Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

Episode 099: Company Culture for Dummies with Mike Ganino

Mike Ganino is a culture & storytelling expert who helps executives, teams, and thought leaders communicate, connect, and engage. He is the author of “Company Culture for Dummies” and has been named a top 30 Culture Speaker by Global Guru. His unique experience as a hospitality and tech industry executive combined with his years as an improve actor help his clients and audience craft the kinds of stories that drive their culture, boost results, and increase sales.

Mike’s work as a professional speaker, communications coach, Emcee, and trainer has helped create memorable performances and events for companies like Big Fresno Fair, Snagajob, PeopleMatter, Uber, US Foods, American Marketing Association, and more. He is faculty member at Heroic Public Speaking where he works with authors, experts, and professional speakers to improve their storytelling skills. Mike’s the Head Performance Coach for TEDx Cambridge.

Audiences love Mike’s high energy, high engagement keynotes that fire them up to rewrite the stories happening in their organization. They leave with real-life strategies they can begin implementing immediately for improved culture that drives employee and customer experience.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • What is culture and why it’s important
  • Strategies for developing the right culture
  • Mistakes people make in business
  • How to hire better people
  • … and so much more!!!

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Episode 095: Tim Hall, UMBC Athletic Director

Tim Hall is the Director of Athletics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He was also appointed President of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (ADA) in the summer of 2017 and has served as the chairman of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics. During the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the UMBC Retrievers Men’s Basketball team made history when they became the first ever No. 16 seed to beat the No. 1 seed when they beat Virginia by 20 points, 74-54. Tim has previously served as the Athletic Director at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.  Before heading up his own departments, he was the assistant A.D. at Eastern Kentucky University, Saint Xavier University, Youngstown State University, and Kent State University. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The historic upset that the men’s basketball team had in the 2018 NCAA Tournament
  • Social media creativity of UMBC athletic communication staff during the tournament
  • Ways to build a mid-major athletic program
  • Hiring and keeping good team members
  • What makes UMBC so special

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Episode 091: Crisis Preparedness Expert Melissa Agnes

Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection.  Agnes is a coveted speaker, commentator, and adviser to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks.

In 2015, she gave a TEDx talk in Los Angeles where she discussed the secret to successful crisis management in the 21st century. Agnes is the editor of the Crisis Ready Blog, a contributor to Forbes, and a go-to source for the press, with recent coverage including the Wall Street Journal, VIBE Magazine, USA Today, and many others. As a university guest lecturer, Agnes teaches crisis management in university courses around the world, including at NYU and McGill.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The difference between issues and crisis
  • How to prepare for the inevitable crises that will come your way
  • Building your brand on social media
  • What to do when an issue or a crisis occurs
  • How Southwest Airlines and United Airlines handled crises differently

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Episode 078: One Percent Better with Joe Ferraro

If you want to be better and choose success then today’s guest is your guy. Joe Ferraro is the host of the One Percent Better podcast. He has interviewed such high-level thought leaders as Seth Godin, Phil Jones, Chris Voss, and Daniel Pink. He is also a motivational speaker and co-host of the KWB Radio show with Kevin Wilson. Joe is was a NCAA baseball coach and player, who now coaches baseball at Bronxville HS in New York. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • Coaches who say “I don’t discuss playing time with parents”
  • How he inspires kids on the ball fields and in the classroom
  • What leadership and life lessons he has learned through hosting his own podcast

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Episode 053: Cory Dobbs, The Academy of Sports Leadership

Dr. Cory Dobbs is the Founder & President of The Academy for Sport Leadership. A former basketball coach, Cory’s coaching background includes experience at the NCAA DII, NJCAA, and high school levels of competition. Cory has worked with collegiate athletic programs and high schools teaching leadership and team building as a part of the sports experience and education process. Cory is an accomplished researcher of human experience–a relentless investigator of team building and leadership behavior.  A skilled researcher, Cory actively engages the process of naturalistic inquiry seeking in-depth understanding of social phenomena such as leadership and team building in their natural setting.  A “teamologist,” Dr. Dobbs is an author, speaker, teacher, trainer and a consultant. Cory has been a recognized educator teaching at institutions such as Northern Arizona University, Ohio University, and Grand Canyon University.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • Ways coaches can better develop their team leadership
  • How parents can help their child be a better leader
  • Why we need a leader in every locker room
  • What his thoughts on captains are

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Episode 051: Best-Selling Author of the “Go-Giver” Bob Burg

Bob Burg was named by The American Management Association as one of the 30 Most Influential Leaders.  He is a much sought-after speaker at company leadership and sales conferences on topics at the core of the Go-Giver books. A former television personality and top-producing salesperson, Bob has shared the platform with some of today’s top business leaders, broadcast personalities, coaches, athletes, and political leaders, including a former U.S. president.  In addition to coauthoring the bestselling Go-Giver books with John David Mann, Bob has authored a number of popular books, including the critically acclaimed, Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales and Adversaries into Allies. His total book sales are well over a million copies.  Bob is one of Inc.’s 100 Great Leadership Speakers. Richtopia named him one of the Top 200 Most Influential Authors in the World.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • Various definitions and ideas of what success really is
  • What a Go-Giver actually is – as opposed to a go-getter
  • How a “drive-by” mentor changed his outlook on life
  • A bad first question that most of us ask

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Episode 046: Southeastern University Basketball Coach R-Jay Barsh

R-Jay Barsh is the head men’s basketball coach at Southeastern University. The 2017-18 season marks his sixth season at the helm of the Fire program. At the time of this episode being released, Barsh just won his 100th game moving the 7th ranked Fire program to 12-2 on the season.

In only his second season, he was a finalist for the Don Meyer National Coach of the Year Award as he guided the Fire to a 27-7 record and the program’s first-ever NAIA National Tournament appearance. Before coming to Southeastern, Barsh was the assistant coach at Tacoma Community College.  While at Tacoma, he was considered one of the top recruiters on the West Coast and was even featured in The Bleacher Report for being a main catalyst for the Titans recruiting and developmental success. He also coached at Pugent Sound University, as well. Before he began his coaching career, he enjoyed a successful playing career at Tacoma Community College from 2001–2003. In his first season, he led the Titans to a NWAACC title and a 30–3 overall record. In 2003, Barsh was named Second Team All-Conference and found himself in a unique position, having won NWAACC titles as both a player (2002) and a coach (2012).

Off of the hardwood, Barsh has always felt the call of God on his life and has used basketball as the vehicle to deliver the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For over the past 10 years, he has been an integral part of Northwest Basketball Camps (NBC), which is a Christ-centered camp that utilizes basketball to impact the hearts and minds of young people through Jesus Christ. Through NBC, Barsh has led several camps around the world, including in Italy, the United Kingdom, and Alaska.  He is also the founder of SkyMotivation, which is a ministry he uses to help young people grow in Christ. His website for the ministry has testimonies, devotionals, and even an area where viewers can ask questions about their faith.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • How he defines and measures success as a college basketball coach
  • What he is doing to help develop his players both on and off the court
  • Advice he has for a coach (or leader) going through a losing streak

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Episode 043: Mike Hamilton, Executive Director of Show Hope

Mike Hamilton is the Executive Director of Show Hope, a position that he has held since December 2014. Show Hope is an orphan care and adoption ministry started by Christian music entertainer Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife Mary Beth. A man of deep faith, Mike has extensive experience in leadership and development, serving 26 years in intercollegiate athletics at Clemson University, Wake Forest University. Most notably, he was the athletic director at the University of Tennessee and their $105 million budget.  Mike also served on the board for Show Hope, as well as other local, regional, and national nonprofits. Mike is also the CEO and Founder of Winfred-Henry Partners, LLC, which provides athletic consulting. Mike and his wife, Beth, live in the Nashville area and have five children through adoption.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • The environment and pressures of big-time SEC athletics
  • Job search advise, including why many coaches get hired or fired
  • Ways that Show Hope is impacting lives and making a difference in the world
  • The interesting story of Bruce Pearl getting hired at the University of Tennessee

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Episode 003: Performance Coach Alan Stein, Jr.

Alan Stein, Jr. is a world-class performance coach that has trained some of the top stars in the NBA. He is now turning his attention to working with top CEO’s as an executive business coach. His popular Pure Sweat Basketball podcast has had such guests as Coach K, Tom Izzo, Kevin Durant, Jay Bilas, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Mark Cuban.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • His transition from world-class performance coach to executive business coach
  • What “success is a choice” means to him
  • His time with Jesse Itzler at his summer camp getaway for adults
  • What he has learned working with and interviewing some of the top players and coaches
  • …and plenty more!


Listen & Subscribe: iTunes | Soundcloud | Google Play | Stitcher

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Episode 022: The Super Coach Micheal Burt

Micheal Burt is known as “The Super Coach,” for his unique blend of being a former championship coach who has an entrepreneurial mindset. He has authored 12 books, including the best-seller Zebra and Cheetahs, as well as his newest book Everybody Needs a Coach in Life. As a basketball coach, Burt won 221 games in a nine-year period, including the school’s first-ever State Championship. He now speaks, coaches, trains, and leads some of the top companies in the world. His biggest coaching program has over 150 entrepreneurs and sales professionals enrolled in MONSTER PRODUCER and his new virtual training interactive platform is called “The Monster Growth Academy” which houses over 400 web based interactive lessons for you to absorb on any device anytime.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • Why everybody needs a coach in life
  • How successful people become successful
  • Advice on writing a book and telling your story
  • Mistakes the people make when trying to grow their business

[Read more…]

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