The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast

Suzie Price The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Management
  • Updated Biweekly

Helping leaders, trainers and consultants, who are focused on employee selection and professional development build a Wake Up Eager Workforce. Best practices, resources, guidance, encouragement, motivation and inspiration for building energy, commitment and communication in organizations.

  1. 2d ago

    Ted Turner Beyond the Headlines: Leadership Lessons from Inside Turner Broadcasting with Allan DeNiro

    Former Turner Broadcasting executive Allan DeNiro shares behind-the-scenes stories of working with Ted Turner and reveals the people-first leadership lessons that helped build one of the most innovative media companies in the world. Ted Turner is remembered as the bold founder of CNN, the visionary behind Turner Broadcasting, and one of the most influential media entrepreneurs of the modern era. In this episode, former Turner Broadcasting executive Allan DeNiro takes us beyond the headlines to share firsthand stories about Ted's leadership, speed, risk-taking, trust in people, and people-first decisions. Allan reflects on what it was like to work inside the larger Turner Broadcasting world, which included CNN, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Hawks, World Championship Wrestling, and more. You'll hear stories about the company's groundbreaking 24/7 on-site childcare center, a nearly global employee intranet, and Ted's simple but powerful reminder to "take care of our people. "This conversation is a tribute to Ted Turner's leadership legacy and a practical reminder that every leader can create "fertile ground" where people, ideas, courage, and confidence can grow.   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Great leaders create "fertile ground" for people and ideas to grow. Allan described Turner Broadcasting as a place where people were encouraged to take chances, move fast, and figure things out. Ted Turner's leadership created space for bold ideas, new businesses, and talented people to grow—without constant micromanaging. 2. People-first leadership is a business strategy. The 24/7 on-site childcare center was not just a nice employee benefit—it was a practical solution for a 24-hour news and media company. Allan made the business case, and Ted quickly approved it because he understood that taking care of people helped the business succeed. 3. Visionary leaders challenge the status quo and trust others to execute. From CNN to TBS to the Braves, Ted Turner saw possibilities others dismissed. He moved quickly, challenged old models, and trusted capable people to carry ideas forward—a leadership lesson that still applies to every organization today   KEY QUOTES "Every single employee believed that they worked for Ted."—Allan DeNiro "Everything moves very fast."—Allan DeNiro "Ted was all about seeing around corners—not only looking ahead, but looking ahead and left and right."—Allan DeNiro "To me, it became a business issue, not a philosophical issue."—Allan DeNiro, on the childcare center "This is a damn good idea. We're going to do this."—Ted Turner, as remembered by Allan DeNiro "His style was to get out of the way."—Allan DeNiro "Do not look at the status quo and accept it. Ted never did."—Allan DeNiro "Take care of our people."—Ted Turner, as remembered by Allan DeNiro "He gets paid to go up to his office and think for a while. We get paid to take care of our people."—Allan DeNiro "Ted provided for the people that worked for him what I call fertile ground."—Allan DeNiro "You can do this. If you can't do this, you'll figure it out."—Allan DeNiro "Everybody listening can have a long-lasting impact on their people."—Allan DeNiro   PRACTICAL APPLICATION Ask yourself where your team needs "fertile ground ."Look for places where people need more trust, clearer ownership, or permission to test new ideas. Turn people issues into business cases. When advocating for employee support, connect the need to performance, retention, service, and results—just like Allan did with the childcare center. Stop accepting "we don't talk about that" as an answer. If an issue keeps coming up in the halls, on your team, or in exit interviews, it probably deserves a real conversation and a clear decision. Give ownership, then get out of the way. Once you assign responsibility to the right person, resist the urge to micromanage. Trust can create speed, confidence, and accountability. Clarify your leadership legacy. Every leader can ask: "Are people more confident, capable, and energized because they worked with me?" That is the kind of impact people remember.   ABOUT THE GUEST Allan J. DeNiro is a seasoned executive, consultant, author, and former Turner Broadcasting and Havertys human resources leader who brings decades of practical wisdom in leadership, hiring, culture, and people development.   SHOW NOTES https://www.pricelessprofessional.com/tedturner

    57 min

  2. Jun 18

    2026 Tip # 4 Nicole Williams - Mini Episode

    The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast

    8 min
  3. Are You Living Your Encodings? From Jim Collins to Wake Up Eager Clarity

    Jun 15

    Are You Living Your Encodings? From Jim Collins to Wake Up Eager Clarity

    Jim Collins calls them "encodings"—the deeply wired patterns that shape how we contribute—and in this episode, Suzie Price explores how understanding your natural strengths, motivations, and energy can help you build a life you can't wait to wake up to. What if the key to a more energized, meaningful life isn't working harder—but understanding what you're truly wired to do? Inspired by Jim Collins' book What to Make of a Life and his conversation with Tim Ferriss, Suzie explores the concept of "encodings" and connects it to the TriMetrix assessment and the Wake Up Eager philosophy. She shares personal stories, research from Gallup and Jim Collins, and practical examples from hiring and leadership to show how alignment impacts performance, fulfillment, and energy. Whether you're leading a team, making career decisions, or simply trying to understand yourself better, this episode will help you recognize the clues your strengths and energy have been giving you all along. Discover how to stop fighting your wiring and start living more intentionally.   TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Your Energy Leaves Clues - The things that consistently energize you, engage you, and feel natural often point directly to your deepest strengths and encodings. 2. Success Doesn't Always Mean Alignment - You can be capable, respected, and even successful in a role that fights against your natural wiring. Over time, the energy cost of misalignment catches up. 3. Understanding Your Wiring Creates Better Decisions - Whether you're hiring, leading, coaching, or planning your future, understanding how people naturally think, behave, and stay motivated helps create stronger alignment and better outcomes   KEY QUOTES "You can be successful, respected, capable, and still be living completely outside your encodings. Eventually, the energy cost catches up to you." "You can be good at something and still not be encoded for it." "Your experiences don't create your encodings. They reveal or suppress them." "Energy leaves clues." "Sometimes your encodings are hiding in plain sight." "Stop overriding your wiring." "When your wiring, your strengths, your environment, and your contribution begin to align, you don't just perform better—you come alive." "Life gets better when we align what energizes us with how we naturally contribute." "Words don't teach. Life experience teaches." "We should allow others to be who they are through their strengths." "If you don't change and grow, you won't have what you need for what's coming next."   PRACTICAL APPLICATION 1. Start Tracking Your Energy - For one week, pay attention to the conversations, projects, and activities that leave you energized versus drained. 2. Look for Repeating Patterns - Identify strengths, interests, and contributions that have shown up consistently throughout your life and career. 3. Stop Minimizing What Comes Naturally - The things that feel easiest to you may be some of your greatest gifts—even if they seem ordinary. 4. Seek Objective Feedback - Use assessments, coaching, journaling, or trusted friends to help validate the patterns you may be overlooking. 5. Make One Small Alignment Adjustment - Choose one activity, project, or responsibility that better reflects your natural strengths and make space for more of it this month.   ABOUT SUZIE PRICE Suzie Price is the founder of Priceless Professional Development, creator of the Wake Up Eager philosophy, and a TriMetrix expert who helps leaders and organizations align people, roles, and strengths to build high-commitment, low-drama workplaces and lives they can't wait to wake up to.

    35 min

  4. Jun 5

    2026 Tip #3 - Nicole Williams - Mini Episode

    The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast

    9 min

  5. Jun 1

    Why Smart Leaders Still Make Bad Hires (And Don't See It Coming)

    Smart leaders still make bad hires because they skip upfront clarity—failing to define observable success for the role—then rely on general interview questions and are swayed by likability/confidence. In this episode, your host Suzie Price, discusses the fixes. TOP 3 TAKEAWAYS 1. Define success first. Identify the observable, day-to-day behaviors the role requires before interviewing.  2. Anchor interviews to those priorities. Create behavioral questions tied to the top 3–5 Superior Performance Attributes.  3. Don't confuse likability with fit. Evaluate competence against the defined attributes, not just confidence or rapport. KEY QUOTES - "Confidence is not competence, connection is not capability."  - "Define what success looks like in this role five days a week, not in theory, not in a job posting, but in real observable behavior."  - "Ask yourself, what are the top three to five things this person must do well every single day to be successful?"  - "Good questions don't work if they're not anchored to something specific to your role at this time in this company, in your position, in your team."  - "They slow down before they speed up." PRACTICAL APPLICATION - Define 3–5 daily must-dos for the role (observable behaviors).  - Build a simple scorecard with those attributes and 1–5 anchors.  - Write 1–2 STAR behavioral questions per attribute and ask the same to all finalists.  - Assign interviewers to evaluate specific attributes and use the scorecard in debriefs.  - Add a short work-sample or situational task tied to the top attribute.  - Create 30/60/90 outcomes linked to the attributes and review early. ABOUT THE HOST Suzie Price is the founder of Priceless Professional Development and host of the Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast. For more than 20 years, she has helped leaders and organizations improve hiring, communication, and performance through the practical application of behavioral science, personal development, and the TriMetrix assessment suite.

    11 min

  6. May 27

    Tip #2 Nicole Williams Tip - Mini Episode

    The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast

    7 min
  7. Touching Heaven, Walking Earth: How 10 Minutes a Day Can Transform Your Life and Leadership

    May 19

    Touching Heaven, Walking Earth: How 10 Minutes a Day Can Transform Your Life and Leadership

    Ep 147: Touching Heaven, Walking Earth How 10 Minutes a Day Can Transform Your Life and Leadership -      If you're too busy to slow down, this conversation might be exactly what you need. How 10 minutes a day focused on your inner life can transform how you lead, live, and show up in the world.   Overview: Ron Price discusses the importance of inner life and spiritual practices in leadership and personal growth. He emphasizes the significance of daily reflection, prayer, and activities like gratitude and acts of kindness. Ron's new book, "Touching Heaven, Walking Earth," explores the Lord's Prayer and offers a seven-week program for spiritual growth. He highlights the need for leaders to invest in their inner life, even if it's just 10 minutes a day, to enhance their clarity, peace, and purpose. Ron also shares personal anecdotes and practices, such as maintaining a gratitude list and praying for others, to illustrate the transformative power of inner work.                                                                                  Top Takeaways From Episode 147: -         Ron Price emphasizes the importance of nurturing one's inner life for effective leadership and personal growth. -         Ron's new book, "Touching Heaven, Walking Earth," is a seven-week program based on the Lord's Prayer, aimed at fostering spiritual wellness and community connection. -         The program includes daily activities such as gratitude lists, acts of kindness, creative expression, and connecting with others. -         Ron advises setting aside at least 10 minutes daily for self-improvement and spiritual practice. -         The book is designed for a wide audience, including skeptics, those seeking to reconnect with faith, and those wanting to grow spiritually or build community. -         He encourages leaders to find activities that help them feel centered and to prioritize self-care to avoid burnout.   Key Quotes: Ron Price – 00:00 - Ron, if you don't change and grow, you won't have the insights, wisdom and strength to be the best version of yourself for what's coming tomorrow. Ron Price – 07:32 - you're the only person who can open it up. Ron Price – 19:47 - 10 minutes a day can transform your life. Ron Price - 46:32 – Relax. It's not all on your shoulders. Ron Price - 47:53 – Be still and know.   Main Timestamps: 0:04:03 — Prioritize the inner life: carve daily time (start with 10 minutes) for reflection to improve leadership presence and resilience. 0:05:49 — COVID epiphany: proactively reinvest in inner growth so you're prepared for unexpected change. 0:06:14 — Build a habit: start small (10–30 minutes/day) and protect that time as your "circle of control." 0:16:43 — Use a structured short program: try a 7-week theme-based routine (3–4 pages or 10 minutes/day) to slow down and reflect. 0:18:09 — Daily micro-practices to adopt: listen to uplifting music, perform one act of kindness, do a short creative exercise, have a meaningful conversation, write 3 gratitudes, pray/reflect for someone, and rest. 0:20:24 — Morning routine template: gratitude list + brief reading (devotional/Bible/reflective text) + journaling + targeted prayer/intentions for the day. 0:27:54 — Practice forgiveness regularly: schedule or prompt daily/weekly reflections to release grudges and reduce emotional load. 0:31:59 — Define "preparedness" as centered presence: cultivate practices that keep you present, values-aligned, and focused rather than reactive. 0:33:20 — Find your "time stops" activity: identify one activity (music, exercise, nature, writing, art) that puts you in a flow state and schedule it weekly. 0:38:57 — Prevent burnout with rhythm: adopt micro-rests (daily) and periodic longer recovery (sabbatical or extended rest) before reaching crisis depletion. 0:41:53 — Invest in long-term wellbeing: use diagnostics and targeted self-care (sleep, nutrition, movement, medical/age metrics) to extend vitality and capacity. 0:46:01 — Leadership mindset shift: relax the "it's all on me" pressure—cooperate with your values/spirit rather than trying to control everything. 0:50:24 — Use a short shared practice to deepen team connection: run a short group reflection program (7 weeks / 10 min daily) to build empathy and honest conversations.

    54 min
  8. What You Heard Is Not What They Meant: The Clean Language Secret to Better Leadership Conversations

    Apr 29

    What You Heard Is Not What They Meant: The Clean Language Secret to Better Leadership Conversations

    In this episode of the Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast, Suzie Price sits down with Judy Rees, a leading voice in Clean Language, to explore how this powerful tool can transform leadership conversations. Rather than making assumptions and jumping to conclusions, Clean Language helps leaders ask better questions and truly understand what people mean. Judy explains how leaders can use these tools to reduce miscommunication, make better decisions, and build high-commitment, low-drama teams. Suzie and Judy dive into the top questions that leaders can start using right away to unlock clarity in conversations and guide teams toward better collaboration and problem-solving. They also discuss the importance of reflection, active listening, and understanding in leadership, emphasizing how Clean Language improves both the listening and speaking skills of leaders. This episode is a must-listen for any leader who wants to stop misinterpreting and instead create meaningful, action-oriented conversations that lead to clearer outcomes and stronger team dynamics.     Top Takeaways of Episode #146 ---  What you heard is not what they meant — We automatically interpret through our own experience. That meaning-making is the #1 reason conversations go wrong One simple question can unlock clarity — "What kind of X is that X?" reveals what someone actually means. Even one question can change the entire direction of a conversation. Stop solving the problem—ask what they want — "What would you like to happen?" shifts from complaint → outcome. This is the fastest way to move people forward. People feel heard when you use their exact words — Repeating someone's language activates connection and trust. It literally changes how people experience the conversation. Slow down to speed up — Each question takes ~1 minute. But prevents miscommunication, rework, and wasted time.     In this episode: [00:00:34] Suzie Price: "Clean Language isn't about fixing things — it's about understanding them first so that we can solve the right problem." [00:05:12] Judy Rees: "What you heard is not what they said. Leaders often misinterpret because they're hearing with their assumptions, not with their ears." [00:09:14] Tom Hanson: "Leaders are often making decisions based on incomplete information. Asking better questions helps get to the heart of what is actually needed." [00:05:31] Judy Rees: "You are making meaning—and it's distorting what you're hearing. The key is to ask more questions to avoid jumping to conclusions." [00:19:20] Suzie Price: "When you give people space to explain themselves fully, you avoid rushing to judgment, which allows for deeper insights and stronger solutions." [00:50:23] Tom Hanson: "Stop trying to solve problems before you truly understand them. By questioning first, you lay the groundwork for more effective and sustainable solutions."

    57 min
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About

Helping leaders, trainers and consultants, who are focused on employee selection and professional development build a Wake Up Eager Workforce. Best practices, resources, guidance, encouragement, motivation and inspiration for building energy, commitment and communication in organizations.

Information

  • Creator
    Suzie Price The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    167
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Priceless Professional 2023
  • Show Website
    The Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast