The Conscious Communicator with Alex Brueckmann

angela_r_howard (00:02.037)

Alex, my friend, how are you? Welcome to the podcast again for the second time. It's so good to see you. Yes, and yeah, and first of all, I think we were going to do this before. I think we had talked about having you back on the podcast before, but just so you all are aware, Alex was on the podcast, was one of the originals, one of the people who has been

alex_brueckmann (00:06.53)

Hey! Thanks for having me back! It's great to be back, Angela!

angela_r_howard (00:30.373)

been on this journey with me since the beginning, and I am just so honored because Alex brings such an amazing perspective to the world of organizational identity and strategy. And I think the minute we met, we knew that there was something. And so for those who have not been listening to the podcast since the beginning, let us know Alex, who you are, what you, do, and the impact you're looking to make on the world.

alex_brueckmann (01:00.154)

I would consider myself to be a strategy facilitator, which means I work at the intersection of business strategy, organizational identity, conscious leadership, and anything around the performance and empowerment of individuals in an organizational context. And it might sound cheesy to some, but I don't care. I try to make the world a better place and leave it a better place, like the organizational world.

better place than I found it.

angela_r_howard (01:33.005)

I love that. And the last podcast that we recorded together was on just that. We talked about organizational identity and, its impact on the organization. So when you get a chance, please refer back to Alex's first podcast recording. But today I am super excited because we're gonna be talking about a project we worked on collaboratively together with some other contributors.

And this topic is gonna be around the next generation leveling up our idea of business leadership and entrepreneurship. And so Alex, I'm gonna let you give a little bit of context on the project and the idea, but also to kind of prompt some thinking with the audience around some of the concepts that we cover in this project. So, lean out to you and give us a little bit of background.

alex_brueckmann (02:27.646)

It started almost two years ago, I would say in was spring of 2020 when I had the idea of hosting a virtual summit around the topics of leadership, creating an impact, and building a legacy that is something that you are proud of as a leader, as an entrepreneur, not necessarily legacy in the context of handing down money or a house to the next generation.

but the legacy that you're creating as a leader with your business or as a leader in a bigger corporation. And I invited, I think, more than 40 speakers to that summit. It was a three-day event. And some of these ideas, I just couldn't get rid of them. They stuck like glue. And I was like, okay, there is more that I need to explore with these people. And so I reached back out to...

I think nine of you joined me as guest speakers at that summit. And we decided to create a book out of these ideas. And the themes of that book just fell into place. We're talking in the book about hard skills, necessary hard skills that any entrepreneur or business leader needs to have beyond their subject matter expertise to thrive in the workplace.

And then there is the second theme, huge around leadership and culture. The third theme around self-care. And the reason for these three themes, I mean, it just fell into place, but when you take a look at it and reflect on it over the past 20 years, working with, with businesses, I've never come across any business leader that did not have an issue in either, in any or either. And that is something that.

That comes down to the fact that we are human beings. First, we can't know everything. We can't be great at everything. And we often neglect our own needs. And so this book is really about helping us grow to that next level, especially when it comes to using our businesses to create something bigger than ourselves. To give back to this planet, and to society, to build a business that has a true meaning and a true legacy.

angela_r_howard (04:55.309)

Yeah, and before we talk more about the book I had the absolute pleasure of contributing to the book along with some other experts. So tell us more about what were some of the themes. So you talked about three topical areas, but what were some of the themes that stuck with you, that inspired you to get us all together and to create this?

alex_brueckmann (05:21.366)

Let's talk about the second theme in the book for a moment. Leadership and culture. The ideas in that book, address the topic of leadership and culture and impact from different angles. And I found these so intriguing and so actionable and sometimes even hyper-specific that I was like, wait a minute, if I think, I never would have thought this could work.

and wait a minute, there is something valuable in it for me, then the chances are there is also something valuable in it for other people, especially for people who lead businesses. The interesting thing about these different approaches to leadership and building culture is that every one of us is different and some approaches will work for you and others might not. And probably you will have experienced some of them already.

And if you approach them with an open mind, there might be some additional value in it for you. So I felt, that, the world does not work one way. There are many, many different ways things can be done. So offering these different approaches to leading through challenging times, creating an impactful culture in your business, and helping your teams manage disruptive challenges, are all different aspects of leadership.

have their place and that's why I felt I wanted to collect them.

angela_r_howard (06:57.481)

Yeah, so what do you think about the future of entrepreneurship, I'll just, you know, I'll plug the book quickly here. So the actual name of the book is Secrets of Next Level Entrepreneurs, 11 Powerful Lessons to Thrive in Business and Lead a Balanced Life, which beautifully, you know, kind of brings together those three themes that you were talking about. But what do you think is the future of entrepreneurship in this context, in this

worldly context of impact and change and social impact and how employees and workforces in particular are asking for more. What are some of the characteristics that you think are going to be most important?

alex_brueckmann (07:40.366)

I think if we see corporations and businesses as part of society as a whole, we can understand that they do have an impact whether they want to or not. So you are there, you can either stay silent or you can speak up. You can either change how you use and waste resources or you don't. You can choose to...

re-engineer upstream and downstream supply chains to make them socially more sustainable. All these things are choices that we can make. And I believe, and I hope it's not a dream that I have, but I hope that what I see out there will turn into a mass movement at some point in time where people consciously decide from whom they buy services and products. Because

They feel that how the businesses operate is in line with how they want the world to look in the future. So it's in the end a question of how we consume, how we interact with businesses, and which role we allow businesses to play in the future. So I'm not and this is especially true in these times when we often see the glorification of a few hyper-successful entrepreneurs.

that amass incredible wealth, but that to me is not entrepreneurship. That to me is the absolute exception. We need to think about entrepreneurship and leading businesses beyond profit, and money. We need to think about the role we as entrepreneurs and business leaders have to play to build a world, a community, a society that is worth living in, and then we have a comp-

angela_r_howard (09:18.043)

Hmm.

alex_brueckmann (09:39.118)

completely different conversation. We're not talking about profit for the sake of profit. I think money is always an issue until you reach a point where it is a non-issue. And then you can focus on these things that truly matter. And I think the book gives certain ideas and entry points into that conversation. And the underlying message here is you are a human being, so be human also at work.

angela_r_howard (09:52.026)

Hmm.

alex_brueckmann (10:07.662)

bring yourself to work who you are and lead from that humane perspective. I believe if we understand businesses and leadership in that context, we are looking, into a brighter future when it comes to the world of business than what we're seeing today.

angela_r_howard (10:27.573)

Yeah, and I'm just really excited at the lineup of people that you wrote this book with. I mean, I'm a little biased because I'm one of those people, but I kind of look, I look around the table, as it were, of people who you worked with to write this book. And the diversity, the perspective. These are people who I see as

alex_brueckmann (10:36.39)

No!

angela_r_howard (10:56.361)

emerging in this space. I think, like you said, the space of entrepreneurship, and business as a topic that we're learning about is monopolized by a few people. I don't know if they're saying much these days about what is going to be the future of business, business as a force for good. I see this book and this group of people as being on the cutting edge of thought leadership. I am just so excited that you-

you made this happen for us because it's been such a pleasure to create something like this for the world.

alex_brueckmann (11:35.594)

I think there are people out there who are craving a book like that. And I could say this because I wrote it, but that's not the point. The point is that everyone who reads a reading sample and everyone who gets their hands on a pre-copy, tell me that this is exactly the right mix of topics at the right point in time. It just resonates with people. People are fed up of...

just reading over and over again, the same superficial stories about money and fame. That's not what entrepreneurship is. That's not what corporate leadership is. It is about people. And if we help people understand how they can become better leaders, I think it's just extremely valuable, not for them only as human beings, but for everyone that they impact. And I agree with you.

The people in that book, do have something to say that is larger than just their voice. And if we combine these voices into something as we did in that book, apparently it resonates a lot with people. And I mean, the fact that we wanted to self-publish the book and by starting to talk about the book, a big publisher comes around the corner is like, hey, do you already have a publisher for that book? And we're like, what? No, we never really thought about that.

That says a lot about the people who contribute to the book, their thought leadership, and how they show up.

angela_r_howard (13:09.733)

Yeah, and I think, yeah, having, and am I allowed to talk about which publisher picked up the book at this point? Oh, perfect. So, you know, we, as you said, we went down this path of self-publishing, and Wiley, a leader in the publishing space, identified, had their eyes on this book, and picked it up, which is amazing for,

alex_brueckmann (13:16.598)

Of course, you are. Ha ha ha.

angela_r_howard (13:40.393)

for all of us as contributors to the book. And also, as you said, it shines a light on the fact that this is needed in the masses. And I don't think we all, any of us decided to do this to become rich, right? Nobody, none of us did this to make a profit or to make money, but more so to get it out to the masses and to shift perspectives on

the world of business. So I think Wiley picking up the book is significant in that sense, that we can now reach demographics and audiences that we maybe didn't think we could before. So it's very exciting.

alex_brueckmann (14:24.158)

And I believe that what you said earlier plays a significant role. Why did Wiley pick up the book? The book is extremely diverse when it comes to the perspectives and backgrounds of the people. Um, I mean, if you just take a look at the, at the faces of the people, you realize that we have such a broad perspective over just 10 contributors in the book, um, from all across the world, from Asia, from Europe, from North America.

from all walks of life, some of them are long retired and others are just emerging thought leaders. And that is so interesting to experience this whole breadth of knowledge and perspective. I can't get enough of reading those different voices and reflecting on how these chapters came to life.

It's just a huge pleasure to see that when you bring the right people together without having just any thought about financial gains. This was never a book that we thought we would sell a lot of. It was something that we felt we wanted to give to the world. And now that we can leverage Wiley as a publisher and use their reach combined with our platforms,

angela_r_howard (15:23.875)

Mm.

angela_r_howard (15:34.51)

Mm-hmm.

angela_r_howard (15:50.538)

Mm-hmm.

alex_brueckmann (15:51.466)

That is just super exciting.

angela_r_howard (15:55.625)

It's so amazing. And I think the other thing that, and I'm sure you've thought about this, but if you haven't, I need you to know that the way you approached this project with inclusion, with bringing other people along, with doing something for good versus profit, like just speaks to your values. It's just like a living representation of what you preach. And I think that's cool because I think this is the future of

of work and how we work together, right? We're not looking to make individual gains. We're not on the path to our agendas. We are trying to bring people along and to bring inclusion into the process and make an impact ultimately. And so I just, I don't know if you've thought about it that way, but witnessing this and how you've led us through this, it's very clear to me that you practice what you preach.

alex_brueckmann (16:48.558)

Thank you very much. That means a lot to me. I never thought of it because it just came naturally. It's just who I am.

angela_r_howard (16:50.641)

I'm gonna go to bed.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's your value system. So is there anything else? I mean, as far as the book goes, tell us more about when it's going to come out. Of course, you know, for those of you listening, I will be very active in helping to market the book. So you all will be hearing a lot from me about the book. But tell us a bit more about where to find the book, when it's going to come out, and all those juicy details.

alex_brueckmann (17:22.85)

We wanted to make this book a happening, an event. We just didn't want people to be like, hey, here's the link, buy the book. So what we're doing is we're pulling together a global launch party for the book. It's going to be virtual. And there is a small company, New Zealand, that we collaborate with. So it's again, just another part of the world that's joining us here in making this, message stick.

The launch party will be on the launch day of the book. So the book comes out in North America on the 28th of March, a few weeks later in Europe and the UK, and in other markets as well. But we decided to have the launch party on the 28th of March. There will be a website called Next Level Book. No, sorry. What is the website? NextLevelBook.co.

That's the website where people can sign up for the launch party. Of course, it's free. It's going to be a lot of fun and games. We're going to have just a good time and talk about the book and give people the opportunity to interact with us as contributors as well. And yeah, it's a book that hopefully helps people to discover who they are, and who they can be as leaders. And

angela_r_howard (18:23.71)

Gotcha.

alex_brueckmann (18:50.162)

As it is a book that is supposed to be inclusive and be just the right thing, this is also how we're going to run the launch party. It's going to be very inclusive. Something that is happening at a point in time where everyone in the world can join. It won't happen in the middle of the night.

angela_r_howard (19:09.69)

Well, I would be happy to fly to New Zealand, that word option. I think we should all just plan to be there. That should be the plan.

alex_brueckmann (19:12.918)

No!

alex_brueckmann (19:18.774)

Yeah, I will join from my home in Vancouver. So.

angela_r_howard (19:22.401)

Fair enough, fair enough. Well, just to, you know, I would love to hear more about, you know, your experience with the book writing process, because I mean, I certainly can share from a contributor perspective, but, you know, the thought of an anthology and writing and pulling together all of these perspectives, what are some things that came up for you in the creative process that kind of shaped how the book turned out?

alex_brueckmann (19:51.374)

There were a few voices in the beginning that asked me whether I would really wanna do this. And I was like, why? And they said because you have no idea how much work that will be. I was like, yeah, I wrote a book before, but that was just me doing that with nine people is kind of, I get it, I get it, okay. And they were right. It is a ton of work to pull a high-quality book together that a major publisher wants to pick up.

angela_r_howard (19:57.209)

Hmm

angela_r_howard (20:02.626)

Yeah.

angela_r_howard (20:07.992)

Mm-hmm.

alex_brueckmann (20:21.826)

But what I learned in that process is how enjoyable it was. It was a massive learning journey for me as well. Because every time I read a contribution, a chapter, and I went through it with the editor, and we were like, I don't understand this part. What does that mean? So we allowed ourselves to be curious, and through curiosity, improve the chapters step by step, making them a full meal each.

angela_r_howard (20:42.353)

Hmm.

alex_brueckmann (20:51.542)

So what we created in that process was a book that consists of 11 lessons that you can read independently. You don't need to read the whole book. If you're interested in the topic of leadership and culture creation right now, read those chapters. Maybe next year, you're like, huh, I probably need to revisit how I price my services or products. Go back to theme one.

angela_r_howard (21:09.795)

Mm-hmm.

alex_brueckmann (21:18.774)

read the chapter on pricing in times of inflation. And all these things are so interesting in the book that you can just take them and read them and put the book back onto the shelf. And when you feel you're ready to spend some more time to understand yourself and work towards a better life balance, pick the book back up and go into theme number three. So that learning process for me to

angela_r_howard (21:28.451)

Mm.

alex_brueckmann (21:47.682)

Diving deep into these topics was a huge pleasure. And by working with so many different people with different personalities, it was also interesting for me personally, how much I can adapt to the needs of every contributor. Because not everyone works the same way. Not everyone needs the same support or even wants the same level of detail and support. So in...

angela_r_howard (22:07.291)

Hmm.

alex_brueckmann (22:17.018)

All in all, I know I will do it again. It was a lot of fun and this will not be the last anthology.

angela_r_howard (22:21.454)

Hahaha

angela_r_howard (22:25.337)

I love it. I love it. Well, I am excited to get this magic out to the world. I say magic, but this is life-changing, I think, for an entrepreneur, especially for an entrepreneur who is looking to make an impact, do good for the world, and see their business as a catalyst for change and impact.

So more to come. Like I said, I will be certainly marketing on my end and making sure you all are aware of how to best access the book, interact with the book, buy the book, and some of the concepts that are in there. But anything else, Alex, that you wanna make sure people leave with?

alex_brueckmann (23:14.27)

I think this book is a testament to the work of the people who contributed to it. It's not that some author had an idea and put it out there in the world and then some magic happened. This is a collective...

experience that we were able to pour into a book. And since it is such a collaborative approach to bring a book like that to life, I know that just by the nature of how the book was written and what it brings to the world, people will feel included by reading it. It is something that is truly inviting. We're not trying to impose a certain way of doing things onto the world. We're offering perspective. And I believe that this is

The world needs more of that. Just unassumingly providing perspective instead of telling people they're right or they're wrong or they should do it one way or another. It's just an invitation to explore. And I think people will sense that while reading the book.

angela_r_howard (24:23.197)

Alex, thank you for all you do. Thank you for living your values and having them manifest and show up with this real product of community that you've built. So thank you for being on the podcast. Again, this will not be the last time, I'm sure. Thanks for being you.

alex_brueckmann (24:39.822)

Thank you very much.

angela_r_howard (24:49.933)

So weird. It just like, stopped at the very end. Did you say something at the very end? Okay. I'll.

alex_brueckmann (24:55.178)

Yes, I did. I did. So I guess it's going to upload. We're good.

angela_r_howard (24:59.989)

Okay, perfect.