Libsyn Directory

172 - Build Clarity Around a Career Transition

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

Release Date: 09/15/2025

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

🎙️ Episode: Do You Love What You Do? Do you love what you do professionally? Maybe you feel a little ambivalent… or even frustrated. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, it often comes down to one thing: alignment—the alignment between your personal values and the organization’s values. In this episode, we explore how values drive fulfillment and engagement at work: Your Values – Identify your top five and define what each one looks like in action. Organizational Values – What does your organization claim to value, and do they live it out in practice? Alignment Check –...

179 - The Leadership Crucible: Turning Challenge into Resilience

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

🎙️ Podcast Show Notes: The Leadership Crucible — From Challenge to Resilience We all have that leadership challenge we never want to experience again — the one that tested us, broke us down, and ultimately built us back stronger. That’s your leadership crucible — a defining moment that forced you to pivot, change, and grow. In this episode, we’re unpacking how to reflect on those moments and turn them into the stories that shape your leadership identity. Here’s your framework: 1️⃣ What was the event? What happened? What triggered the challenge? 2️⃣ How did you respond?...

178 - What Brand Story Are You Writing?

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

Your Brand Story Is Already Being Written — Are You Telling It? Have you ever stopped to think about how others see your professional success — not just what you do, but how you consistently show up? The habits, skills, and strengths that come naturally to you and consistently drive results… that’s your brand. But here’s the truth: We want our actions to speak for themselves — but they don’t. If you don’t tell your story, people will write one for you. A simple Brand Story Framework: Your Perspective — how you uniquely see the world. What You Do — the work you lead or...

177 - What's Your Leadership Story?

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

✨ What’s Your Leadership Story? Some of my greatest frustrations in my professional life centered around poor leadership. That experience is what ultimately drove me to become a leadership coach. 💡 We all have a leadership story. Here’s mine — now think about yours. 👇 1️⃣ Drivers What drove you to get where you are? Often, it begins by solving a problem you’ve experienced yourself. 🔍 2️⃣ Difference You’re Making What difference are you making through your leadership? How many people does your influence reach — your team, their families, their coworkers? The...

176 - Do You Need to Resign?

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

Thinking About Resigning? If you’re wrestling with the decision to resign, you’re not alone. It’s one of the hardest choices a professional can face — not just a career decision, but often a moral, reputation, and legacy decision. Patrick Dobel, in Public Integrity, offers a framework that can help bring clarity: 1️⃣ Commitment and Capacity Do you still have the commitment — and the capacity — to fulfill the role? Sometimes the issue isn’t desire but depletion. Moral, mental, or physical exhaustion can quietly erode your ability to lead well. 2️⃣ Obligations of the Office...

175 -Career Transition at 40+? Factor in Mom and Dad

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

🎧 Career Transition at 40+? Factor in Mom and Dad Over 40 and navigating life transitions? One question you may not be asking—but should—is: Do I need to plan for the cost of caring for aging parents? Here are some key considerations we dive into: 1️⃣ How likely is this to happen? (Hint: 70% of those over 65 will need long-term care) 2️⃣ How long might it last? (Nearly half of us will have a parent in care for 1–2 years, with many situations lasting 4–5 years) 3️⃣ What are the costs? (Think $150K+—especially if parents want to remain at home as long as possible) This...

174 - Want to Be a More Effective Leader? Add Structure?

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

Want to be a more effective leader tomorrow, add some structure to your leadership in these areas: meetings, delegation and evaluations. Let’s walk through three case studies to see how structure can help make you a more effective leader. Meetings: Every meeting has an agenda, at the top of the agenda is the purpose. Be purposeful in mindset and position. Every meeting ends with actions and follow up. Delegation: Every delegation needs a task and responsibility with clear description of what success looks like. Evaluations: Solidify your evaluations, and set up meetings leading up to an...

173 - Developing Your Midlevel Leaders

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

If you had one extra dollar to spend on your organization, what would you spend it on? Most people would spend it on equipment, but the greatest untapped source of profit are the people and their potential. You should invest in the mid level leaders Retention Profitability Intangibles Gallup midlevel leaders effect 70% of variability of engagement. Engagement impacts retention. What is your turnover? Highly engaged teams and organizations reduce their turnover by 43%. What impact would Highly engaged organizations are 23% more profitable...

172 - Build Clarity Around a Career Transition

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

Making a career transition can feel overwhelming. 😅 Where do you even start? Let’s simplify the process by looking at three key areas: 1️⃣ Your work history and experience 2️⃣ Who you are professionally 3️⃣ The impact you want to make in your next job Take a step back and really look at your work history. What positions have you held? What skills and knowledge have you built along the way? This isn’t just a list—it’s a story. What patterns do you see? What were you great at? Next, define who you are today as a professional. What strengths and values define you right now?...

171 - The Beginnings of Labor Day

Leadership Fitness in 5 Minutes with Gary Slyman

Labor Day! 🇺🇸 For many, it’s simply the last weekend of summer—a time for barbecues, family, and one final getaway. But it’s so much more than that. Imagine being a worker in the late 1800s: 7 days a week. 12-hour shifts. Men, women, and even children working in harsh, unsafe conditions. In 1882, a group of workers in New York City took a bold step—they took the day off to march for fair pay and better conditions. Their courage inspired others, leading to more parades and demonstrations across the country. Just two years later, in 1884, a major railroad strike pushed the issue...

More Episodes

Making a career transition can feel overwhelming. 😅 Where do you even start?

Let’s simplify the process by looking at three key areas:

1️⃣ Your work history and experience
2️⃣ Who you are professionally
3️⃣ The impact you want to make in your next job

Take a step back and really look at your work history. What positions have you held? What skills and knowledge have you built along the way? This isn’t just a list—it’s a story. What patterns do you see? What were you great at?

Next, define who you are today as a professional. What strengths and values define you right now?

Finally, with that foundation in place, think about the impact you want to have in this next chapter of your career.

You don’t have to stay stuck in the overwhelm. Watch this video as we walk through these three steps together to create clarity for your next move.

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