
Coaching for Leaders
Leaders aren’t born, they’re made. This Monday show helps you discover leadership wisdom through insightful conversations. Independently produced weekly since 2011, Dr. Dave Stachowiak brings perspective from a thriving, global leadership academy, plus more than 15 years of leadership at Dale Carnegie. Bestselling authors, expert researchers, deep conversation, and regular dialogue with listeners have attracted 40 million downloads and over 250K followers on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Activate your FREE membership to access the entire leadership and management library at CoachingforLeaders.com
Latest episodes

6 snips
Apr 16, 2018 • 36min
345: How to Create a Vivid Vision, with Cameron Herold
Cameron Herold: Vivid Vision
Cameron Herold is the founder of the COO Alliance and the author of several books including Meetings Suck* and The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs*, co-authored with Hal Elrod. His new book is Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future*.
Key Points
If you don’t have a good idea of where you want to be going, opportunities could pull you away from what you should be doing.
When you’re clear on your direction, you’ll be able to say yes to the right opportunities and no to the wrong opportunities.
Most leaders have a vision but they just don’t communicate it clearly.
A Vivid Vision is a 4-5 page statement, written in the present tense, about where you see your company in three years.
Create a vivid vision for the whole company and individual ones for each business area.
Dream up what you’re looking to build and then put together the team and resources to help you do it.
Just focus on what you want to do, don’t worry about how you’re going to do it.
Resources Mentioned
Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future* by Cameron Herold
The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs* by Hal Elrod and Cameron Herold
Book Notes
Download my highlights from Vivid Vision in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
Start With Why, with Simon Sinek (episode 223)
How to Lead Through Uncertainty and Change, with Jacqueline Farrington (episode 224)
Ignite Change Through Storytelling, with Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez (episode 268)
How to Create a Team Vision (MemberCast 4)
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5 snips
Apr 9, 2018 • 38min
344: The Way to Have Conversations That Matter, with Celeste Headlee
Award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee discusses the politicization of decisions, importance of listening in conversations, and need for empathy. She emphasizes honesty when unsure, finding common ground with questions, and the value of genuine connection. Resources mentioned include her book 'We Need to Talk' and TED Talk on better conversations.

Apr 2, 2018 • 40min
343: How to Talk to People Who Have Power, with Jordan Harbinger
Jordan Harbinger: The Jordan Harbinger Show
Jordan Harbinger is the critically acclaimed host of The Jordan Harbinger Show. He interviews legendary musicians to intelligence operatives, iconoclastic writers to visionary change-makers. Then he deconstructs the playbooks of the most successful people and challenges his audience to use those insights in their own lives.
Key Points
Leaders must be advocates for their team.
Charming a superior is typically only good for short-term gains, whereas advocating for your team will lay a foundation for future success.
Research people you’re nervous about meeting, and the more you learn, the more you’ll begin to see they’re just normal people.
If you’re running a meeting, people want you to set the agenda and control the flow.
When there is a power distance, do whatever you can to make the distance feel smaller.
Research the person you’re going to meet with and find something you have in common. This is a way to reach out to them and make you stand out.
Resources Mentioned
The Jordan Harbinger Show
Related Episodes
How to Listen When Someone Is Venting, with Mark Goulston (episode 91)
Eight Ways To Use Power For Good (episode 154)
Use Power for Good and Not Evil, with Dacher Keltner (episode 254)
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Mar 26, 2018 • 39min
342: Leverage the Full Power of LinkedIn, with Brenda Bernstein
Brenda Bernstein: How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile
Brenda Bernstein is the Founder and Senior Editor at The Essay Expert and the author of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile*, a book that held the #1 best-seller spot in Amazon’s business writing skills list for 2 years.
Key Points
When you connect with someone, personalize the message.
Alumni are a great resource for connections.
Write useful and educational articles and share them in LinkedIn groups.
LinkedIn has a very high ranking in Google, so your profile might be the first thing that shows up in search results.
Recruiters often look at people’s profiles to determine how much they contribute to the community.
If people connect with you on LinkedIn, you can also offer to them to join your newsletter.
LinkedIn is a social network, not just a place to put up your resume and never look at it again.
Resources Mentioned
How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile…And 18 Mistakes to Avoid* by Brenda Bernstein
How to Write a Stellar Executive Resume: 50 Tips to Reaching Your Job Target* by Brenda Bernstein
Book Notes
Download my highlights from How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How to Start a Conversation With Anyone, with Mark Sieverkropp (episode 177)
How to Ask for Career Help, with Larry Braman (episode 269)
How to Vastly Improve Your LinkedIn Profile, with Brenda Bernstein (episode 285)
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Mar 19, 2018 • 40min
341: How to Process Your 360 Feedback, with Tom Henschel
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.
In this conversation, Tom shares the strategies he uses to help executive leaders benefit from 360 degree feedback. You will discover the right mindset to enter into, effective ways to process 360 degree feedback, and what to do going forward.
Key Points
A 360 gives you feedback from people above you, your peers, and people below you.
360s can be career transformative.
A 360 almost always goes alongside coaching.
360s are not a performance management tool.
If 360s are not done well, they can become dangerous and people are very cautious giving real feedback.
Don’t try to figure out who said what. Instead, focus on the overall themes.
The results of a 360 generally should not be totally new information for receivers. They’ve probably already heard the feedback before.
Bonus Audio
How to select your 360 raters
A few of Tom’s best 360 stories
Resources Mentioned
DiSC Inventory
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
StrengthsFinder
Related Episodes
Three Steps to Soliciting Feedback, with Tom Henschel (episode 107)
How to Improve Your Coaching Skills, with Tom Henschel (episode 190)
How to Grow Your Professional Network, with Tom Henschel (episode 279)
Executive Presence With Your Elevator Speech, with Tom Henschel (episode 316)
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Mar 12, 2018 • 40min
340: The Benefit of Being a Rookie, with Liz Wiseman
Liz Wiseman: Rookie Smarts
Liz Wiseman is listed on the Thinkers50 ranking and named as one of the top 10 leadership thinkers in the world and recipient of the 2016 ATD Champion of Talent Award. She is the author of three best-selling books, including Multipliers* and Rookie Smarts*.
Key Points
When we’re outside of our area of expertise, we have a leaner’s advantage that helps us think outside the box.
When veterans look at tough situations, they look inside. Rookies look to the outside, which often makes them more flexible and creative.
It’s more critical to be able to access what’s in other people’s heads than to keep everything in your own.
In today’s fast-paced world, we’re constantly doing things that have no precedent. In this environment, it’s better to be a quick learner than to try to know everything.
When we make mistakes but admit and then fix them, we end up with even happier customers and stakeholders.
It’s good for you to say yes to things you don’t totally know how to do because it keeps you in a healthy rookie mindset.
Resources Mentioned
Living and Working With Child-like Wonder (Liz’s TED talk)
Rookie Smarts* by Liz Wiseman
Multipliers* by Liz Wiseman
Book Notes
Download my highlights from Rookie Smarts in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How to Get Way Better at Accepting Feedback, with Sheila Heen (episode 143)
How to Manage Former Peers, with Tom Henschel (episode 257)
How to Lead Part-Time Staff, with Chris Deferio (episode 289)
How to Deal With the Diminishers, with Liz Wiseman (episode 305)
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Mar 5, 2018 • 35min
339: Leadership Development Options, with Bonni Stachowiak
Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed
Bonni 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.
Questions from listeners
Craig asked about how to influence his organization to restart events that were previously helpful but have been abandoned.
Marlon asked if it’s appropriate to consider leadership development as a focus for the workplace or only during your personal time.
Robin asked for a recommendation on a certification or training that would help position her for a next step in adult career and talent development.
Eric was curious about options for accredited, leadership development certificates at lower cost.
Resources Mentioned
Teaching in Higher Ed
Association for Talent Development
The 12 Week Year* by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington
Leadership vs. Management episode from The Look & Sound of Leadership podcast by Tom Henschel
The Sound of Leadership and Management from The Look & Sound of Leadership podcast by Tom Henschel
Related Episodes
How to Succeed with Leadership and Management, with John Kotter (episode 249)
How to Deal with Opponents and Adversaries, with Peter Block (episode 328)
Six Tactics to Achieve Extraordinary Performance, with Morten Hansen (episode 337)
MemberCast 7: Seven Steps to Landing Professional Development Funding (MemberCast 7)
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Feb 26, 2018 • 37min
338: Your Permission to Screw Up, with Kristen Hadeed
Kristen Hadeed: Permission to Screw Up
Kristen Hadeed is the founder and CEO of Student Maid, a successful cleaning company that hires college students. She is the author of the book Permission To Screw Up*, in which she tells the stories of her biggest mistakes in leadership.
Key Points
The best thing you can do when you screw up is to admit it—and then people will start trusting you.
Failure is the best way to learn.
If you never admit to your failures, people start to think you’re hiding something and begin to lose trust.
By admitting your mistakes, you give everyone else the permission to admit theirs.
Resources Mentioned
Permission To Screw Up* by Kristen Hadeed
If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules* by Cherie Carter-Scott
Book Notes
Download my highlights from Permission to Screw Up in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
How To Lead The Millennials, with Chip Espinoza (episode 158)
The Way to Stop Rescuing People From Their Problems, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 284)
Four Steps to Get Unstuck and Embrace Change, with Susan David (episode 297)
Ideas Worth Stealing From Top Entrepreneurs, with Dorie Clark (episode 318)
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4 snips
Feb 19, 2018 • 38min
337: Six Tactics for Extraordinary Performance, with Morten Hansen
Morten Hansen: Great at Work
Morten Hansen is a management professor at University of California, Berkeley. He is the coauthor with Jim Collins of the New York Times bestseller Great by Choice and the author of the new book Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More*.
Key Points
The Six Tactics:
Carve out the 15
Chunk it
Measure the soft
Get feedback
Dig the dip
Confront the stall point
Other Points:
Focus on one skill you want to prove.
Meetings should only be for debate, not status updates.
Having a coach is great, but often you can coach yourself if you only focus on one thing at a time.
Resources Mentioned
Great at Work* by Morten Hansen
Great by Choice* by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen
Book Notes
Download my highlights from Great at Work in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
Five Effective Ways to Train the People You Lead (episode 31)
Why It’s Essential To Struggle With Learning (episode 157)
Create the Best Place to Work, with Ron Friedman (episode 181)
Essentials of Adult Development, with Mindy Danna (episode 273)
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Feb 12, 2018 • 33min
336: The Choice for Compassion, with Edith Eger
Edith Eger: The Choice
Edith Eger is one of the few living Holocaust survivors to remember the horrors of the camps. Today, at 90 years old, Edie is a renowned psychologist and speaker who specializes in treating patients with traumatic stress disorders. She is author of the recently published book, The Choice: Embrace the Possible*.
Key Points
It’s not what happens in life, it’s what we do with it.
The power we have is to choose to respond, not react.
Sometimes seemingly insignificant worries are emblematic of greater pain.
If you hate a person, they don’t suffer — you do. There’s nothing wrong with anger, it’s how you channel it.
Underneath anger is a lot of pain.
Resources Mentioned
The Choice: Embrace the Possible* by Edith Eger
Man’s Search for Meaning* by Viktor E. Frankl
Book Notes
Download my highlights from The Choice in PDF format (free membership required).
Related Episodes
Everyday People, Extraordinary Leaders: Olivia Klaus (episode 103)
Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, with Amy Morin (episode 204)
How to Overcome Obstacles, with Collins Osayamwen (episode 281)
Growth Mindset Helps You Rise From the Ashes, with Jeff Hittenberger (episode 326)
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