The Inner Work of Leadership with Carole Robin, PhD

Mar 14, 2025

Carole Robin, PhD, a seasoned professor from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and co-author of "Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships," shares insights on leadership. She emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and emotional intelligence in communication. The discussion covers how authentic connections enhance team dynamics and the balance between honesty and kindness. Carole also explores transformative retreats for leadership development, showcasing the power of immersive experiences in fostering growth and connection within the tech industry.

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ADVICE

Intentional Greetings

Avoid asking questions that force vulnerability, like "How are you?".
Instead, offer a statement like "It's good to see you" to create a safer space.

ANECDOTE

AI-Refined Origin Story

Carole Robin's AI summarized her long, meandering origin story into a concise anecdote.
This allowed her to share the essence of her story quickly and effectively.

INSIGHT

Dangers of Withholding

Withholding information can create a downward spiral of distrust and decreased communication.
This "progressive impoverishment" limits potential solutions and weakens relationships.

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Master the art of conversations big and small - both inside yourself and in your teams and organization.

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For the full transcript, video highlights, and more show links, check out the episode page here: https://theconversationfactory.com/podcast/the-inner-work-of-leadership-with-carole-robin-phd

Every conversation - especially the hard ones - is an opportunity to learn more about yourself, to learn about another person and to learn about interpersonal dynamics - if you can set aside judgment and be open to curiosity. I’m SO excited to share this epic podcast conversation with the "queen of Touchy Feely" - Carole Robin, PhD. Carole taught the most popular elective at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Interpersonal Dynamics (mostly known affectionately as "Touchy Feely"!) for nearly 20 years and is co-author (with co-teacher David Bradford) of the excellent book Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends and Colleagues.

She has a vast reserve of wisdom to share. We discuss the importance of navigating vulnerability and intentional connection as an essential leadership skill and unpack some of her most powerful principles of effective communication. We also talk about Carole’s conversations with her own personal AI, trained on all of her past writings and course notes…and how it helped her evolve how she tells her own story!

Building exceptional relationships is work that’s done one conversation at a time. Carole’s insights can help you unlock the potential in each conversation.

Key Moments

00:00 The Art of Greeting with Interpersonal Dynamics in mind

03:00 AI and Personal Narratives: The Evolution of Carole’s Story in collaboration with her personal AI

06:01 Leadership Lessons: Emotions in Business

09:06 Vulnerability vs. Strength: The Leadership Paradox

12:04 Transparency in Leadership: The Balance of Sharing

14:58 Strategic Authenticity: Navigating Vulnerability

18:01 True and Kind: The Principles of Effective Communication

20:50 The Importance of Self-Care for Leaders

21:59 Navigating Emotions in Leadership

23:49 Vulnerability and Authenticity in Leadership

30:07 Self-Management and Emotional Discipline

32:59 Curiosity as Leadership superpower

37:57 The Work of Building Relationships