The Look & Sound of Leadership

At the end of her rope, a leader asks her coach for help managing a direct report who, she says, is the most defensive person she’s ever met. This episode was packed with tools. We’ve put them into an easy-to-understand infographic. Download it for free here. Kim Scott, the best-selling author of the electric book Radical Candor, wrote a short, friendly guide with tools for handling defensive employees. Find it here.Harvard Business Review’s Amy Gallo talked with Dave Stachowiak on this episode of the Coaching for Leaders podcast. As with every episode of Dave’s, this is indispensable. To work on “deserving” dive into The Four Agreements.  To dig deeper into tools for taming defensiveness, search our podcast library in these three categories:Communication SkillsManagement Skills Relationship BuildingFive specific episodes on this topic you could listen to are:7 Steps to Stop Emotional HijacksBe Impeccable with Your Word Handling Defensive BehaviorsManaging Bad BehaviorManaging Disruptive ExecutivesSign up to get our monthly email with links to resources that support each episode.Calling all COACHES! Come join our Executive Coaching special interest group (SIG) sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of ICF. Check out our SIG and all the others here.    Or shoot me an email with your questions. I’m at tom@essentialcomm.com.All our free infographics are in the Essential Tools bin.Your reviews supporting the show help us continue as an ad-free podcast. Let us know how we can support you.Until next month, be well!Thanks from Tom and everyone at The Look & Sound of Leadership.

During her first C-suite years, a leader burned a lot of bridges. Her boss, who’d traveled a similar path, gets her a coach and sets only one goal: repair relations through emotional intelligence.Lots and lots of tools and resources this month:Free downloads:The Feeling Words GridEQ ModelBooks and papers to sharpen your skills“Executive Presence: The Missing Link between Merit and Success” “The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success”“Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well”“Executive Presence” from Center for Talent InnovationThis episode is tagged in three categories in the Podcast Library:Executive PresenceManaging YourselfPersonal Growth & Self-DevelopmentFive episodes to help you command a room:109 Building Emotional Intelligence 146 Building Empathy155 The Human Element69 Leadership & Self-Deception17 Speaking for Yourself Please help yourself to any (or all!) of our free infographics in the Essential Tools bin.Our deepest gratitude to those who post reviews. Thank you!!! Let us know how we can support you.Until next month, be well!Tom and The Look & Sound of Leadership team. 

A highly effective leader finds herself in the middle of a terrible mess, not of her own making. When her coach marvels at her ability to stay calm amidst the chaos, she shares a lesson she learned from her dad.In addition to the tools discussed during this episode, Tom also talks about:“Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.”Conversations with Coaches – Episode #184Executive Coaching Special Interest GroupThe Feeling Word GridThis episode is tagged in three categories in the Podcast Library:Managing YourselfPerception – How You Perceive YourselfSelf-TalkFive episodes to help you manage during difficult times:109 - Building Emotional Intelligence52 - Coaching versus Therapy152 - Combating Emotional Hijacks75 - “Don’t Take Anything Personally”171 - Taming the Wild ChildAll our free infographics are in the Essential Tools bin.Your reviews supporting the show help us continue as an ad-free podcast. Let us know how we can support you.Until next month, be well!Tom and The Look & Sound of Leadership team. 

Wanting to command rooms with her voice, a team leader turned to her coach for exercises. She learned the secrets of “RVP.”In this episode, five practices to help you develop a voice that will command a room are discussed:Vocal varietyExpect resistanceRhythmVolumePitchThis episode has multiple tips and tools for each of those five development areas.The Zootopia clip that gets so much attention is here:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHKwnUa3txoThis episode is tagged in three categories in the Podcast Library:Communication SkillsExecutive PresencePresentation SkillsFive episodes to help you command a room:186 Video Feedback & Executive Presence120 Captivate Your Audience77 The Power of Rehearsal64 I  Talk Too Fast!34 Keeping Repeated Material FreshAll our free infographics are in the Essential Tools bin.Thanks for supporting us with your reviews. Let us know how we can support you.Until next month, be well!Tom and The Look & Sound of Leadership team. 

In conversation with her coach, an executive explores whether leaders and managers use language differently in order to be effective in their roles.There are lots of ideas in this episode. To help you sort the tools and put them into practice, we’ve created an infographic for you to download. It’s in the Essential Tools bin along with all the others. Help yourself!This episode is tagged in three categories in the Podcast Library:LeadershipManagement SkillsPerception – How You’re PerceivedFive related episodes you might listen to are: 139Engagement & Performance138Managing Disruptive Executives140 Showing Teeth148Taming Meetings156The Voice of AuthorityMuch gratitude to the folks who post reviews. We appreciate your support and all your kind words.Let us know how we can support your growth and development. Be in touch with us here. Until next month, be well!Tom and The Look & Sound of Leadership team. 

An executive, in conversation with her coach, wonders if leaders and managers are different. And whether it matters.This episode has lots of ideas flying around. To help you sort the tools and put them into practice, we’ve created an infographic for you to download. It’s in the Essential Tools bin along with all the others. Help yourself! This episode is tagged in three categories in the Podcast Library:LeadershipManagement SkillsRelationship BuildingFive related episodes you might listen to are: 139Dynamic One-on-Ones138How Teams Fight179 Managing Former Peers148Taming Meetings156The Voice of AuthorityWe are so grateful to those of you post reviews. It only takes you a minute or two, but it makes a world of difference for us. Our purpose is to support your growth and development. Let us know how we can help. Be in touch with us here. Until next month, be well!Tom and The Look & Sound of Leadership team. 

A leader, stuck in an unhealthy cycle, searches for a way out. In conversation with his coach, he learns a four-square tool that just might work.A new free Essential Tool illustrating the four-square model is available for download in the Essential Tools bin. No login required. Help yourself.The model in this month’s episode is a variation on The ACT Matrix. Here’s our favorite YouTube video about The Matrix.The creators of The ACT Matrix wrote a book to help practitioners use the tool.This current episode is tagged in the library in three categories:Developing New BehaviorsManaging YourselfSelf-TalkHere are five episodes to help you get unstuck: 7 Steps to Stop Emotional Hijacks*Blind SpotsHow to Build Self-Awareness*How to Grow your Self-Management*How to Show Up* Indicates there’s a PDF in the Essential Tools bin to support the ideas in that episode.We are so excited to dive into the new year with you all! All the best,Tom and The Look & Sound of Leadership team. 

A team leader learns the hard way how jumping to conclusions can backfire. Through coaching, he discovers the Ladder of Inference, a tool designed to slow down decision-making and improve choices. By examining selective data and alternative interpretations, he begins to shift his impulsive tendencies. Humorous ads illustrate the folly of quick judgments. The importance of metacognition emerges as essential for effective leadership. Ultimately, it's about thinking critically to act in one’s best interest.

A senior executive worries that his lieutenants are not being taken seriously by the senior leadership team. He discusses with a coach how to help his rising leaders accelerate their growth. This is that conversation.     We created a new free Essential Tool for you called “Executive Thinking.” It illustrates the “altitude” analogy Tom told during the episode. It also supports one of the four exercises you can do with your team.Additional Essential Tools that support other exercises are “Before You Write Your Presentation” and “Sorting & Labeling.”Liberating Structures is the free resource Tom was raving about. The specific exercise he mentioned was TRIZ. Tom has talked about Liberating Structures in the episodes “How to Re-engage a Team” and “Leading Offsites.”If you’re approaching year-end performance reviews, there are tools to support you – no matter which side of the review you’re on! – in Performance Reviews. Tom referenced two shows that can help you learn Sorting & Labeling.Coaching For Leaders with Dave Stachowiak: The Way to Make Sense to Others.The Everyday Innovator with Chad McCallister: How Product Managers Look & Sound like Leaders.This current episode is tagged in the library in three categories:Executive PresenceLeadershipPerception – How You’re PerceivedIn addition to the various episodes listed above, five that relate specifically to executive thinking are:180  Becoming Expert193  Branding Yourself202  The Executive Executive178  Executive Presence – Three Pillars11  Sounding ExecutiveAs we hurtle in our year-end traditions, stay mindful!Tom and The Look & Sound of Leadership team. 

A leader causing upset among her people is given a coach. In conversation, they examine what might be triggering people to be upset with her. The exploration leads to a simple, yet difficult, idea.Transcripts of every episode are available for download in our library. Tom mentioned two episodes with mindfulness tools. They are: The Mindful ExecutiveThe Focused Executive.This episode is filed in three categories in the library:Managing YourselfPersonal Growth & Self-DevelopmentSelf-TalkIn addition to the mindfulness episodes, five other related episodes are:204 Blind Spots119 Creating Devoted Followers171 Taming the Wild Child190 Thinking Errors96 The Many Parts of YouListen to Tom’s conversation with Kim O’Hara on “You Should Write a Book About That.”  Listen to Tom’s conversation with Marcel van de Hoef on “The Happy Investor.”  Gratitude to those who POST REVIEWS. You are life-sustaining! Thank you!Got a question you think a coach could help with? We’re happy to talk! Get in touch with us here. Until next month, stay healthy and be well.Tom and The Look & Sound of Leadership team.