Brooke Dukes: Lead Without the Bottleneck — Why Your Strategy Keeps Failing

What if the reason your strategy keeps failing has nothing to do with the strategy itself? On this episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, Ron sits down with Brooke Dukes, CEO and founder of BMB Consulting, international bestselling author, and a leader with over 24 years of experience in behavioral science, neuroscience, and human design. Brooke has worked with billion-dollar companies, fortune 500 executives, and small businesses alike, and she brings a refreshingly honest perspective on why most leadership challenges are not strategy problems at all.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Brooke breaks down how limiting beliefs sabotage the best-laid plans, why most leaders are the bottleneck inside their own organizations, and how slowing down is the counterintuitive key to scaling results. She also shares the deeply personal story behind her departure from corporate America at 34 — a wake-up call that reshaped her entire approach to leadership, success, and fulfillment.

In this episode, Ron and Brooke unpack:

• Why strategy alone never solves the real problem, and the foundational beliefs that quietly undermine every initiative
• How the best leaders spend 80 percent of their time working on the business and only 20 percent in it
• The cost of being the bottleneck and why control-driven leadership stalls growth
• How human design, behavioral science, and neuroscience work together to reveal a leader's energetic blueprint
• The GRACE communication model and the four core human needs every interaction is built around
• How to move teams from limiting beliefs to consistent results through small, repeatable habits
• Why burnout and disconnection from purpose are signs you have overridden your own internal guidance
• Common signals it is time to call in outside help, from retention struggles to leadership styles that no longer land

Brooke also shares details on Success by Design, her membership community built to make high-level coaching accessible far beyond the executive suite.

Connect with Ron
Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey

“If you don’t have something to measure your growth, you won’t be self-aware or intentional about your growth.”

Learn more about Global Core Strategies

.
.
.
.
.
Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this podc...

Transcript

Welcome And Leadership Focus

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Unpack Podcast with your host, Leadership Consultant, Ron Harvey of Global Core Strategies and Consulting. Ron believes that leadership is the fundamental driver towards making a difference. So now, to find out more of what it means to unpack leadership, here's your host, Ron Harvey.

Meet Brooke Dukes And Her Work

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Well, good afternoon, everyone. This is Ron Harvey, the Vice President, Chief Operating Officer with Global Course Strategies and Consulting, professional leadership development firm. We do all of our relationships through strategic partnerships. Love helping organizations figure out how they create the and develop the best leaders to provide the results that they want in the organization. All about leadership and taking care of the people that get it done for real. At the end of the day, you guys know that about me. We're just fortunate enough to be able to lead. But it's not something that we take for granted. And I love doing the work that we do. But I always pause once a week and I do some recordings with different people from around the globe. I'm excited. I've got another leadership crew online with us today. So I always invite our guests to introduce themselves. So I'm gonna invite Brooke to the microphone and allow her to share who she is, what she does, or whatever she wants to share, quite honestly. We'll learn more as we dive in. But for now, let's let her introduce herself. Brooke, welcome and thank you for saying yes to Unpack.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

Oh, thank you so much for having me. Um, my name is Brooke Dukes. I am the CEO and founder of BMD Consulting. We work primarily with small businesses in the area of consulting sales and leadership. So I'm also an international uh best-selling author. My book came out in 2024. I have, I'm gonna date myself, but I'm gonna do it anyway. I have over 24 years of experience in behavioral science, neuroscience, human design. So we really look at getting to the root cause. We don't want to just put a band-aid on something. We want to really look at what is causing the challenge or causing the block or what have you. So that's our claim to fame. And I love it. Love working with leaders and really supporting people to just be the best that they can be.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Yes, yeah. She dated herself a little bit, you know, 24 years. That means she has some experience. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Yeah.

Why Strategy Is Not Enough

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Yes. Well, well, thanks, Brooke. I mean, on unpack, you know, we always ask questions, we always go into real places and you know, some of the things that are difficult. And I noticed as you as the work that you do, one of the things that that you constantly talk about is lead without the bottleneck. Um, and describing how strategy isn't the only thing that matters. Can you unpack that when you when you think about the bottleneck and organizations and strategy is not the only thing that matters? Can you unpack some of that for the listeners? Like, what do you mean when when people go to your website? What is leading without the bottleneck?

SPEAKER_02 2:42

So most of the time, and this is the fourth company that I've started. So I'm, and all of them have been in this arena. Um we've worked with billion-dollar companies, three billion dollar companies, very large. We moved, I moved into the small space in every single time, regardless of the size of the company. When we ask, so they come to us with a challenge and they always say, I want the strategy. Give me the strategy that's going to solve this particular challenge. And so we ask, have you tried to fix it yourself? Why, yes. Have you, you know, have you gone to someone else to try to fix it? Nine times out of 10, the answer is yes. Like, and I'm sure that they had a great strategy. And especially with AI information, everyone can get it now.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 3:33

And they will answer yes. It's because it's never the strategy, it's about the underlying foundational belief underneath that strategy. So, for instance, let's just say that someone comes to us and their salespeople aren't making their numbers.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

And they're like, you know, we've got the best onboarding, we have the best sales training, we have or top on our market. I mean, all it's all there. And they're like, but we can we don't get it. Well, what you find is there's a limiting belief somewhere in that sales organization, in those people. Either they don't believe in the product, they don't believe in their leaders, they don't believe in themselves. Because anywhere, so even take it outside of business. Anywhere, if you have a challenge, if there's something you just cannot seem to accomplish, there's a limiting belief that lives in there. And that's where that behavioral psychology, the neuroscience, the human design comes in is we want to get to the root cause. And it's never, and because here's the thing when you have the best strategy, which is not that hard to get, anyone who, if you have a limiting belief, you'll sabotage the best strategy. That's why they're like, Oh my God, we've tried everything and we can't figure this out. Well, because it's not what you think it is.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Wow, wow. So, Brooke, when you when you're you're you're as you go through and you talk about the limiting beliefs and and you talk about you know the the alignment of people and processes and and and leadership, when you think about organizations spend a ton of money on strategic planning and strategy every year, or every 18 months or every three to five years, whatever that may be for those organizations. How do you help them after they invest that? Because I think strategy is important for them, but you're you're tapping into something because there's people part of that strategy.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Right.

SPEAKER_00 5:19

How do you help them define where where that bottleneck is? If it's if it's getting stuck with the limiting beliefs, how do you help an organization get to that place? What's how do they get there to get back to the streets?

Using Assessments To Find Root Causes

SPEAKER_02 5:32

Yeah, we've had PhD in every company I've been in, we've had PhDs on staff. I still work with PhDs. Um, and myself, having so much experience, we've created assessments, anonymous assessments that bake in that behavioral science, the neuroscience, the human design in the areas we have organizational culture assessments, leadership style assessments, sales style assessments, communication style assessments, all going back to some foundational um intellectual property on that. Right. So, first off, that's the first because as you know, if you have a conversation with someone one-on-one and you're asking maybe some difficult questions, and maybe the person that you're talking to isn't living up to your expectation of them or even their own expectation of themselves, a lot of times you're not going to get the truth. Not that they're liars, not that, but people you get defenses up, right? You're like, oh my God, I want to say what they want to hear. It happens. But when you're taking an anonymous assessment that has been created in a way that you can't really outsmart it, right? It really gets to the truth of what's the core of what's happening here. And so that's the first step. So we'll, and then from there, depending upon the company, the leaders, what the product they're selling, the challenge that they're experiencing, the goal that they want to meet, we can move from there because we're content creators. So we can do virtual trainings, in-person trainings, online trainings. We even have a community to support people. So it just depends on the actual company, but typically it's about an assessment.

Delegation And Escaping The Bottleneck

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Well, thank you for sharing. I noticed in the work that we do and in the opportunities we get to do, oftentimes leaders are are at the place where I am the decision point. Most leaders are there. How do you get a leader to move from they are the decision point to their team owns decisions and lead with clarity without losing control of their and oversight of their organization?

SPEAKER_02 7:34

Yeah, and in my opinion, and with all the years of experience, the best leaders have spent 80% of their time working on the things that only they can do. So maybe it's organizational culture, maybe it's the vision, all of those things working on the business. Right? They leave working in the business, they delegate that right to their team. They empower their team, they allow their team to step up, they allow their team to show their genius, they have trust, they have faith in that. And then they only spend 20% of the time on working in the business, on things like it's team building, it's answering questions, it's putting out fires, those types of things. We really try to get them to look at the various roles and how to delegate that and how to empower their team and have faith and have trust in their team. And then we can work from there to really get it's a it's really a mindset shift. Yes. Because so many leaders, especially in small businesses, they are the bottleneck. They're the they want to have that control and they they have a belief that if they're not involved, it's not gonna get done. Well, that's the way to stall your growth every single time. You really have to. There was a reason why you have the employees that you have, that you attracted that type of talent. And so, in my opinion, we the last thing we want to do is try to get rid of people because it's really costly. Sometimes 100% of their salary or more to replace someone, train them, and get them up to speed. Oh, yes. You really want to help them to real to be able to, and that starts with communication. A lot of times that communication, you know, with belief is the foundation. You can't be a good leader salesperson, your culture is gonna suffer if the communication isn't there.

Human Design For Leaders Explained

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Yes, yes, yes. On your website, and when you go there, and you you talk a lot about the human design. How do how do you define human design in a leadership context? So it's not complicated and it's different from traditional leadership.

SPEAKER_02 9:40

So there's a couple different things. What we created many, many years ago with a firm that I was with prior to when we were working with quick and loans, so back in the 90s. And that was when Dan Gilbert was, you know, he had started the company and he really wanted to have a culture that people would work for free. Obviously, he was going to pay them, but he really wanted to have this robust culture. So what we did was we looked at, okay, if we look at psychology, if we look at all the masters, you know, if we look at a covey or what have you, Maslow. We hit on Maslow's six basic human needs, if you're familiar with that. During any interaction, we're asking for one of four of those needs. And so what we're able to do is really look at how can you quickly build rapport with someone? How can you quickly have them open up their ears? Because what's the number one way that effective communication happens? You build rapport in the first five seconds. How do you do that? You meet a need that they're unconsciously asking for. So we're able to then what we did is we built a model. We built a communication model. We call it grace, right? It's growth, it's recognition, it's achievement, or it's connection. You're asking for one of those four things. It's not a personality test, it could be different between how you are at work versus you know, at home, all of that. So then what we did from there is we layered on top of that the eight leadership styles, the eight sales styles. That's what we built our assessments from. That's how we build our trainings, and they are just within those four basic human needs. I'm getting, I'm answering your question. It's just a little bit. But then what we want that I learned about human design about eight years ago. But at that point, I'm like, a little complicated, kind of sounds a little woo-woo to me. I'm not sure it's my thing. I'm grounded in psychology and neuro, you know, neuroscience, all the things. And well, it came back to me six years ago. I'm like, still don't get it. Then I learned about it four years ago. And I'm like, okay, I'm always a person of threes. If it comes back at me three times, it's something I have to look at. Not saying I have to do it, but I at least need to take a deeper dive. Well, then I really started getting into it and I saw what human design does. It's not as woo-woo as you think. Yes. So you have neutrinos at the time of your birth, depending upon where all of the planets are, the place of birth, the time of birth, the date of birth. Those neutrinos, they are what supports the makeup of your DNA. So that's why it's called human design. And it's of course much more complicated than that, but we're gonna keep it right there. And that is what why it's called human design. It is the way that you were designed to show up in this world, it's your energetic blueprint. Well, then, as I'm looking at, okay, we have human basic needs, we have psychology, we have neuroscience, we're able to layer all of that. There are five types of human design, and it layers from there. We're able to align that with the eight leadership styles, the the eight sales styles, the four you know, communication styles. We can align all of those different pieces of your design to your style so that you can show up, okay. Here's how I was designed to show up in this world. And then life happened. We've had some significant emotional events, some trauma, all the things, and here's where I am today. So we just we really want to just help people to wake up to what are some challenges that you came into this world with? What are the gifts that you were brought here to really live out? Like what's your genius? And how can then we align that with the way that you're showing up today? Do they align, do they or do they not? Typically, if you're coming to my firm, they're not aligning in some area, whether you're a leader or a salesperson, whatever, something's not working out for you. And it really gives us, especially I've been an executive coach for years, it gives me once I know someone's design, it would have taken me three to six months to get there if I ever even got there in coaching. That I know before I even talk to them, before they even open their mouth. So that it saves us both time, it saves them money. We're able to get really quick results, either whether it's you know, one-on-one coaching or one-to-many. So sorry, that was a very long answer to your question, but hopefully I answered it.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

Yes, yes. And thank you for for taking the time to explain it. So when you think about, you know, you got the human design, you're you're doing multiple assessments to help uh people get to know what energy do they really bring into the room. How do you get a leader that that's in an organization that that still says, hey, I want to to focus on the strategy? How do you get them to get away from everything strategy as the answer to your leadership style and your connection with your workforce that will probably drive it a little faster more effectively than strategy? How do you get that leader to make that shift?

SPEAKER_02 15:07

Well, when you can typically when you can show someone, and it's it's not that difficult. There's you know, the brain only has so many patterns that it that it takes, right? So normally in the first conversation, you can pick up on what's the core, what's the root cause of the challenge that they're experiencing. And once you can show someone the why behind what the challenge that they have or what's keeping them stuck, or then they're like, then they open up their ears. Okay. This is not that they're like signing the, you know, and I'm dating myself, but a checkbook right then, right? And then they want to hear, okay, so tell me more. And that's when you can really get into here's why it's happening. Because for us as a consulting firm, we want, we always use the analogy, we want to teach people how to fish versus give them a fish. Our goal is never to keep a client forever. Our goal is to teach you here's the catalyst, here's the root cause of what's happening, here's what you can do to solve for that. And here's how you can do it yourself on an ongoing basis. Because we want to get in and be able to really just show you through a system, through a process, through an integration program, how you can one solve it and then keep it from happening in the future as you attract and retain your talent.

SPEAKER_00 16:35

Yes, yes. I want to shift a little bit for you. Um, you know, the word that's out and people are dealing with, you know, um what we call leadership burnout or or in energy and sustainable growth. At what point do you do you help a leader understand, like when or do you know that they're hitting a wall not because of workload, but because of misalignment with self or with team or with culture? How do you help a leader begin to understand that they're hitting this wall, not because of misalignment?

SPEAKER_02 17:02

So let me make sure I understand your question. So, how do I help a leader understand that it's misalignment in communication, it's misalignment in maybe the system, the process, what have you?

SPEAKER_00 17:14

Absolutely, yes.

SPEAKER_02 17:15

So, for that, it's really it's we do a deep dive on recon when we're going in, whether that's in person, whether it's on the phone, via Zoom, with their team, with one of the leaders. It really just depends. And it's very easy to be able to quickly pick up on misalignment and give them real-world examples of how it's happening to them and why it's happening to them during the first community during the first conversation. Because if we can, what we teach is and I can pick up right away, even on this Zoom, I know what communication style you have just by having, I knew it within the first five minutes of our conversation. So, what I can do is I can quickly pick up for you, you would be what we would call a growth communication style. So, what that means, and tell me if I'm wrong, and you can feel free to tell me, but what I see in you is you're always looking for win-win solutions. You're the type of leader that says, I have a vision. Now let's do this together. When someone comes to you, if they just start talking about I'm gonna help you and you're gonna do this, and you're gonna be able to do this, and uh, you're gonna be like, but what about my team? Right? That's what we called a growth-focused, internally motivated, growth-focused leader.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

When I can tell someone about themselves, and then they tell me about the challenge that they're having, I can say, and here's the disconnect between what you say, how you're motivating this person versus what they need. Because if you're working, someone on your team is they are internally focused, or they are really focused on self, but they're externally motivated. They need that recognition, they need you, even though you don't need that. That's not your thing. You know where you're going, you get validation, you have an internal drive, you're focused on others and making things better. You don't get your drive from an external source. But when you're working with people that do, you need to recognize them. You need to tell them that I see the greatness in you. I can help you to help the world to see that. Yes, that's those are the things when you're having those conversations with someone, you don't need to do an assessment, as I said. Did I peg you correctly?

SPEAKER_00 19:43

Yes, that's that's exactly how I operate. Yes. And and I will say that's for leaders when you think about what you just did really, really quick, helping leaders understand who you are and how you show up for the people that are around you. And what I need is not necessarily what my team may need. Um, and being able to do that effectively so you can keep them engaged. So I think that's that's phenomenal. When you think about how do you help them balance what they need and what their team needs? So you you if you're looking at a person like me, this is hey Ron, you don't you don't you you don't get validated by that. You are you are growth-oriented, this is the type of leader you want to look at your whole team and bring them forward. How do you help a leader balance that well enough when they do take care of themselves in that process? Because self-care is super important for leaders.

SPEAKER_02 20:24

Yeah, so let's just take that example that I said. So you being a growth-oriented person, and let's say one of your employees is really significance-driven, right? Their recognition, they need to maybe their self-esteem. So the way that you would frame that is that I know that you really, your biggest driver is empowering people, is helping them to be the best that they can be, to really see your their greatness in order to do that for this person, in order to have that win-win solution. So you get to really add value and help someone. This is what they need. They need a little bit more help. They need you to, even the small things, let them know, hey, that was great. Right? That we really need you to focus on that. Here's where I see you going. Here's the greatness that I see in you. And you're going to watch them blossom, which they feel good, you're going to feel great about being this empowering leader that's supporting someone in being who they. So you've got to show the win-win on both sides because there is, there always is.

SPEAKER_00 21:38

Absolutely. And I will tell you, that's one of the things I do work on too. People like, you know, they're like, man, I that really means a lot coming from you. And like, you know, so people look for that validation piece of it, um, because you know, you empower, then they want to hear you encourage and support and advocate and share with them what you're seeing and doing because they do get validation from the fact that if I come in and say, Hey, you did really, really good there, it's almost like I giving them. The key that unlocks a box that they want to unlock.

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Yes. Especially because they respect you. When you are a growth-oriented leader, right? When you really are, people feel that. They feel your energy before you ever open your mouth. They feel who you are. And that's so big. That's and it makes them like, oh my gosh, something, someone like you sees greatness in me. And they feel so good. And you feel their energy shift. And you feel them light up and feels good to you in turn. So it's someone that could have been a pain in your ass before because just because you don't need the recognition, you assume this other person doesn't need it and they're acting out. They're doing they're, you know, maybe saying negative things because they're trying to get your attention. They want that recognition. And the moment you give it to them, everything changes. They become your biggest advocate. They become your cheerleader just as much as you are theirs. Because they, for me as a leader, because I too am a growth and empowering leader, the best thing someone can say to me is, I feel better when I'm with you.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 23:13

That's what you want everyone to feel in every area of your life. So when you can pick up on what is it that they need? What emotional need that they don't even know it? It's not like someone's walking around going, yeah, recognize me. No one wants to feel that way. Right. And when you it they're unconsciously screaming it at you and you're not picking up on it. That's where the problem lies.

Fast Self Awareness For New Leaders

SPEAKER_00 23:37

Yeah. That was, I mean, phenomenal. I love the conversation. And helping leaders understand that is huge. What have you found so for for a new leader that's showing up, they're they're they're finally in their first role. What do you recommend so they can understand who they are? What would be your recommendation to really figure out? Because when you become a leader, your results are not uh recognition is not driven by all your own activities anymore. You kind of got to depend on other people. How do you help them figure out, you know, the the quick short answer to figuring out who they are, how they show up, and what other people mean to? How do you do that really fast for them?

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Well, on our website, brookmdukes.com, we offer free assessments. So you can take an assessment on what's your communication style. If you're a leader, what's your leadership style? If you're a salesperson, what's your sales style? If you want to learn about human design, you can get your free chart right on our site. So we've made everything really accessible so that anyone, my vision for my life is to change the world. I want people to understand how they're designed, their energetic blueprint, what's going to give them six not only success, but fulfillment in this life. Because we know happy people are more productive people, happy people are they raise consciousness. I mean, that is what I'm here to do. I believe in what I've done in every company I've ever started or I've ever been in, is I help people to raise consciousness.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Wow. So you've you've been in corporate America, you're running a company, you're doing really, really well. What was a pivotal moment when you realized your leadership style and your energy and what did it change for you?

SPEAKER_02 25:17

Well, I wrote this in my book, um, Burn On Not Out. One of my, I was 34 years old and I was pregnant for my second child. I was in my second fortune 500 company as a director. And I was eight months pregnant. I was working on a, I was, it was an IT company, so I was in a male-dominated company. Uh, I'd been working on this deal with my team of 25 people for a year and a half, and it was for United Airlines. And the CEO of United Airlines wanted us to go to Nova Scotia to have the teams meet. We are we were outsourcing all of their call centers to Nova Scotia or a portion of them, not all of them. And me being eight months pregnant, I prepped my right-hand person who honestly, in hindsight, was a better fit because I was the leader, right? I was quarterbacking everything, but she had all the IT experience, which is what they were going to want to know about. So I told my boss and he said, Great, if you want to give her your bonus, which was a six-figure bonus. And now to justify it, and I'm actually grateful it happened, I went into preterm labor on the way home on the corporate jet from Nova Scotia. My daughter's fine, she's an amazing pro soccer player now, so no worries there. And this is what woke me up. I really realized that if anyone would have been looking from the outside, they would have thought the only thing that I valued was success, money, recognition. And it couldn't have been further from the truth. Really, what was happening was I was an abused child, and with a mother who stayed in a relationship 10 years longer than she should have because she couldn't afford to protect us and feed us. So my drive was success was safety for me. So I really had to take a step back and look at okay, what do I value? And I left corporate America and I started my first business at 34. And as I said, this is my fourth. So that was a huge wake-up call for me and one that really started so much of my personal and professional growth.

Reconnecting Results To Purpose

SPEAKER_00 27:30

Wow. Wow. Thank you for unpacking that for us because oftentimes we watch and we listen and something drives it, which leads me to, you know, as we get ready to wrap up and make sure we live everybody our contact information the best time to call or how to reach you. What advice would you give to a leader who says, I'm achieving results, but I feel disconnected from my purpose? What advice would you really give them?

SPEAKER_02 27:49

And that is one of the main things that people say, as you know, because so many people come to because they're burnt out. Because the way that we have been doing things has been from a masculine frequency, has nothing to do with gender. Yes, male, female frequency is just that, right? But it we've been taught as Americans and really for the world, that you have to force, that you have to, you know, massive action, just take action. And what that does is it leads you to burnout, it leads you to overwhelm, it leads you to stop listening to your body to just live in your mind, to make decisions out of fear, right? It's so you disconnect from yourself and so that you no longer know what lights you up, you no longer you've lost your purpose because you've covered it up, because you overrode your own internal guidance mechanism, which is your body. Our body tells us in every moment are the decisions we should make, in every moment what we should be doing at that time or just being. So, what we do is we really help people get back to that person that they were whenever when they were lit up, when they were passionate about life, when they knew what they wanted. So that's a lot of what we do is really helping people to show them here's what you, here's your purpose, you were designed for, here's the genius that's been just hiding. It's kind of like pulling back the layers of an onion to get to that beautiful, beautiful center that really shows someone, wow, this is what I'm supposed to bring to the world. And it's ease and flow. What we teach people is slow down. And nobody's like, Are you kidding me? You you it's and it's true. Really, when you can just take the time to really understand what your body is saying, what the signs are for you of your own strategy and authority, life changes, and there's no more of that anxiousness, anxiety, overwhelm, stress, burnout, all the things we live with as Americans every day, all day, so many times.

How To Slow Down And Achieve More

SPEAKER_00 30:12

Yeah, I'm glad you're touching on it. And in a society we live in today that is so fast paced, uh, so much social media. I mean, it's off to the next thing. I it's difficult to just slow down because you you have this expectation that that you don't have time to slow down, everything's moving at warp speed. How do you tell a CEO or an executive leader, slow down the speed up? Is the is the worst you hear. How do you really get them to do it? And before they look and their kids are grown, or their parents have gotten aged and you miss out on all these things that you've worked so hard for. How do you get CEOs that that have expectations, have deadlines, have budgets, have profit margins, have spreadsheets they're looking at it to slow down so they can be more effective?

SPEAKER_02 30:57

First, you show them the science behind it because a lot of times they want to know what that is. And there is definite. I mean, how it is, there's so many studies and science behind that slowing down actually helps you to achieve more, right? So do less to achieve more. And then what we'll do is we'll put together a plan and just small everything we do is about integration. I'm sure everyone listening to this podcast has been to an event and they're like, I loved everything this speaker had to say. I'm gonna integrate everything. My whole life's gonna change. Only after two months to go back to what they've already been doing because it's about integration, it's about commitment consistency, small little steps consistently to then create a habit and let the habit get the result. So what we do is we just change a small thing and then we ask them, pay attention. Because how does our brain learn? Our brain learns through communication. Well, our brain learns through us communicating to our brain what we say to ourselves. And so many times we just, oh yeah, we just keep going because we're moving so fast, we don't pay attention to the small wins, we don't pay attention to the small things. Well, that's what it's doing, is it's great, giving our brain evidence, okay, this is true. So we give them small things to do, so that on a consistent basis, and then we're having them record the results that they're getting till they build their belief and the trust that what we're telling them is actual reality. They start seeing it. Man, I'm enjoying, I'm waking up, I'm enjoying life a little bit more. Things are just showing up for me that normally, because it's not to say that the way we've always been doing with force of massive action, you could be very successful doing that. You could also be sick, you could also be not have a good relationship with your family and family members, and also you're not reaching the success that you could reach, you're not reaching your potential by doing it that way. So you're holding yourself back.

When To Reach Out For Help

SPEAKER_00 33:12

Wow, love it, love it. Well, you've shared a lot of great information. You've we've unpacked several things here. I love the conversation because it's about the leaders that are running organizations and holding yourself accountable for what you want other people to achieve, and you're not exempt from that. So, how do you take care of yourself? What's the best way? If someone is going through something, what would they be experiencing that says pick up the phone and reach out to Brooke and our team?

SPEAKER_02 33:36

So, what are the common challenges that people face?

SPEAKER_00 33:39

That people will face that you normally get phone calls about.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Well, the big thing is we can't grow our company revenue. It's uh retention, we can't keep our best people, we can't attract our best people. Sometimes on a personal level, it's like I know I'm close to burnout. Yeah, I'm not fulfilled, I don't enjoy my life anymore. Um, my leadership style is not landing. I have the right people, we've got the right strategy. Things just aren't landing. Um, you know, I feel like I'm constantly putting out fires and I can't get anything done because my team needs me every second. I'm being pulled in all different directions. Those are some of the reasons.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

Those are like five major ones. Yeah, at least one of those land with everybody on here. So I think that's a phenomenal. What's the best way to contact you if someone's interested? What's the easiest, most effective way to reach out to you?

SPEAKER_02 34:38

Um, I am at Brook Dukes on every social media outlet. So it's BR, well, you can see my name anyway. Um, you can also go to Brookmdukes.com, our website. You can contact us. You can even book a free strategy call that will be with myself or one of our master trainers. Um, my email is brook at brookmdukes.com. So there's a lot of ways to be able to reach out to me.

Success By Design Community Offer

SPEAKER_00 35:05

Yes, I love it. I love it. As we close out, is there any last minute thing that we haven't discussed that you want to just leave with the audience that's listening?

SPEAKER_02 35:12

Well, I would say too, a way, a really inexpensive way to figure out who you are, how you're best meant to fit into this world, your purpose, all of that is we have a club called Success by Design. And it is made for leaders and executives who really want to learn. How can I slow down to accomplish more? How can I have success and fulfillment? And they want to learn it with like-minded people who are experiencing the same things. It's very inexpensive, it's$47 a month, and we give you the first month for free. So you can try it out because we know it's amazing. And it's, I did it that way because I wanted, as I said, I want to change the world. I'm not just the top 10% that it can afford executive coaching and consulting and all the things. I want to take what I've learned from coaching billionaires, millionaires, billion-dollar companies, and put it into a community that's accessible to everyone. Stop buying coffee for a month, make it at home, and you can uh afford success by design.

Final Takeaways And How To Connect

SPEAKER_00 36:23

Yes, I love it, love it. Very affordable. I love when we are uh affordable programs that everybody can um manage to get into. Um, it's been wonderful. I mean, you've shared a lot of great information, uh, shared how people can reach you. And for everyone that's listening, reach out to Brooke and I are business owners, but we we are doing it because we care and we're passionate about the work that we do. I mean, she pegged me. Um, I I love to help other people be their best self, their best version of who they are and live their dreams. And so love doing it. Um, thank y'all for joining us. Thank you for being on Unpack with Ron Harvey with another episode with another phenomenal guest. As Brooke shared, you know, the ability to get past your limiting beliefs that most of us get stuck there at some point in our careers. Um you want to bring someone along. If you need to reach me, um, always go to our website, uh Global Course Strategies and Consulting, or find me on LinkedIn, are the two primary sources. And from there you can get to anything that we do. Um, Brooke told you there's some free stuff on her website. Please go to her website, download some stuff, ask questions. Um, and by the way, always invite another guest and share a link to our podcast. Unpack with Ron Harvey where every single time we guarantee you one thing is we're gonna be transparent, we're gonna unpack something that will be helpful and useful for you without wasting your time. Thank you for joining us. Until next time, Brooke and I will say have a great day, and hopefully you enjoy everything that you we share with you on this one. Have a great day, everyone.

SPEAKER_01 37:42

Well, we hope you enjoyed this edition of Unpack Podcast with leadership consultant Ron Harvey. Remember to join us every Monday as Ron unpacks sound advice, providing real answers for real leadership challenges. Until next time, remember to add value and make a difference where you are for the people you serve. Because people always matter.