Genius Leadership: Overcoming Everything Podcast

Essential Lessons From 30 Years Of Building Companies - with Hermann Gudmundsson

Who would want to start a business in a highly competitive, saturated market? It sounds like an ungrateful thing to do, yet many entrepreneurs see opportunities in these circumstances. Few have the tenacity to bring their vision to life, so it was very valuable to sit down with Hermann Gudmundsson, an Iceland-based entrepreneur who succeeded in realizing his vision already back in the 1990s and has been progressing ever since. Hermann has gone through diverse stages of business: from having 1 employee to over 1000 people on payroll, or 850 full-time employees; from building a company in the mid-90s with no smartphones and internet to running a business in our highly-connected world these days; and past a handful of crises nationally and globally. In our conversation, we dove into Hermann's learnings that can hugely benefit your journey.
In this episode, you will hear about:
inheriting teams after acquisitions and aligning them to the main business
Hermann's philosophy for hiring people
the market being the master - not the seller
hustling 24/7 for four years, the win and losses of that time
changing your mind as a leader
taking two months off per year as a CEO, for 14 years straight
the value of downtime and rest for a CEO's personal and business success
Stay safe and #standwithukraine,AnnaResources:Connect with Hermann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hermann-gu%C3%B0mundsson-09583b11/Check out Kemi: https://kemi.is/Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletterBook a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/

Nurturing Accountability in Your Employees

Have you as a leader ever wondered how to nurture autonomy among your employees? Or maybe as an HR professional or an employee in general, you sensed such wishes within the organization?
Well, I have a strong opinion on what it means for a company when requests for autonomy training are voiced, and it’s not a “hell yes, let’s do it!” In this episode, I share what I think is wrong with this approach, what it might show about the company’s leadership, and what you can do better. 
In this episode, you will hear about:
the similarity between autonomy training and rape discussions
three leadership aspects you want to look at in your organization, to improve employees’ autonomy
ways to improve each of these
Stay safe and #standwithukraine,
Anna
Resources:
Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletter
Book a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall 
Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/

From Overambition To Focusing On Peace And Wellbeing - with Kim Ahlbom

Hustle culture is glorified by some and despised by others. While entrepreneurs' building successful companies is a tough journey by itself, I see how many leaders make it even harder for themselves. Ambition is a great force until you go overboard and start chasing your goals too hecticly. I sat down with Kim Ahlbom, Director of Consulting and Partnerships at VNTRS, to talk about his way from running after his to-do list day-in and day-out, to focusing on the peace and wellbeing.In this episode, you will hear about:> disconnecting from emotions as a child to offload parents> living with anxiety and wondering "Am I broken?"> learning to understand and feel one's feelings> the value of watching sad movies> observing thoughtsStay safe and #standwithukraine,AnnaResources:Connect with Kim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimahlbom/Check out VNTRS: https://vntrs.com/Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletterBook a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/

Dealing With All The No’s In Your Life

This episode is a message I sometimes need to get myself. We all have those periods that feel like a continuous flow of no's. It might be during a job search, when you're looking for an investor, nailing that product-market fit for your startup, looking for a dream home or a life partner. Those periods can be nerve-wracking, depressing, draining, and demoralising. I'm sharing some tools and strategies on how to healthily dive through them.
In this episode, you will hear about:
why getting this "no" is a good thing
a simple yes/no question that will totally change the way you receive those "no" and whether you actually continue on the path
why pity parties rock
Stay safe and #standwithukraine,
Anna
Resources:
Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletter
Book a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall 
Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/

Startup Success Mantras and Banana Skins, part 2 - with Vedanarayanan Vedantham

What do successful startups do right? And which banana skins are common when growing a business? Tune in for part 2 of my conversation with Vedanarayanan Vedantham, a startup mentor at Microsoft who has helped build and grow multiple digital products & brands across Fintech, Health-Tech, Ed-Tech and online travel.
In this episode, you will hear about:
why you should pay attention to customer stickiness
the golden rule for calculating the lifetime value (LV) of a customer
what to do when you're too new and have no sufficient data for the LV calculations
painful pivoting mistakes
being too early for the market maturity or playing the wrong game all-in-all
steps that can help your business while the market is maturing
Stay safe and #standwithukraine,
Anna
Resources:
Connect with Veda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vedanarayananvedantham/
CRM system mentioned in the episode: https://www.hubspot.com/
Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletter
Book a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall 
Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/

Startup Success Mantras and Banana Skins, part 1 - with Vedanarayanan Vedantham

What should startups focus on at the beginning of their journey of acquiring customers? I sat down with Vedanarayanan Vedantham, a startup mentor at Microsoft who has helped build and grow multiple digital products & brands across Fintech, Health-Tech, Ed-Tech and online travel.
In this episode, you will hear about:
the pitfalls of relying on paid marketing
when paid marketing can be useful for a startup and how to balance it with organic growth
the rule of thumb for acquiring the right amount of clients for the product-market fit test
thoughts to consider while choosing social media for your company's presence
how to leverage SEO
Stay safe and #standwithukraine,
Anna
Resources:
Connect with Veda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vedanarayananvedantham/
Marketing tools mentioned in the episode: https://www.semrush.com and https://moz.com/
Adwords adwords.google.com
Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletter
Book a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall 
Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/

Birthday Giveaway

This show turns 2 years today, and I want to celebrate that with you!
Let's sum-up the previous 24 months and 109 episodes with some birthday presents! Before January 30th, share your favorite episodes and takeaways for your network, subscribe to the show, leave us a review, and take part in a draw of three prizes: two packages of a book plus a sweet treat by our guests, and an invitation to a private event with the podcast guests.
Thank you for being a part of this community. I'm committed to helping you become a happier and healthier leader, and for that, it's time to level-up the podcast. More on that in a couple of weeks.
Stay safe and #standwithukraine,
Anna
Resources:
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-liebel/
Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletter
Book a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall 
Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/

There Should Be No Timetable for Success - with Rob Napoli

Sometimes, it's hard for me to describe to potential clients what exactly I do. Mindshifting is about having a safe space to learn more about yourself and to take action from a more informed and aligned place. It's not a 3-step formula or a fancy blueprint. It's a lengthy process where sometimes you hate me but most often, deeply grateful for having me in your corner. 
One of my clients Rob Napoli joins me to show you a bit of that process behind the scenes. Having worked together for over a year now, I have seen huge progress in Rob's life, mind, business, and personal relationships. I wanted to bring him on the show to share some of the pivots he's made in life in the past year and what work have those entailed in the background.
In this episode, you will hear about:
the highs and lows of being a solo founder
learning that you are building a business you don't want to run
the decision to totally rebrand Rob's fresh business when he is a... brand strategist himself
the liberation of everyone's self-centeredness
challenging content creators who are on the rise right now
mindshifting and asking the right questions
patience and trust in the process f in the eyes of a person with ADHD
the value of persistency and consistency
challenging your if-only's
hiring help for tough conversations vs having the same damn conversation with yourself a year from now
why Rob told me to f*ck off
Stay safe and #standwithukraine,
Anna
Resources:
Rob's first appearance on the show - episode 42 from 17 November 2021.
Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robnap/
Check out his book and podcast: https://www.robnapoli.com/
Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletter
Book a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall 
Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/

Mindshifting Moment 11. On Sabotaging Yourself and Inability to Be Happy - with Rob Napoli

Sometimes, the toughest questions in the moment are the best ones for your progress and success in the long term. One of my clients Rob Napoli shares some of my questions that made the biggest mindshifts for him. Listen in and reflect on those for your own life, happiness and success.
Stay safe and #standwithukraine,
Anna
Resources:
Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robnap/
Check out his book and podcast: https://www.robnapoli.com/
Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletter
Book a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall 
Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/

Looking at the New Year from a Rock Bottom

How do you handle tough feelings and dark thoughts in the festive times when everyone is supposed to be joyous and happy?
If you feel worried, depressed, stressed, or anxious around the holidays, I see you, I feel you!
Listen to this honest sharing of how it is to sit on rock bottom and observe the life happening up there, over the water's surface. Let's normalise not feeling well when all you're supposed to be is excited. Let's talk about the duality of life and how we can both feel joy in some moments *and* have an overarching anxiety blanket covering us. Let's take a deep breath together and step into 2023 together even though we didn't reflect on 2022, didn't take all the learnings from it, didn't set goals for 2023, and don't even feel like celebrating anything.
You are enough even if you don't feel OK.
You are worthy of happiness and love. 
I'm grateful for you.
Let's go.
Stay safe and #standwithukraine,
Anna
Resources:
Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-liebel/
Sign-up for the Sustainable Leadership Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/205a08ca614c/sustainableleadershipnewsletter
Book a Mindshifting Intensive: https://annaliebel.as.me/strategycall 
Support Ukraine: https://u24.gov.ua/