particularly CEOs and presidents. - Leadership isolation and its impact on performance. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=119s - Joel Fortner discusses the unique stresses and pressures of business ownership, including feelings of loneliness and isolation, which can affect CEOs' day-to-day performance and decision-making - Joel Fortner acknowledges the common experience of feeling uneasy as a CEO, citing Shakespeare's "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown" phrase - The weight of leadership and responsibility in small business ownership. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=453s - Joel Fortner emphasizes the difficulty of letting employees go as a leader, while also acknowledging the importance of maintaining profitability in a business. - Leadership challenges and isolation. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=621s - Joel Fortner discusses the weight of leadership, feeling responsible for people and their jobs, and the pressure to communicate and lead effectively. - Joel Fortner highlights the isolation of CEOs and leaders, feeling like they are the only ones who know certain sensitive information and struggling with delegation and control issues. - Joel Fortner feels alone in his responsibilities as a business owner, - Leadership stress and finding balance. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=937s - He acknowledges the need for a healthy perspective on stress and the importance of having someone in his life who understands the challenges of leadership. - Leadership isolation and its impact on mental health. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=1102s - Joel Fortner discusses the challenges of being a leader or owner, including feeling isolated and struggling to form real friendships and deep relationships. - Joel Fortner shares his experience of feeling disconnected from his team and struggling with tough conversations and culture problems. - Isolation can negatively impact mental health, leading to loneliness and unhealthy relationships. - Managing stress and uncertainty in business and personal life. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=1420s - Joel Fortner discusses the challenges of living with uncertainty in business and personal life, citing examples from history and his own experiences. - Uncertainty can lead to fear and stress, but learning to manage it through information and decision-making can help reduce its impact. - Anxiety and panic attacks in various life situations. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=1764s - Joel Fortner experienced anxiety attacks while working as a restaurant server, feeling overwhelmed and unable to think or make decisions. - Anxiety can be subtle and easy to overlook, like a car engine running without oil, grinding and causing damage without noticeable symptoms. - Mental health and leadership in small businesses. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=1910s - Joel Fortner discusses common mental health issues among CEOs and small business owners, including depression and questioning decision-making abilities. - Fortner highlights the impact of these issues on personal and professional life, including conflict and arguments at home, and uncertainty about prioritizing correctly. - Joel Fortner emphasizes the importance of having a supportive network of people in one's life, particularly as a CEO or leader, to help navigate business and personal challenges. - He suggests having regular leadership team meetings to discuss issues, gain perspective, and improve communication. - Building a united leadership team through communication and collaboration. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=2314s - Joel Fortner suggests coaching each other to make better decisions and communicate more effectively as a team. - Joel Fortner emphasizes the importance of building personal relationships among leadership team members to foster trust and unity within the company. - Overcoming fear and isolation for small business CEOs. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=2501s - Joel Fortner explains how mastermind groups can provide support and accountability for small business CEOs and owners. - A key leader within a business called upon Joel Fortner's company to facilitate their own mastermind group, demonstrating the value of having a neutral third party in the group. - Joel Fortner discusses the importance of overcoming limiting beliefs and fears to succeed in business, citing his own experiences as a CEO and entrepreneur. - He emphasizes the need to battle one's own ego and pride to connect with others and find success, rather than isolating oneself due to fear of failure or vulnerability. - Overcoming isolation in leadership and business growth. https://otter.ai/u/AMe9tvM8IMGE1pGn73-2LbNUhv0?tab=summary&t=2815s - Joel Fortner highlights the transformative impact of community and coaching on leadership confidence, decision-making, and mental health. - Joel Fortner emphasizes the importance of prioritizing mental health and seeking help when needed to achieve personal and professional growth. - Joel Fortner encourages listeners to take a step towards improving their leadership skills by connecting with resources and a community.

27 FEB 2024 · Use the timestamps below to guide you better as a leader or individual: - The negative impact of taking over tasks from team members. https://otter.ai/u/n1aYXmSkTXaPCAM1wCeECb8qn5A?tab=summary&t=1s - Leaders suffer silently from "silent overload cycle" due to unfinished tasks delegated to team members, leading to decreased team development. - Leaders who don't allow team members to complete tasks and learn from mistakes stunt professional growth and trust. - The costs of not delegating tasks effectively in leadership. https://otter.ai/u/n1aYXmSkTXaPCAM1wCeECb8qn5A?tab=summary&t=255s - Leaders who take over tasks from team members can lead to burnout and inefficient use of time. - Poor organizational culture can result from this cycle, leading to a lack of accountability and dependencies on leaders. - Chris LoCurto highlights the costs of not delegating effectively, including lost trust and loyalty from team members and missed opportunities for innovation. - He emphasizes the importance of delegating tasks to team members to tap into their diverse perspectives and ideas, leading to more creative problem solving and critical thinking within the organization. - Team dynamics and performance. https://otter.ai/u/n1aYXmSkTXaPCAM1wCeECb8qn5A?tab=summary&t=548s - Chris LoCurto: Poor communication leads to team dynamics and performance issues. - Leaders may be overpaying for tasks due to lack of training and resource misallocation. - Why leaders take on too much work themselves. https://otter.ai/u/n1aYXmSkTXaPCAM1wCeECb8qn5A?tab=summary&t=789s - Chris LoCurto identifies perfectionism as a common trap leaders fall into, compromising their ability to focus on higher-level tasks. - Chris LoCurto: Leaders who doubt team's abilities may take over tasks themselves, hindering delegation and growth. - Fear of confrontation and lack of trust in team's skills can lead to leaders taking back delegated tasks, perpetuating the cycle of silent overload. - Leadership, training, and decision-making. https://otter.ai/u/n1aYXmSkTXaPCAM1wCeECb8qn5A?tab=summary&t=1045s - Chris LoCurto believes leaders should focus on raising the talent, skill levels, and competency of their teams, rather than carrying the ball themselves. - He recognizes that time management challenges can lead to leaders doing tasks themselves instead of training others, but prioritizes teaching and growing his leadership team for the long-term. - Chris LoCurto emphasizes the importance of decision-making skills in team members, even if a task is not repeatable. - Lack of training and insufficient processes are common issues in first-time strapline projects, leading to a lack of confidence in team members' abilities. - Common traps leaders fall into and how to avoid them. https://otter.ai/u/n1aYXmSkTXaPCAM1wCeECb8qn5A?tab=summary&t=1315s - Chris LoCurto highlights poor communication skills as a reason leaders get stuck in the "trap" of taking back tasks from others. - Habitual behavior and lack of delegation skills also contribute to this issue, leading to ineffective leadership. - Chris LoCurto aims to delegate tasks effectively to free up time for leading leaders, not doing tasks. - Fear of being less important can prevent leaders from transferring responsibility to team members, leading to a cycle of overload and decreased effectiveness. - Chris LoCurto identifies Joel Fortner's leadership potential and takes proactive steps to prevent him from getting stuck in the "leadership Crazy Cycle." - Leadership development and overcoming common challenges. https://otter.ai/u/n1aYXmSkTXaPCAM1wCeECb8qn5A?tab=summary&t=1756s - Leaders struggle with open communication and trust issues, but it doesn't have to be that way. - Chris LoCurto encourages leaders to have open and honest communication with their team to identify the reasons why tasks are not being completed on time. - He emphasizes the importance of setting clear expectations and providing training and resources to empower team members to achieve their goals. - Leadership styles and strategies for success. https://otter.ai/u/n1aYXmSkTXaPCAM1wCeECb8qn5A?tab=summary&t=2026s - Chris LoCurto emphasizes the importance of feedback and self-reflection for effective leadership. - Celebrate wins and learn from failures to create a culture of growth and recognition. - Chris LoCurto shares insights on breaking the silent overload cycle in leadership.

20 FEB 2024 · Use the timestamps below to guide you better as a leader or individual: - Breaking personal ceilings and overcoming fears. https://otter.ai/u/WRhvsfho7qQDSej2277B7sWRf64?tab=summary&t=0s - Chris LoCurto shares his personal struggle with fear and how he overcomes it by facing it head-on and becoming comfortable with it. - He recounts his experience as a child skiing and how he gradually became comfortable with heights by repeatedly exposing himself to the fearful situation. - Chris LoCurto recounts a time when he was asked to pray for two boys at a service, but he was so focused on his own fears that he couldn't remember what he prayed. - He vowed to take every opportunity to pray in public after that experience, to avoid being self-focused and to truly pray for those who need it. - Self-limiting beliefs and how they hold us back. https://otter.ai/u/WRhvsfho7qQDSej2277B7sWRf64?tab=summary&t=362s - Chris LoCurto discusses personal ceilings and how self-doubt and fear hold people back. - Limiting beliefs and assumptions hold individuals back from achieving their goals. - Chris LoCurto: Lies and limiting beliefs hinder progress, keep you on sidelines. - Overcoming self-doubt and limiting beliefs. https://otter.ai/u/WRhvsfho7qQDSej2277B7sWRf64?tab=summary&t=721s - Chris LoCurto shares a profound piece of advice from Olympic skier Michaela Schifrin: "look at every race as a practice for the next race." - LoCurto emphasizes the importance of adopting a growth mindset, rather than a fixed mindset, in order to grow and develop. - Chris LoCurto emphasizes the importance of awareness and acknowledgement in overcoming negative deposits and lies in one's brain. - He provides practical steps to identify and challenge these negative thoughts, including taking one's thoughts captive and plugging in truth. - Recognizing and overcoming negative self-talk. https://otter.ai/u/WRhvsfho7qQDSej2277B7sWRf64?tab=summary&t=1046s - Chris LoCurto examines self-limiting beliefs, uncovers reasons behind them, and challenges them with truths. - Chris LoCurto shares his personal struggle with negative self-talk and the impact it had on his relationships. - He emphasizes the importance of recognizing and challenging these lies with the truth, and finding people and processes to help overcome them. - Self-worth and negative self-talk. https://otter.ai/u/WRhvsfho7qQDSej2277B7sWRf64?tab=summary&t=1329s - Chris LoCurto: Understands worth to a great spouse is not defined by past struggles or expectations, but by current self-awareness and inner qualities. - Chris LoCurto emphasizes the importance of meditating on truths about oneself and focusing on God's perspective to overcome negative self-talk and lies. - He suggests practicing The Artist's Way book by Julia Cameron to promote creativity and aesthetic value system. - Journaling, goal-setting, and seeking feedback for personal growth. https://otter.ai/u/WRhvsfho7qQDSej2277B7sWRf64?tab=summary&t=1607s - Journaling can help you track your progress and notice patterns in your thinking, including negative thoughts and fears. - Writing down your achievements and positive thoughts can help you overcome limitations and see your growth. - Set realistic goals that build confidence and change self-perception, making small, achievable progress with a timeline. - Seek feedback from healthy people who provide constructive criticism without ulterior motives. - Overcoming negative self-talk and seeking help. https://otter.ai/u/WRhvsfho7qQDSej2277B7sWRf64?tab=summary&t=1894s - Chris LoCurto seeks quality feedback from trusted friends and mentors to change his negative self-talk. - Chris LoCurto emphasizes the importance of practicing gratitude to shift focus away from negativity and towards blessings in life. - He also recommends seeking professional help for deeply ingrained negative self-talk that leads to anxiety or depression. - Overcoming fear and self-doubt. https://otter.ai/u/WRhvsfho7qQDSej2277B7sWRf64?tab=summary&t=2154s - Chris LoCurto reflects on his journey of overcoming narcissistic abuse and setting healthy boundaries, acknowledging small victories along the way. - He emphasizes the importance of patience, practice, and celebrating small wins in the process of change. - Lena Hall overcame her fear of speaking in front of people by acknowledging and battling her self-doubt, recognizing the lies she told herself, and delivering a powerful lesson on fear at a leadership event. - Hall's vulnerability and transparency on stage helped attendees relate to her lesson and overcome their own fears, despite her initial belief that she couldn't get up there and deliver a good message. - Overcoming fears and patterns of anxiety and negative self-talk. https://otter.ai/u/WRhvsfho7qQDSej2277B7sWRf64?tab=summary&t=2468s - Chris LoCurto emphasizes the importance of gaining clarity on the root causes of negative patterns and struggles in order to achieve great change in one's life. - He encourages listeners to take actionable steps towards personal growth and development by striving to learn and apply the information provided in his resources. - Chris LoCurto emphasizes the importance of self-awareness for business owners, citing its ability to simplify challenges and transform businesses. - He invites listeners to attend the next Level Leadership Live event in Franklin, Tennessee, to dive deeper into this topic and transform their businesses.