Unlocking Leadership Through Authentic Communication

Have you ever noticed how “us” versus “them” investigations feel? It’s taken me many years to realize this but I don’t think it has to be that way. In fact, I would go so far to say that we might be setting employees up to fail just because they fear the consequence of being honest more than the chance their leader may support them, develop them and may make sweeping changes as a result of their honesty. What might happen if we tried a different approach to how we introduce an investigation? I suspect we gain a clear understanding of the what and the why quicker, develop trust between the leader and employee and maybe uncover bigger things that need to be addressed with the team down the road. In this episode, I give you an off the cuff script to how you might kick off your investigations differently for partnered success.

Communication has a cost. You pay for it if you speak up and you pay for it if you don’t. But the cost is always different. And sometimes, it’s hard to tell which will cost you more. Here we explore the cost of silence versus the cost of honesty, discuss how avoidance masquerades as silence and evaluate who we’re really protecting by not speaking up. Spoiler alert…we aren’t protecting someone else. In this episode, I invite you to take stock of your communication or lack thereof this year and encourage you to make changes for 2026. Because either way, there is a payoff for speaking up and staying quiet. One just serves you more than the other. Have a happy and blessed New Year.

I used to get so worked up when someone would message or call me about being unhappy with something I was a part of. Now, I handle things differently. In fact, when I even think someone might be unhappy, I seek them out. In this episode, I reverse engineer complaining like a pro and help you take and respond to complaints like a pro. The things I share help to cut down your anxiety, create trust with those you work with and move you in the right direction to solve the problem fast.

I grappled with this episode title because quite honestly, I hate complainers. But really, what I’m teaching is how to complain but be respectful, professional and move toward change. I help you with mindset and to construct the best “complaint” session so that you create a win not only with the situation but with the people you are collaborating with. And my favorite part is that you’ll do it while you strengthen your credibility AND generate better relationships.

If you haven’t watched Zootopia, you probably won’t understand this reference. The point of this podcast is to stop feeling like a failure when you can’t solve a problem because the information you get is poor. Stop letting these problems consume your day and your thoughts. The harsh reality is that the story you tell yourself or that you let others tell you, is getting in your way…and it’s a straight up lie. I’m going to expose this unrealistic standard for what it is and help you shift your mindset to tackle the problem in a realistic way that creates action and will at some point resolve the issue.

Have you ever worked with someone…or even better for someone who never seems to become ruffled in the face of crisis? Ever wonder how they become this way? I can’t exactly tell you the “how” but I do share a theory, a book and some examples of the rewards of operating as an “unbothered leader”. And guess what? It’s easier than you might think if you adopt a specific mindset.

Have you ever considered the biggest barrier to a performance conversation might be you? If you show up nervous and can’t get past that, guess what? Communication will be compromised. If you show up with unrealistic expectations or show up like the “boss”...there will be disastrous results. Here, I show you how to tell if you’re shooting yourself in the foot before you even sit down. Then, I help you solve for or reframe the thought or expectation that’s getting in your way.

We have all been in situations where people want an answer from us NOW or they interact with us in a way causes us to become nervous, uncertain about our expertise or we may become angry or upset. In this episode, I tell you the key components I use to make decisions that are thoughtful, thorough and mindful. I call these “high value decisions” because my simple thought process about the value I bring to the table when someone asks for my opinion produces trust, reinforces my confidence and helps elevate the person/people I’m working with.

Do you want to help address poor behavior AND help your team members grow? This approach is not for the weak. It’s uncomfortable. It’s genuine. And it works. In this episode, I give you the basic steps to help shape behavior on your team so your team handles how they want to be treated without needing your assistance.

If you go into a conversation with someone thinking it’s going to be confrontational, you’ve already lost the mindset game. Even though you’re a leader, you’re still a partner with your team. The moment you have a conversation that is anything less than acting like a partner, nothing will get better. In fact, you’ll probably get further from your goal, or at the very least it will take you longer to achieve it and it probably won’t turn out as great as it could have been. In this episode, I help you have successful conversations regardless of how your teammate shows up.

With good intentions, many leaders are so concerned about getting buy-in from the employee they are giving feedback to, that the conversation ends without discussing the real work to be done. Yes…we want the employee to understand there is a performance concern. BUT…that’s not the point of the meeting. The point of the meeting is to work together to solve the concern. In this episode, I show you how your mindset is the catalyst to getting “buy-in” and set you up to conduct a meeting with genuine interest to understand and collaborate with your team members to breed success.

Sometimes people put us in crappy positions. They don’t mean to but more likely than not, they’re afraid of making a decision and then saddle you with it. Is it fair? No. Does it happen? More than we realize. Does it have to cause emotional turmoil? No. Not if you follow these simple six steps. You can preserve a relationship, solve a problem and uphold all your standards at the same time.

Have you ever wondered how some people who are still pleasant to be around are respected all the time? They create standards throughout each area of their life. I’m going to give you some examples of standards/boundaries/expectations in some areas of my life and even share with you the foundation of standards I require in all my relationships. It comes in handy because once you figure out what your standards are, communicate them and hold people accountable, the “right” people seem to stay in your life and the wrong people exit stage left. 🙂

What do you do when two employees have a falling out and you don’t want to lose the talent? Hopefully you’re comfortable with conflict because in this episode, I’m going to show you how I recommend leaders steer employees who are allergic to conflict through situations where they actually have to talk with each other and resolve their differences.

In this episode, I give you the scariest piece of advice that I give to every leader I coach. This piece of advice allows you to help those on your team and those you partner with to be the most successful. When you do this well you also develop great relationships with those you practice it with. And finally, there is a sense of total freedom to you as a leader. Here, I give you an example of how to do this scary thing well. If your intentions are good, you can’t go wrong and even if it doesn’t go how you’d like it to, congratulations, there’s always tomorrow to try it again. I have faith in you. You’ve got this.

If you’re communicating, you’re giving and receiving feedback. You can’t avoid it. It doesn’t matter if you’re emailing, talking on the phone, or standing in front of someone, messages are being sent and received constantly. But how do you avoid giving crappy feedback and what’s the formula for good feedback? Listen in as I share tips on how to give feedback so we’re not out there crushing souls. Instead, we’re out there partnering with people and inspiring them to accomplish things they may have never thought were possible.

I recently had a conversation with a leader who was spiraling. They were worried about what the future held for them based on a situation that didn’t have a clear answer. I’m going to share with you what I told this leader and what I often say just in different words, to people I care about so they know I’m on their side. You don’t want to miss this. These big words carry big responsibilities and rewards.

I share with you one of the meanest (unintentionally of course) things a leader can do to their team members. It’s all about feedback or lack there of. In this episode I give you examples of what happens when we don’t give the feedback that we should. Then, I help you shift your mindset to give feedback in a way that breeds trust and sets the employee up for success.

Leadership is only as hard as you make it. In this episode, I’m going to help you shift your mindset so you can identify how some of your most “challenging” employees operate, what they’re really communicating when they behave how they do and how you can work with them to leverage their talent, educate them, and organically create the type of team that accomplishes goals and works seamlessly.

Stop trying to force yourself into positions, teams and organizations who are too small for you. What do I mean by that? Well I can right away when I’m working with a team whether or not they are operating under antiquated principals that don’t serve them, on pace with the world or looking forward to what’s next. I can also tell whether I’m going to have to drag a team along, be able to collaborate with like minds or be floored by the innovation that far exceeds my own. The question is, what table do I want to sit at? You have a choice. I’m going to help you set yourself up so you can quickly tell if the choices in front of you are a great fit or if you need to keep looking…and it’s remarkably simple.