For the first half of my marriage, I tried to get my wife to be like me.

I always thought I was right. I liked to be in charge and make all of the decisions. I made her think she had to get approval from me to do anything.

It was the same way at work. I pushed people around and told them what to do. However, whenever someone told me what to do, I was emotionally affected.

Eventually, I realized that my attitude was creating the same problem at work as it was at home. People didn’t like or trust me. I had to learn to let people be themselves.

If you’re someone who’s afraid of being judged, always criticizing others, and living in a tumultuous environment, reflect. Honestly consider if you are the problem—because you probably are.

As soon as you understand and get honest about what’s happening, you can start to figure out how to fix it.

For me, that meant going to leadership seminars. It meant telling people the outcome I needed and then stepping back. It meant ensuring that the people around me knew I trusted them. It meant learning to let go and, as a result, coming home less stressed.

Listen to this episode for more instruction on changing your culture, both at home and at work. You may just find a transformation.

If you’re an entrepreneur or in any other busy career, you may worry from time to time about building and maintaining a good relationship with your kids.

On this episode, we’re discussing a listener question on this topic. This listener admitted he was afraid his kids wouldn’t push themselves after seeing how hard he and his wife work as high-energy business leaders.

This was something my wife and I discussed a lot over the years. Because of my career, I missed some things I wish I hadn’t. My son was moving all the time and often exposed to new environments and people.

Rather than just hoping it would work out that I would get time with my son, I had to schedule it. It had to become a priority in my life.

Family time won’t just appear—we have to make time for it.

However, no matter how much time we get with our families, the quantity doesn’t matter as much as the quality.

Show your kids how much you love them. Spend time with them when you are home. Be there for their important events and always keep in touch.

When you think about this and plan for it, you’ll make the right adjustments to your life. Your kids will feel like they’re safe, cared for, and loved.

You may also consider taking your kids on some of your business trips with you. That way, you create special memories and get that alone time with them.

Tune in to hear more ideas for making your kids feel that they matter and giving them the emotional support they need, no matter how busy your schedule.

If you have a question you would like me and Jody to discuss here on the show, you can reach us on any social media channel, at http://www.jodymaberry.com, or at http://www.leecockerell.com.

This week, we’re answering a listener question about navigating corporate culture.

This listener, Melissa, used to work for a small company but has now taken a corporate job. She’s worried about the adjustment. She’s used to working in a place where things happened very quickly and doesn’t want to get frustrated with all of the red tape and the speed at which things move in a large organization.

It’s very easy to get frustrated in a transition like this. When you’re used to things going quickly and are now always waiting for 10 people to sign off on one thing, you might struggle.

The best thing you can do is what I always advise: get up every morning, go to work, and be the best employee you can be.

Be yourself, help people, and set an example of the kind of culture you desire.

This will make it clear from the very beginning that you’re there to make things better.

If you go in and be great, others around you will become great just by watching you.

Melissa also asked how to be a great ambassador between the team she’s leading and those who work above her. Doing this is all about building a trustworthy reputation.

Always be honest and treat those who report to you well. Work for the situation and not for the person. Live out your principles, no matter what. If you combine your leadership style with your morals, you will always be doing the right thing.

For more advice on and help with navigating corporate culture, check out The Cockerell Academy at https://www.cockerellacademy.com/.

A common theme of all the listener questions we receive is bad leadership.

Many of you are working under a boss who isn’t interested in your ideas, opinions, and feedback. They don’t want any input from their employees and don’t want to know what’s really going on in the organization.

If that’s true, you don’t have a leader at all. You have a manager. There is a big gap between the two.

Leadership means being there for your people and trying to understand their points of view. It is always keeping your eyes and ears open for how you can improve. To be a leader, you have to be consistently trying to get better every day.

When people ask me what I did at Disney, I say, “Not much.” I just made sure that things got done.

All leaders should do the same. To be effective, they need to go to the lowest level possible, stop talking, and start listening. The value of having the people who work for you trust you, tell you the truth, and give you new ideas which are priceless.

However, if you don’t have a boss who leads that way, all you can do is be a great performer. Keep doing your best. This will make a huge impact on the people around you.

From there, you’ll build a good reputation. You will create strong influence through your consistent performance. Eventually, that may work its way up to top leadership. If not, your excellence will be welcomed at another place that better suits your performance level.

To hear more advice for leading from within, tune into this episode.

It’s extremely helpful to have an advocate who is willing to be candid with you.

Whether you’re like Jimmy who had people in his life willing to tell him he came across as condescending or like our other listener who wonders why he got passed over for a leadership position, an advocate can help.

An advocate can give you honest feedback right from the get-go. For example, if you come across too strong, they’ll tell you.

Direct communication can be intimidating. So, you just need to let people know that’s how you’ve been told you come across. Having open communication about this issue and being willing to admit your mistakes will help dilute the situation.

Knowing your flaws also helps prevent disappointment when you get passed over for a promotion. You won’t be left wondering why they went with someone else.

Nothing is worse than a boss that gives you false hope and, later, a bunch of excuses. The job of the leader is to develop his or her employees by telling them about their issues long before they’re offered a promotion.

If you don’t get picked, it’s probably nothing against you. It likely came down to which candidate the person picking knew better.

Altogether, be open to others’ advice. Listen to people when they tell you how you can improve. Keep your one-on-one communication open and you will do well.