A common pitfall for first-time leaders is, the "Fix-it" Obsession. I will explain why "rescuing" your team often leads to burnout for you and stagnation for them. You attempt to be the hero, but you become a bottleneck, holding your team back.

If you need assistance assessing and accelerating the transformation and transition of first-time leaders, Click Meet Me or visit tdspi.com.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Often when a peer is select to lead their current team, the process is mistakenly viewed as a promotion, when it’s actually a career transformation and transition.

If you need assistance of a first-time leader trainer, coach and/or dysfunctional culture improvement, click here, schedule our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

This episode is about recognizing and taking the first step to correct Leader Illusion.

If you think you’re leading but feel like no one is following, your initial instinct is usually right. You are probably experiencing leader illusion. People may give you the illusion they are following you, because they must, due to your title, formal authority and your control of their professional destiny. This is leader Illusion.

If you need assistance with leader development and/or dysfunctional culture improvement, click here, schedule our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

This episode is about how others see you differently, when you transition from an individual performer to first-time leader. I will be focusing on what I believe is the most important leader skill, Self-Leadership. Self-leadership is a fancy way of describing how you lead your life. Often, the most difficult person to lead, is yourself.

If you need assistance with Leader Development and/or Dysfunctional Culture Improvement, click on schedule our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

This episode will be my final episode of 2025. I will be focusing on what I believe is the most important leader skill, Self-Leadership. Self-leadership is a fancy way of describing how you lead your life. Often, the most difficult person to lead, is yourself.

If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Often leader candidates don’t receive proper people-centered leader training? You can learn to be a leader in a classroom, but you can’t become a leader in the classroom. There is a huge difference between learning leader skills and experiencing them. You can’t teach experience. Once you are trained, you need to gain experience on your own. You must get in the game!

If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

If the leader candidate is lacking one or more of the four prerequisites, the candidate should not be promoted to a leader role. Doing so would be a recipe for failure, not to mention, create a lot of distress and loss of money. It is okay for the leader candidate to remain an individual performer.

If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

To be a great people-centered leader, you must genuinely care FOR and ABOUT people. You need to do both.

1.Caring FOR people is doing something for their well-being and helping them grow. It’s something you do to demonstrate you care for those you lead.

2.Caring ABOUT people is being emotionally concerned about their well-being and growth. It’s a feeling you have for them.

If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

We live in an “always on” and “always connected” world. We expect instant gratification, either accessing information or receiving a response.

Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out

If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

It's unfortunate but all too often organizations unknowingly get rid of their best people and simultaneously wreck their culture, in three easy steps. I will explain how and why this problem occurs and how to fix it.

Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out

If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

New Year's resolutions should not only consider improving existing processes but also have an atypical consideration of whether those processes should continue to be performed at all.

Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out

If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Late Sunday afternoon or early Sunday evening, many people start thinking about Monday morning and their return to work. These thoughts reflect their feelings about their work culture.

Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out

If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Many things in life are cyclical. Leading people is no different. Today I will explain the People-Centered Leader Cycle.

Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out

If you need a Leadership Speaker or you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Remember, it’s more than having the right people on the bus, those people need to be in the right seats. This means the right people should be performing using their strengths.

If you need help with Leader Development and/or Culture Improvement, visit tdspi.com and Click on Meet Me.

I look forward to our "get to know each other" conversation.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Improvement and adaptability are our two most important abilities for survival. Just focusing on continuous performance improvement will not necessarily sustain an organization. Adapting to our everchanging world is important to remain relevant.

Visit tdspi.com and select one of two options:

Click on Find Out to take my free, self-assessment to determine if you are prepared to lead people?

or

Click on Schedule to schedule our "Get to know each other conversation", to determine how I can help you with Leader Development or Culture Improvement.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

When you transition from individual performer to first-time leader, often you inherit something you did not create. Unless you are an entrepreneur, hiring your first employees, you inherit everything, including the Vision, the Mission, the people, the culture and organizational history.

Referenced Episodes:
Endangered People Skills
Leader KPIs - Not What You Think!
Preventing First-Time Leader Failure

Visit tdspi.com and select one of two options:

Click on Find Out to take my free, self-assessment to determine if you are prepared to lead people? 

or

Click on Schedule to schedule our "Get to know each other conversation", to determine how I can help you with Leader Development or Culture Improvement.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Delegation is the process of entrusting another person, to perform something other than their primary responsibility. In this episode you will learn why delegation is more than getting things done.

Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Often top performing individuals are promoted to a leader role, based on their current performance. The flawed assumption is, they will be successful leading people, just as they led themselves, as an individual performer.

In this episode you will learn why it's okay to say "No, Thank You"

Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

The common problem I solve is twofold:
1. Only 5% of companies have a leader development strategy, because most companies don’t have this competency on staff.
2. 60% of first-time leaders fail.

I have a phrase that sums up why 60% of first-time leaders fail. I call it:
“Get rid of your best people and wreck your culture, in 3 easy steps”

The 3 steps of first-time leader failure, often goes like this:
1.   A top individual contributor is selected and promoted to leader, without any assessment
2.   The first-time leader is not trained or receives improper training
3. Without the necessary assessment and training, often the first-time leader will fail and choose to leave their organization, rather than face the career long embarrassment of returning to their pre-promotion role.

Are you prepared to lead people? Find Out

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Perspective is not what you look at it’s what you see. It’s your point of view of the world. Everyone sees things differently. Five people could watch an event and each might have a different recollection, based on their perspective. We are all born with varying perspectives and our perspectives continue to be developed by our surroundings.

Join me November 15,  2022, when I introduce my new First-Time Leader Development Program during a 33-minute webinar. Click here to register.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

This was one of my most downloaded episodes. I'm offering it as a bonus eposide.

I will explain why first-time leaders fail at an alarming rate and the devastating monetary and emotional impacts, your organization will experience for years. My research and experience revealed somewhere between 40% to 60% of first-time leaders fail. They fail anywhere from 18 months to 2 years.

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

The three most importance foundational aspects of every successful business, is the Vision, Mission and Culture Experience. Successful leaders must clearly understand the importance of these three aspects.

Do you know your organization’s Vision & Mission? Regardless of whether they are documented or not, they exist.

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “know, like and trust”, often referred to as the natural progression for healthy relationships. There is a word missing from this phrase. The word is Distrust.

All relationships begin with distrust, which is our survival instinct, that has been honed over centuries. Until recently, Distrust is rarely mentioned, because over those centuries, we have learned to quickly determine whether our life is in danger and we quickly move to the Know portion of the phrase, “know, like and trust”.

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Today our conversation will be about a concept I pioneered, called Leader KPIs.

KPI is a business acronym that’s been around for decades. KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator. These indicators are about numbers. Numbers used to measure performance and make decisions.

So, what do you think I mean by Leader KPIs? I’ll give you a hint, the Leader KPIs have nothing to do with numbers and everything to do with feelings. Three specific feelings, Appreciation, Inspiration and Fulfillment.

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Today I am going to explain why we are experiencing a Communication Paradox and share a couple tips to flip the script in your favor, BIG TIME.

Communication is the foundation of relationships and relationships are the essence of our existence.

Our face-to-face communication skills are being eroded by a Communication Paradox. Ironically, the root cause of this Communication Paradox is one of the greatest innovations of all time, the smartphone.

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Today I will share insight into the 2 most important people skills and why they are endangered.

 Ironically, with each passing year people skills are becoming increasingly more in demand. People Skills are often inaccurately referred to as Soft Skills or Life Skills. The term People Skills is more descriptive.

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Did you ever wonder what makes a great people-centered leader and why the world desires them? This new bite-sized episode answers these two questions and more.

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Today I will explain how to prevent first-time leader failure. Before an individual contributor is promoted to a leader role, there are four prerequisites they must meet. You will learn why each prerequisite is important. The four prerequisites are:
Self-Leadership
Caring about people
Inspired to lead people
People-Centered Leader Skills

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

Today I will explain why first-time leaders fail at an alarming rate and the devastating monetary and emotional impacts, your organization will experience for years. My research and experience revealed somewhere between 40% to 60% of first-time leaders fail. They fail anywhere from 18 months to 2 years.

This podcast will accelerate your transformation from individual contributor to people-centered leader. Leadership and life are about relationships. You will learn to optimize relationships, time and productivity, using the three primary people-centered leader skills. Allowing you to continuously focus on improving yourself, your people, your products and services.

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.

60% of first-time leaders fail, often due to overlooked prerequisites. If you are a first-time leader and want to avoid these common failures, this is your podcast. Welcome to First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠. I’m Tim Smith, your host and coach.

This podcast will accelerate your transformation from individual contributor to people-centered leader. Leadership and life are about relationships. You will learn to optimize relationships, time and productivity, using the three primary people-centered leader skills. Allowing you to continuously focus on improving yourself, your people, your products and services.

If you find my insight valuable, please share this podcast with others.

Treat people like they make a difference and they will.

Support the show

Timothy Dean Smith
First-Time Leader Accelerator & Coach
Podcast Host
www.tdspi.com
tds@tdspi.com
(607) 221-6191

Thank you for listening to the First-Time Leaders Accelerated℠ Podcast.