Mort Sherman: Resonant Minds
Mort Sherman is the retired Senior Associate Executive Director of the American Association of School Administrators, known for his visionary leadership as a superintendent dedicated to elevating academic standards and promoting equitable education. Throughout his career, he championed initiatives that addressed achievement gaps and empowered communities to foster inclusive, impactful learning environments. He is the author, along with his daughter Sara Leila Sherman, of Resonant Minds: The Transformative Power of Music, One Note at a Time.

So many of us love music, and it’s often at the core of a lot of our personal lives, celebrations, and emotions. But we don’t often think about how we can leverage its power at work. In this conversation, Mort and I explore how music can help us set the tone for better leadership.
Key Points

One way to nurture our teams and ourselves is a continual call for leaders, and music is an avenue we don’t often consider.
Using music as mindful action, coupled with executive function skills, supports the habits of successful leadership.
Start meetings with music or mindfulness exercises for collective focus, productive discussions, and creative outcomes.
Create team playlists to build community. Combine playlists with meetings to help support trust and respect.
Use music to reinforce a message or theme, tied to the needs of the moment.

Resources Mentioned

Why Cooks Cook from The Bear

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

The Power of Leadership Through Hospitality, with Will Guidara (episode 688)
How to Better Manage Your Emotions, with Ethan Kross (episode 719)
What Leaders Should Learn from Taylor Swift, with Kevin Evers (episode 739)

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Dave speaks with Erann Lincoln, an alum of the Coaching for Leaders Academy, on how she started small to build stronger relationships with her team.

Applications to the Coaching for Leaders Academy will open the first week of September. Visit the Academy page to request an early invitation.

Jenny Wood: Wild Courage
Over an 18 year career at Google, Jenny Wood grew from entry-level to executive, most recently leading a large operations team that helped drive billions of revenue per year. In 2021, she started a passion project within Google called Own Your Career, which grew to one of the largest career development programs in Google’s history. Her work has since been featured in Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, and Forbes and she’s now the author of Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It*.

Leadership is about serving others – and it’s also ensuring that we take care of ourselves along the way. Sometimes leaders over-index on helping their organizations and teams, to their own detriment. In this conversation, Jenny and I explore where being a little more selfish might actually be better for everyone.
Key Points

Selfish redefined means having the courage to stand up for what you want.
People want to join a winning team, even if they don’t say that out loud.
Guilt is natural, but always caving to it is self-defeating.
Don’t do work that’s not actually promotable. There’s no prize for an empty inbox.
A belief like “I owe it to them,” may signal an over-commitment to the organization. They will not love you back.
Appreciate truth when you get it, but don’t sign up for a burned-out boss.
It’s inefficient to always be in the lead. Draft in another leader’s wake.

Resources Mentioned

Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It* by Jenny Wood

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

Align Your Calendar to What Matters, with Nir Eyal (episode 431)
The Ways Leadership Can Derail Us, with Bill George (episode 596)
The Path to More Joy in Work and Life, with Judith Joseph (episode 734)

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Roger Kneebone: Expert
Roger Kneebone directs the Imperial College Centre for Engagement and Simulation Science and the Royal College of Music–Imperial College Centre for Performance Science. He researches what experts from different fields can learn from one another, including a creative team of clinicians, computer scientists, musicians, magicians, potters, puppeteers, tailors, and fighter pilots. He is the author of Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery*.

Many leaders get into the roles they have because they are the experts in their work. But once you’re leading, the work is less about being the expert and more about teaching your expertise to others. In this conversation, Roger and I explore how to get better at doing this well.
Key Points

Experts don’t often recognize that they are experts.
A characteristic of many experts is a dissatisfaction with where they are and an awareness that they could do better.
Experts should notice what’s missing and what would be most helpful to the less experienced person.
Effective teachers zero in on one thing at a time, even if they notice many areas for improvement.
Passing along expertise is not just the skills themselves but the perspective of why each skill matters.
Land in the zone of proximal development. The skill should neither be too easy or too difficult.

Resources Mentioned

Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery* by Roger Kneebone

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

Help People Learn Through Powerful Teaching, with Pooja Agarwal (episode 421)
The Art of Mentoring Well, with Robert Lefkowitz (episode 599)
How to Handle High-Pressure Situations, with Dan Dworkis (episode 701)

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Sabina Nawaz: You’re the Boss
Sabina Nawaz is an executive coach who advises C-level executives and teams at Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions. During her 14-year tenure at Microsoft, she went from managing software development teams to leading the company’s executive development and succession planning efforts for over 11,000 managers and nearly a thousand executives, advising Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer directly. She’s the author of You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)*.

Every leader I know intends to be authentic. Unfortunately, we sometimes use authenticity as an excuse not to do the critical work of calibrating our actions. In this conversation, Sabina and I discuss how to avoid that trap so we can show up more genuinely for others.
Key Points

“Yeah, but…” signals justification and holds us back from what we most need to learn.
Your success comes despite unhelpful traits, not because of them.
Pure authenticity is a complete fallacy. Authenticity is not singular.
We sometimes use authenticity as an excuse not to do the important work of calibrating our actions.
Don’t let the smokescreen of past “authenticity” get in the way of growth.
Authenticity is not static. Reading your old past social media posts will remind you of this.
When shifting, start with small experiments to nudge you in a new direction.

Language that may be warning signs of the authenticity trap:

“That’s just how I am.”
“I’m not the kind of person who…”
“I’m not being true to myself if…”
“That’s the way I’ve always done things, and it’s worked for me.”

Resources Mentioned

You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need)* by Sabina Nawaz

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

How to Change Your Behavior, with BJ Fogg (episode 507)
How to Start a Big Leadership Role, with Carol Kauffman (episode 617)
The Habits That Hold Leaders Back, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 696)

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Minda Harts: Talk to Me Nice
Minda Harts is a bestselling author, workplace consultant, and sought-after keynote speaker who is redefining what it means to build trust in the workplace. As the bestselling author of The Memo, Right Within, and You Are More Than Magic, Minda has empowered thousands to be their own best advocates and navigate workplace challenges with confidence. She has just released her newest book, Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace.

Sometimes we assume that we’re helping by shielding people from difficult news. But as we all know, virtually everyone wants transparency from leaders. In this conversation, Minda shows us how to get better at it.
Key Points

You’re not helping by shielding people from difficult conversations.
Most everyone assumes baseline behaviors of employees. Employees expect reciprocity through transparency.
We often think about transparency with information that’s known. Just as important is clarity about what’s not known.
Even when you can’t share news, you can put time and resources into what will help people handle a new reality when it arrives.
Transparency provides clear, honest, and timely information.
Promote transparency in roles. A job description is a helpful starting point for this.
Good intentions do not mean good impact. When changes happen, communicate them as quickly as practical.

Resources Mentioned

Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace* by Minda Harts

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

The Path Towards Trusting Relationships, with Edgar Schein and Peter Schein (episode 539)
How to Help Difficult Conversations Go Better, with Sheila Heen (episode 655)
Preparing for a Conversation with Someone You Don’t Trust, with Charles Feltman (episode 708)

Expert Partner
Are you a talent development or human resources leader seeking a coach for an internal client? Coaching for Leaders has partnered with some of the top coaches in the world, including a number of past podcast guests. Help us make an introduction by visiting our Expert Partners Page and telling us what you’re seeking in a coach.
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Michael Bungay Stanier: Change Signal
Michael Bungay Stanier is best known for The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century and recognized as a classic. He was a Rhodes Scholar, and was recently awarded the coaching prize by Thinkers50. He's now the host of the new Change Signal podcast.

If you’re doing change right, it’s going to be messy. In this conversation, Michael Bungay Stanier returns to show us where to start, the key mindsets to have, and the first steps for getting traction.
Key Points

If you’re doing change right, it’s going to be messy.
Before you remove a fence, figure out why it’s there.
Take inspiration from Emily Dickinson: “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.”
Beware giving lip service to the emotional realities of change and then moving forward without really addressing them.
Strategy is a living conversation. Run experiments. Fire bullets before cannonballs.
Motivation is a critical factor in change. Better to be less efficient and have people with you than to force compliance with a “perfect” plan.

Emily Dickinson:
Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind —
Resources Mentioned

Change Signal podcast hosted by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Coaching Habit* by Michael Bungay Stanier

Related Episodes

Engaging People Through Change, with Cassandra Worthy (episode 571)
How to Approach a Reorg, with Claire Hughes Johnson (episode 621)
How to Prevent a Team From Repeating Mistakes, with Robert “Cujo” Teschner (episode 660)

Expert Partner
Are you a talent development or human resources leader seeking a coach for an internal client? Coaching for Leaders has partnered with some of the top coaches in the world, including a number of past podcast guests. Help us make an introduction by visiting our Expert Partners Page and telling us what you’re seeking in a coach.
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Kevin Evers: There’s Nothing Like This
Kevin Evers is a Senior Editor at Harvard Business Review. Passionate about shaping groundbreaking research and amplifying pioneering ideas, he has edited bestselling and award-winning books on high performance, creativity, innovation, digital disruption, marketing, and strategy. He is the author of There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift*.

You may love her music. You may not. You may think she’s a business genius…or perhaps no. But one thing is for sure, you cannot ignore Taylor Swift. In this conversation, Kevin and I explore Swift’s strategic approach and what every leader can learn from her success.
Key Points

Swift knows exactly her “job to be done” and delivers on it consistently.
Swift treats her fans’ emotions and experiences with respect and they respond in kind.
Andy Grove famously said that only the paranoid survive. It’s one of many traits that helps Swift stay successful.
Swift’s transition to pop was promotion-focused rather than prevention-focused to a promotion-focused. She led the story of her transformation.
Not only is Swift clear on her vision, but she regularly reflects on the difficult steps to get there.
Swift is a remarkable example of antifragility. Not only does she withstand stress and shocks, they make her stronger.

Resources Mentioned

There’s Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift* by Kevin Evers

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

Doing Better Than Zero Sum-Thinking, with Renée Mauborgne (episode 641)
The Reason People Make Buying Decisions, with Marcus Collins (episode 664)
How to Keep Improving, with Maurice Ashley (episode 697)

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Faisal Hoque: Transcend
Faisal Hoque is an award-winning entrepreneur and innovator and founder of SHADOKA and NextChapter. He is a three-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the books: Reinvent, Everything Connects, and Lift. He has just released his newest book: Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI*.

The most compelling use cases for AI aren’t people OR AI – it’s both. Leaders who learn how to partner with AI will almost certainly open doors that many others don’t. In this episode, Faisal and I explore (a few steps on) how to get started.
Key Points

While we think about working with AI as very different than working with people, similar mindsets and skillsets help us with both.
Partnering will with AI means asking better questions and being genuinely interested in the answers.
Experts are limited by their perspective. Beginners are open to possibilities. We should approach AI with a beginner’s mindset.
Using AI well means getting more comfortable with uncertainty. We need to own our ignorance.
Playful discovery helps with our intrinsic motivation to keep going. When using AI, find the fun that keeps you engaged.
This technology will do the logical work far better than any human. To partner well, work to increase your emotional intelligence.

Resources Mentioned

Transcend: Unlocking Humanity in the Age of AI by Faisal Hoque

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

The Way to Be More Self-Aware, with Tasha Eurich (episode 442)
Principles for Using AI at Work, with Ethan Mollick (episode 674)
Becoming an AI-Savvy Leader, with David De Cremer (episode 710)

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Alice Ferris: GoalBusters
Alice Ferris is the Founding Partner of GoalBusters, a firm working to help small and mighty fundraising teams achieve big impact by planning practical strategies, teaching essential fundraising skills, and doing the hands-on work to turn vision into reality. She has more than 30 years of professional fundraising experience, specializing in strategic and development planning, campaign readiness and development program assessments, board and organizational training, executive leadership coaching, individual giving, and grant proposal evaluation. She’s also a graduate of the Coaching for Leaders Academy.

Fundraising is not a word that sparks joy for most leaders. In fact, many people who do fundraising never planned to have that be part of their career. And yet, almost every leader has an aspect of fundraising in their professional or personal lives. In this conversation, Alice and I explore how to get better at it.
Key Points

Almost every leader is involved with fundraising in some capacity, either personally or professionally.
It’s a myth that fundraising is just asking for money. Most fundraising activities happen outside of the ask.
Consider fundraising goals options for must do activities, maintaining the current state, and aspirational growth.
Most people share health issues with their immediate family and close friends. When your organization is facing headwinds, tell your donors how they can help.
Dedicated attention to fundraising is key for both prioritization and relationship continuity.
Connectors, experts, and closers are all essential roles in the fundraising process. Play to the strengths of both staff and volunteers to fill these roles well.

Resources Mentioned

Connect with Alice on LinkedIn
GoalBusters

Related Episodes

How to Lead Top-Line Growth, with Tim Sanders (episode 299)
How an Executive Aligns with a Board, with Joan Garry (episode 662)
The Reason People Make Buying Decisions, with Marcus Collins (episode 664)

Expert Partner
Beginning a career transition? Feeling stagnant in your current role? Scott Barlow and his team may be able to help as official partners of Coaching for Leaders. To discover more about how his team can support you, get in touch on our expert partners page.
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Matt Dixon: The Activator Advantage
Matt Dixon is Founding Partner of DCM Insights, a global training and advisory firm, and a leading expert in business development and client experience. His first book The Challenger Sale was a #1 Amazon and Wall Street Journal bestseller, and translated in a dozen languages. His newest book with colleagues Rory Channer, Karen Freeman, and Ted McKenna is The Activator Advantage: What Today’s Rainmakers Do Differently*.

At lot of us know the traits of the kind of person who’s successful at attracting new business. What many of us don’t know, is that what’s working today is actually different than what we traditionally think. In this conversation, Matt and I a take a detailed look at the professionals who are landing the most new business – and what they’re doing that works.
Key Points

The loyalty that once existed between professionals and their clients has changed substantially in recent years.
A type of professional called an activator represents the highest performance in business development.
Activators assume their best clients will leave at some point and are consistently working to build a pipeline of opportunities.
Many professionals tend to protect client relationships. In contrast, activators actively bring colleagues into these relationships.
Activators don’t wait for inquiries. They meet opportunities happen by building relationships before paid work begins.
Activators go way past birthdays and factual knowledge about others. They discover what’s important to their clients as individuals.
Activators go way past “as is” content and work hard to thoughtfully connect it to a prospect or client’s situation.

Resources Mentioned

The Activator Advantage: What Today’s Rainmakers Do Differently* by Matt Dixon, Rory Channer, Karen Freeman, and Ted McKenna

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

The Surprising Truth About Influencing Others, with Daniel Pink (episode 84)
How to Become the Person You Want to Be, with James Clear (episode 376)
The Way to Earn Attention, with Raja Rajamannar (episode 521)

Expert Partner
Finding it hard to make an impression in a noisy marketplace? Many listeners have reached out to David Hutchens to help their organizations get traction through the power of story. If you’re planning an offsite or training to get better, get in touch with us to start the conversation with David or any of our other expert partners.
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Wes Adams: Meaningful Work
Wes Adams is the CEO of SV Consulting Group, a firm partnering with Fortune 500s and scaling companies to develop high-impact leaders and support high-performing teams. He is also a positive psychology researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies the leadership practices and organizational structures that help employees thrive. He’s the author, along with Tamara Myles, of Meaningful Work: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee*.

A generation ago, work was just work for a lot of folks. Today, we expect more out of our careers than past generations ever did. That means leaders need to be better at helping people find meaning at work. In this conversation, Wes and I discuss how leaders can do better at being catalysts for connection.
Key Points

We expect so much more from work than we did a generation ago. Work is increasingly a place where people seek belonging, purpose, and meaning.
Supporting community in the workplace is a combination of building trust and designing shared experiences.
Just like a balanced investment portfolio, community is a combination of diverse avenues that build a strong foundation.
Consider a simple structure for synchronized breaks to help people connect more intentionally during work.
Invite team members to share a story of them at their best or reflect on a photo/story that has meaning for them at the start of team meetings.
When responding to a joy that a colleague shares, ask a follow-up question that engages and elevates.
Higher difficulty (yet strongly meaningful) activities include shared volunteer work and funding or support for community activities.
By occasionally sharing personal plans, stories, reading lists, or other activities, the leader sets the tone for others feeling safe to connect in this way.

Resources Mentioned

Meaningful Work: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee* by Wes Adams and Tamara Myles

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

How to Create Meaningful Gatherings, with Priya Parker (episode 395)
The Beliefs of Inspirational Leaders, with Stephen M. R. Covey (episode 707)
The Way to Notice People Better, with Zach Mercurio (episode 733)

Expert Partner
Are you a talent development or human resources leader seeking a coach for an internal client? Coaching for Leaders has partnered with some of the top coaches in the world, including a number of past podcast guests. Help us make an introduction by visiting our Expert Partners Page and telling us what you’re seeking in a coach.
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Judith Joseph: High Functioning
Judith Joseph is a Columbia-trained psychiatrist and the founder of and chief investigator at Manhattan Behavioral Medicine, New York City’s premier clinical research site. She’s also a clinical assistant professor in child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, and chairwoman of the Women in Medicine Board at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is the author of High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy*.

When we think about successful leaders, we often admire those who are loving towards others, can tolerate painful times, and know how to delay gratification. Those are all such important traits – and when we overindex on them, can become counter-productive. In this conversation, (Judith and I explore) when it’s no longer working and how to find the joy again.
Key Points

Many people who are experiencing high-functioning depression don’t realize it.
High-functioning depression is often triggering by trauma. That can can be major trauma, but it can also be more common forms of trauma like divorce, workplace conflict, legal issues, and many more.
Anhedonia is one of the most common ways high-functioning depression reveals itself. It looks like not seeking out joyful activities and also not experiencing joy in activities that used to bring joy.
Masochism is the other common way high-functioning depression shows up. It manifests as a pattern of self-defeating, people-pleasing behavior.
The “superpowers” that come with high-functioning depression are viewed by others and society as strengths. However, over-indexing on being loving, tolerating pain, and delayed gratification are counter-productive over time.
Validation is a starting point for healing. Each person is unique and sometimes it’s helpful to begin with movies or other creative works that help you recognize yourself.

Resources Mentioned

High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy* by Judith Joseph

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

What to Do With Your Feelings, with Lori Gottlieb (episode 438)
The Mindset Leaders Need to Address Burnout, with Christina Maslach (episode 608)
Transcend Leadership Struggles Through Your Strengths, with Lisa Cummings (episode 692)

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Zach Mercurio: The Power of Mattering
Zach Mercurio is an author, researcher, and speaker specializing in purposeful leadership, mattering, meaningful work, and positive organizational psychology. He teaches a course with past guest Simon Sinek on how leaders can show everyone how they matter. He is the author of The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance*.

When you ask people what mattered in their careers, few cite the bonus, or the stock options, or the employee of the month award. What they do talk about are the times they were remembered, supported, thanked, and seen. In this conversation, Zach and I discuss how to do that better.
Key Points

When people are asked about when they mattered, they recall small moments of being remembered, helped, thanked, or seen.
The behavior of a leader accounts for half of increased feelings of mattering and meaningfulness at work.
Rather than identifying with a person’s behavior identify first with the person.
Look for the positive traits in a person or identify something that you love.
Music is the space between the notes. In our informal interactions, we have the choice to turn against, turn away, or turn towards.
Leaders who notice people well consistently follow three steps: observe, note, and share.

Resources Mentioned

The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance* by Zach Mercurio

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

Start With Why, with Simon Sinek (episode 223)
How to Shift Behavior for Better Results, with Mitch Warner (episode 690)
How to Bring Out the Best in People, with Donna Hicks (episode 724)

Expert Partner
Are you noticing people communicating in a such a way that feels boring or robotic to stakeholders – or perhaps just losing them in the data? David Hutchens, one our our expert partners, helps leaders and organizations develop a more human, engaging voice through the power of storytelling.

To discover more about how his work may support your organization, get in touch on our expert partners page.
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Jeff Wetzler: Ask
Jeff Wetzler is co-Founder Transcend, a nationally recognized innovation organization, and an expert in learning and human potential. His experience spans 25+ years in business and education, as a management consultant to top corporations, a learning facilitator for leaders, and as Chief Learning Officer at Teach For America. He's the author of Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs in Leadership and Life*.

We place our organizations at risk when we miss stuff. Often, the things we miss aren’t what we don’t know. Instead, they are the assumptions we don’t even question. In this conversation, Jeff and I explore the practices that work to find what’s missing.
Key Points
Hidden feedback cues:

Repeated questions or suggestions about seemingly small details.
Increased involvement in tactical decisions.
Unexpected decreases in engagement.

Benefits of curiosity:

When We’re Curious About People, They Like Us More
Curiosity begets curiosity.
Curiosity creates empathy.
Curiosity makes us more resilient.

Curiosity sparks:

What might I be missing?
How else might someone interpret the situation?
How might I be impacting them?
What can I learn from this person?

Resources Mentioned

Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs in Leadership and Life* by Jeff Wetzler
Ask Approach
How to Recognize “Hidden Feedback” (Harvard Business Review) by Jeff Wetzler
The Curiosity Coach In Your Pocket (Psychology Today) by Jeff Wetzler

Related Episodes

How to Inspire More Curiosity, with Shannon Minifie (episode 520)
How to Help Others Be Seen and Heard, with Scott Shigeoka (episode 654)
Make it Easier to Discuss Hard Things, with Jeff Wetzler (episode 679)

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Scott Anthony Barlow: Happen to Your Career
Scott Anthony Barlow is CEO of Happen To Your Career and host of the Happen to Your Career podcast. His team and him are focused on helping people find the work they love. He’s also the author of the book, Happen to Your Career: An Unconventional Approach to Career Change and Meaningful Work*.

You’ve been laid off, or someone close to you is navigating that reality right now. A lot of the first things we think to do after a layoff are wrong. In this episode, Scott and I explore what to avoid…and more importantly, where to begin anew.
Key Points

Most people underestimate the time it takes to mean a transition to the next, right position.
Submitting tons of applications, networking everywhere, and telling everyone that you’re looking feels productive, but is often either incomplete or a waste of time.
Give yourself the space to grieve. Spend time with the people who care about you.
This didn’t happen to you, it happened for you. Whether objectively true or not, this mindset will help you be intentional about next actions.
Hyperfocus your targeting by creating a master resume and also considering backdoors to opportunities.
Decide when to hire help by using math – how much will expertise help speed up the process and/or help you land a higher salary?

Resources Mentioned

Happen to Your Career: An Unconventional Approach to Career Change and Meaningful Work* by Scott Anthony Barlow
If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules: 10 Rules for Finding Love and Creating Long-Lasting, Authentic Relationships by Chérie Carter-Scott

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

Craft a Career to Fit Your Strengths, with Scott Anthony Barlow (episode 424)
How to Nail a Job Transition, with Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (episode 555)
How to Respond When You Get Triggered, with Sally Helgesen (episode 620)

Expert Partner
In this midst of a layoff? Feeling stagnant in your current role? Scott Barlow and his team may be able to help as official partners of Coaching for Leaders. To discover more about how his team can support you, get in touch on our expert partners page.
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Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership
Tom Henschel of Essential Communications supports senior leaders and executive teams. An internationally recognized expert in the field of workplace communications and self-presentation, he has helped thousands of leaders achieve excellence through his work as an executive coach and his top-rated podcast, The Look & Sound of Leadership.

Have you been told you should take more initiative? Or, perhaps you’ve been telling that to someone else? Either way, this conversation with Tom Henschel will outline three key steps to help you get started.
Key Points
Three steps to taking more initiative:

Think and talk about your work. Ideas come through conversation.
Execute on your idea. Feel the fear and do it anyway.
Communicate what you’ve done.


Initiative is often in the eye of the beholder.
Imagine a scale that goes from bold to cautious. There’s probably room for you to be at least 5% bolder.
Feeling like you are waiting on others may be an indicator to take initiative.
To calibrate where you land, ask yourself: “What’s my typical pattern?”
In correspondence, consider asking fewer questions and making more statements.
Place yourself in situations where you’ll need to show initiative.

Resources Mentioned

The Look & Sound of Leadership podcast by Tom Henschel
Feel the Fear…and Do It Anyway* by Susan Jeffers

Related Episodes

Leadership vs. Management (The Look & Sound of Leadership, episode 166)
5 Strategies for Dealing with Narcissists (The Look & Sound of Leadership, episode 239)
How to Answer “Tell Us About Yourself” (The Look & Sound of Leadership, episode 250)
How to Talk So People Understand You (The Look & Sound of Leadership, episode 254)

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Jon Fogel: Punishment-­Free Parenting
Jon Fogel is a husband, a father of four, and a parenting educator. His goal is to teach how to parent more effectively, with less stress and more success by combining modern neuroscience, developmental psychology, counseling, and positive, gentle parenting wisdom. He is the author of Punishment-­Free Parenting: The Brain-Based Way to Raise Kids Without Raising Your Voice*.

Most of us aspire to lead well in every area of our lives, not just in the workplace. A key place for leadership with many of us is with our kids and the other young people in our lives. In this conversation, Jon and I discuss how to raise kids without raising your voice.
Key Points

Consequences and punishment are not the same thing, even if the words are used interchangeably.
Our kids want us to like them. They are not giving you a hard time; they’re having a hard time.
Punishment doesn’t “teach kids a lesson.” More often, it crowds out higher level thinking and children are unable to remember what they were being punished for.
Rather than imposing retribution, help children surface that natural and logistical consequences of their behaviors.
Get curious, not furious. Often, there’s a perfectly rational reason that children are acting they way they are.
Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.

Resources Mentioned

Punishment-­Free Parenting: The Brain-Based Way to Raise Kids Without Raising Your Voice* by Jon Fogel
Jon Fogel on Instagram

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

How to Reduce Drama With Kids, with Tina Payne Bryson (episode 310)
The Way Into Better Conversations About Wealth, with Kristin Keffeler (episode 606)
Supporting Return to Work After Maternity Leave, with Danna Greenberg (episode 639)

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Qasim Ijaz
Qasim Ijaz is the director of cybersecurity at a leading healthcare organization, overseeing detection, incident response, vulnerability management, purple teaming, and cybersecurity engineering. With a strong background in offensive security and risk management, he has helped organizations strengthen their defenses against evolving threats. He is also a dedicated educator, mentoring professionals and sharing his expertise at conferences such as BSides and Black Hat.

You don’t need to go far in the news these days to find out that another organization was hacked. Data breeches are a nightmare scenario for both leaders and the people they support. In this episode, Qasim and I explore what your team and you can do to be a bit more prepared.
Key Points

Use multi-factor authentication, passphrases, and a password manager.
Freeze your personal credit reports. Do this for free directly with Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
Leaders in bigger roles (executives, CEOs, board members) are larger targets for hackers due to their access and also their ability to occasionally side-step organizational guidelines.
It’s the non-technical pieces of a cyber response that organizations are least prepared for.
Conduct incident response and disaster recovery tabletop exercises to uncover vulnerabilities before an attack.
Regardless of organizational policy, employees will use AI. The best prevention assumes the inevitability of human behavior and works with it to improve systems.

Resources Mentioned

Recommended password managers: 1Password, Apple password app, Proton Pass
Critical Security Controls by the Center for Internet Security
Resources for Small and Medium Businesses by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
2024 Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon Business

Related Episodes

Dumb Things Smart People Do With Money, with Jill Schlesinger (episode 396)
Where to Start When Inheriting a Team in Crisis, with Lynn Perry Wooten (episode 603)
How to Use AI to Think Better, with José Antonio Bowen (episode 689)

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Andrew Brodsky: Ping
Andrew Brodsky is an award-winning professor, management consultant, and virtual communications expert at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He is an expert in workplace technology, communication, and productivity, and serves as the CEO of Ping Group. He is the author of Ping: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication*.

We’ve all heard the well intended advice that having interactions in person is always best. And that being as close to perfect as possible is ideal. Turns out, not always. In this conversation, Andrew and I explore how adapting to the context of tough situations can help you show up in a way that’s helpful for the other party and for you.
Key Points

In virtual interactions, what feels authentic to you may not seem authentic to the person you’re interacting with.
While video is best for being present, it may not be best when your underlying emotions could leak into a situation.
Surface acting helps us all land with the other party more authentically. Audio only can help this land better.
If using a less rich medium to communicate (i.e. email instead of a conversation) it’s helpful to explain why you made that choice.
People who appear perfectly competent may not be as likable. Consider surfacing blunders that aren’t central to the core expertise of your work.
We often default to the medium that works best for us. Consider what will land best with the other party.

Resources Mentioned

Ping: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication* by Andrew Brodsky

Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes

How to Genuinely Show Up for Others, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 590)
How to Make a Better Impression on Camera, with Mark Bowden (episode 643)
How to Grow From Feedback, with Jennifer Garvey Berger (episode 713)

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Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.