Tom Henschel: The Look & Sound of Leadership Tom Henschel of Essential Communications grooms 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. Key Points An elevator speech is a crisp, concise, high-level summary of a complex, multi-layered topic. It can be about whatever you do as a profession, but it can also be about anything else, like your recent vacation. Elevator speeches get crafted … it doesn’t happen in the spur of the moment. Creating an elevator speech doesn’t take long, but you have to choose to reflect. An elevator speech is actually a conversation tailored to the other person. Say a little bit, and then test the other person’s level of interest. The longer you talk, the less effective you are. The Three Qualities of a Great Elevator Speech Keep it short Be memorable Tailor it to the listener Resources Mentioned Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office* by Lois P. Frankel Related Episodes Enhance Your Executive Presence, with Tom Henschel (episode 272) How to Grow Your Professional Network, with Tom Henschel (episode 279) Tom Henschel Interviews Dave (episode 300) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Scott Anthony Barlow: Happen to Your Career Scott Anthony Barlow is the Founder of Happen to Your Career. He’s been featured on CNBC, Yahoo, CareerBuilder, Fast Company and Huffington Post and various colleges and universities as a top expert on career happiness. He's held roles executive roles in human resources, business development, and career coaching. Scott is the host of the Happen to Your Career podcast, featuring the career stories of many successful professionals. His team and him have worked with over 25,000 people to help them stop settling, find their signature strengths, and start doing meaningful work they are enamored with. In this conversation, Scott and I explore the myth of work-life balance and discuss how we should instead be aiming for work-life integration. Key Points Life doesn’t stop when you’re at work. The goal is to build a career that fully integrates with what you want most out of life. If you’re around the people you want to be around then you become a happier person. When people say they want work-life balance, what they’re really saying is that they want to experience happiness in how they’re spending their time. When you do things that other people are not willing to do, you get results that other people don’t get. Resources Mentioned 8-Day Video Course to Figuring Out What You Love* The Ultimate Guide to Using Your Strengths to Get Hired* Mike Vardy on time theming StrengthsFinder training for individuals and teams* (use code CFL10 for a 10% tuition discount) The ONE Thing* by Jay Papasan The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen Covey The Dip* by Seth Godin Related Episodes How to Know When to Move On (episode 175) How to Hire a Coach, with Marc Mawhinney (episode 179) How to Figure Out Your Career, with Scott Anthony Barlow (episode 259) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster: Your Leadership Brand Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster are from Root + River. They are brand strategists and marketers who believe that your brand is how other people experience what you believe. In this episode, Emily and Justin show us the key steps to create a framework for your leadership brand. Key Points Branding is something that begins inside of you. Much of branding is just uncovering what’s inside of you, articulating it, and then reflecting it outward. We’re living in a world where we can no longer get away with pretending to be something we’re not, so we have no alternative but to be ourselves. If you reverse engineer a brand failure, it’s usually because of a poor leadership decision, not a marketing problem. Whenever there is an outward branding problem, look inward. The most successful brands are the ones that have a minuscule chasm between their public brand and how they operate internally. Most missions come from suffering. What problem does the organization solve in the world? When there’s a connection to a belief, it becomes the message that then permeates every aspect of an organization. Branding becomes an invitation to believe what you believe. Our obsession with branding and marketing being finished is part of the problem. It’s always good for your brand to take a stand. Three questions to ask when building a brand: What do you believe in? What’s your mission? How do you create value in the world? Resources Mentioned Root + River An Open Letter on Branding Oatmeal v Bacon: Oatmeal is Boring, Bacon is Not - The Branding Book for People that Care* by Justin Foster Related Episodes The Five Elements Of Your Personal Brand, with Heather Backstrom (episode 133) The Four Stories Leaders Need For Influence, with David Hutchens (episode 148) How to Stand Out, with Dorie Clark (episode 189) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She joins me monthly to respond to listener questions. Listener Questions Chris asked for advice on how to begin his leadership development journey, in spite of a lot of current frustrations. Warren asked for our perspective on how to handle a problematic situation with two employees he has inherited. Malcolm asked about our philosophy of leadership and how much we need to stay true to ourselves. Resources Mentioned The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen Covey How to Win Friends and Influence People* by Dale Carnegie 11 Crucial Books That Every Leader Should Know American Management Association Dale Carnegie courses Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking* by Susan Cain Podcast episodes for new leaders Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body* by Roxane Gay The Power of Vulnerability* by Brené Brown Related Episodes The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, with Susan Cain (episode 44) The Way to Turn Followers Into Leaders, with David Marquet (episode 241) Five Steps to Hold People Accountable, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 306) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Jon Lokhorst: Technical Leaders Jon Lokhorst is a leadership coach and consultant who partners with CPAs, CFOs, and other leaders who face massive change in their industry and recognize the need for a new model of leadership to navigate those challenges. Key Points Leadership development is often neglected in technical fields. We have a tendency to focus more on our clients’ businesses than our own. Take a step back and ask yourself, “What are the things that are really important to focus on that aren’t necessarily urgent?” Resources Mentioned Jon’s white paper and e-course on professional development Related Episodes How to Influence Numerous Stakeholders, with Andy Kaufman (episode 240) How to Figure Out Your Career, with Scott Anthony Barlow (episode 259) How to Get Into Leadership Flow, with Croft Edwards (episode 264) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Kwame Christian: Negotiate Anything Kwame Christian is a business lawyer and the Director of the American Negotiation Institute. His TEDx Talk, Finding Confidence in Conflict, was the most popular TED Talk on the topic of conflict of 2017. Today, he’s working extensively with procurement departments within companies to help them make better deals. Kwame hosts the top negotiation podcast, Negotiate Anything and is the author of the book Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life*. Questions Margaret asked about how to respond to people when they are asking for a pay raise. Kim asked about how to encourage an employee to leave the company. Vivian asked about how to handle a situation where an employee isn’t performing but who has a close relationship with a more senior leader. Roger asked what wisdom we’d give to leaders on handling tough negotiation situations. Resources Mentioned Download Kwame’s Free Guide Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life* by Kwame Christian Getting to Yes* by Roger Fisher and William L. Ury Five Steps to Hold People Accountable with Jonathan Raymond (episode 306) How to Win Friends and Influence People* by Dale Carnegie Related Episodes How to Listen When Someone Is Venting, with Mark Goulston (episode 91) Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, with Chris Voss (episode 262) How to Benefit From Conflict, with Susan Gerke (episode 263) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Tina Payne Bryson: No Drama Discipline Tina Payne Bryson is the co-author, with Dan Siegel, of two New York Times bestsellers, The Whole Brain Child* and No Drama Discipline* — each of which has been translated into over twenty languages. She is a psychotherapist and the Executive Director of The Center for Connection in Pasadena, California, where she offers parenting consultations and provides therapy to children and adolescents. Key Points Much of what we do in the name of discipline is counter-productive. The original meaning of the word “discipline” is to teach. To effectively discipline (to teach kids skills to do better in the future), children have to be in a state of mind in which they can learn. Consequences can be counter-productive. If you’re being an effective disciplinarian, you should be disciplining less over time. “Time-outs” don’t teach kids anything, but taking the time to step away from the situation to talk to your kids does teach. Resources Mentioned No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind* by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind* by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child* by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson Tina Payne Bryson's website Book Notes Download my highlights from No Drama Discipline in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Five Leadership Lessons Learned from Luke (episode 50) How to Improve Your Coaching Skills with Tom Henschel (episode 190) The Way to Stop Rescuing People From Their Problems, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 284) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed Bonni Stachowiak is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, a professor of business and management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, Bonni was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. She is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide. Listener Questions Michael asked about what you do when you have a follower who has leadership potential but is reluctant to step into leadership shoes. Steve asked for suggestions on how to get communication out to a team when email isn’t an option. Michal asked about transitioning military leadership experience to a position in the private sector. Ricard asked about the discomfort of feeling like you don’t know it all when you’re new in a role. Resources Mentioned Radical Candor* by Kim Scott The Servant as Leader* by by Robert Greenleaf Scaling Up : How a Few Companies Make It … and Why the Rest Don't* by Verne Harnish The 4 Disciplines of Execution* by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling Past Coaching for Leaders episodes on feedback Turn the Ship Around!* by David Marquet How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile … And 18 Mistakes to Avoid* by Brenda Bernstein Related Episodes The Power Of Servant Leadership, with John Dickson (episode 137) Where To Start With Succession Planning, with Bill Bliss (episode 153) The Way to Turn Followers Into Leaders, with David Marquet (episode 241) How to Support Veterans in Your Workplace, with Eugenia Weiss (episode 280) How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile, with Brenda Bernstein (episode 285) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Mike Erwin: Lead Yourself First Mike Erwin is the CEO of the Character & Leadership Center and the Founder and President of The Positivity Project, a non-profit organization with the mission to help America’s youth build stronger relationships by recognizing the character strengths in themselves and others. He is the co-author of the book Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude*. Key Points Solitude helps both in intense thinking and also in giving the brain a chance to quiet down. It’s hard to think intensively with a lot going on around you. Even extroverts can benefit from solitude. Start small. Just find a few minutes throughout the day to build a habit of solitude. Social media and solitude can coexist. The four ways solitude benefits leaders: Clarity Creativity Moral Courage Emotional Balance Resources Mentioned Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude* by Raymond M. Kethledge and Mike Erwin The Character & Leadership Center Team Red, White, & Blue The Positivity Project Activate Your Free Coaching for Leaders Membership Get immediate access to my free, 10-day audio course, 10 Ways to Empower the People You Lead. Give me 10 minutes a day for 10 days to get the most immediate, practical actions to become a better leader. Join at CoachingforLeaders.com. Related Episodes CFL184: Getting Things Done with David Allen CFL196: Marshall Goldsmith on Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts CFL211: How to Be Present and Productive CFL214: Stop Worrying and Start Living Next Episode Bonni and I return for the monthly question and answer show. Submit your question for consideration next week or for the first question and answer show the first Monday of every month at http://coachingforleaders.com/feedback

Deepa Purushothaman: Inclusion at Deloitte Deepa Purushothaman is a National Managing Principal of Inclusion at Deloitte. She speaks extensively about Deloitte’s focus on women and has been featured at national conferences and in publications like Bloomberg and Harvard Business Review. Key Points You don’t have to always do things they way they’ve been done before — you can find a new way that is authentic to you. As society evolves, companies need to think about how they provide inclusion for their employees. People are less worried about seeing a diverse leadership team than they are about feeling like they belong. Individuals need to feel a sense of belonging and connection. Inclusion is starting to play an important role in talent acquisition and retention. One of the biggest mistakes is not knowing where to start and then doing nothing. Employees join and leave companies based on whether or not there is an inclusive culture. Resources Mentioned Responding When Your Expertise Is Challenged Deepa Purushothaman on Twitter Related Episodes How to Handle Workplace Bullying, with Jill Morgenthaler (episode 172) How Women Make Stronger, Smarter Choices, with Therese Huston (episode 255) How to Help the Underdog Thrive, with Terry Lipovski (episode 275) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.