Charles Duhigg: Supercommunicators
Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist and the author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better. A graduate of Harvard Business School and Yale College, he is a winner of the National Academies of Sciences, National Journalism, and George Polk awards.

He writes for The New Yorker and other publications, and is host emeritus of the Slate podcast How To! He's the author of Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection*.

We all know that we can’t lead if we don’t connect. The best leaders not do this well, but they do it consistently with all kinds of people. In this conversation, Charles and I discuss what we can learn from the best communicators to get better ourselves.
Key Points

 	Neural entrainment is when we click with someone and can finish each other’s sentences (and even our biological responses align). Supercommunicators trigger this consistently across many kinds of relationships.
 	Supercommunicators aren’t always loudest or leading the conversation, but they ask more questions and adapt better in the moment.
 	Make emotional replies easier for others. Instead of, “Do you have any hobbies?” ask, “If you could learn anything, what would it be?”
 	Reciprocation of emotion is key for people to connect well. When another party is sharing something joyful, that’s an opportunity to share yourself.
 	When something is more contentious, loop for understanding by (1) asking a deeper question, (2) repeating back in your own words, and (3) asking if you got it right.

Resources Mentioned

 	Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection* by Charles Duhigg

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	Where You May Be Provoking Anxiety, with Erica Dhawan (episode 528)
 	The Way to Get People Talking, with Andrew Warner (episode 560)
 	How to Help Others Be Seen and Heard, with Scott Shigeoka (episode 654)

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670: How to Connect with People Better, with Charles Duhigg

William Ury: Possible
William Ury is one of the world’s best-known experts on negotiation, and the co-author of Getting to Yes, the all-time bestselling book on negotiation with more than 15 million copies sold. He is co-founder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and has served as a negotiator in many of the toughest disputes of our times. He has taught negotiation to tens of thousands, and consulted for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, the White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon.

William has served as a negotiation adviser and mediator in conflicts ranging from Kentucky wildcat coal mine strikes to wars in the Middle East, Colombia, Korea, and Ukraine. He is an internationally sought-after speaker and has two popular TEDx talks with millions of views. He's also the author of Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict*.

We often assume that conflict is bad, but William says we actually need more conflict, not less. In this conversation, we explore three practices that will help you thrive in the toughest negotiations. And no surprise — the biggest obstacle in getting what we want is almost always ourselves.
Key Points

 	We need more conflict, not less. The best decisions often emerge from a negotiation.
 	The biggest obstacle in negotiation is ourselves. Pauses and silence prevent us from reacting without thinking.
 	Zoom in to examine the interests that are behind your stated positions. This often elicits meaningful steps.
 	Rarely are conflicts about surface issues. Uncovering your deeper motivations will help you approach negotiation more productively.
 	Negotiation doesn’t only happen at one table. Zoom out to at least two other tables: the internal negotiations of both sides.

Resources Mentioned

 	Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict* by William Ury

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	Negotiate As If Your Life Depended On It, with Chris Voss (episode 262)
 	How to Find Confidence in Conflict, with Kwame Christian (episode 380)
 	How to Negotiate When Others Have Power, with Kwame Christian (episode 416)

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669: Three Practices for Thriving in Negotiations, with William Ury

Scott Osman and Jacquelyn Lane: Becoming Coachable
Scott Osman is the founder and CEO of the 100 Coaches Agency and co-designer with Jacquelyn Lane of their proprietary curation process and the company’s relationship-first philosophy. In his role as CEO, he establishes the vision for the company, leads partnerships and business development, and serves as a leading light of the 100 Coaches Community, which he cofounded with Marshall Goldsmith in 2016.

Jacquelyn Lane is the president of the 100 Coaches Agency. She has been with the agency since its founding and is a critical pillar of the 100 Coaches Community. Jacquelyn comes to the world of executive coaching through her previous roles in the energy industry and lifelong commitment to improving the lives of all people by elevating the quality of leadership. Along with Scott and Marshall Goldsmith, she is co-author of Becoming Coachable: Unleashing the Power of Executive Coaching to Transform Your Leadership and Life*.

Perhaps you’ve been considering working with a coach, but how do you start? In this episode Scott, Jacquelyn, and I discuss when to consider coaching, how it might help, and the best way to begin. Plus, we explore the most helpful mindsets to help you get the most out of coaching.
Key Points

 	Leaders who create value at moments of inflection really need a coach.
 	Two common reasons leaders seek coaching: (1) getting support with an issue that’s tough to navigate and (2) accelerating their leadership growth.
 	Interview three coach candidates and utilize those interactions to discover different ways that you may reach your goals.
 	Coaching fees should reflect the value the organization receives from the coaching. Most high-end coaching is funded by the organization.
 	Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. To speed up, a coach may invite you to slow down in the immediate short-term.

Resources Mentioned

 	Becoming Coachable: Unleashing the Power of Executive Coaching to Transform Your Leadership and Life* by Scott Osman and Jacquelyn Lane

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	How to Win the Long Game When the Short-Term Seems Bleak, with Dorie Clark (episode 550)
 	How to Help People Engage in Growth, with Whitney Johnson (episode 576)
 	The Art of Mentoring Well, with Robert Lefkowitz (episode 599)

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668: How to Begin with an Executive Coach, with Scott Osman and Jacquelyn Lane

Robert Sutton: The Friction Project
Robert Sutton is an organizational psychologist and professor of Management Science and Engineering in the Stanford Engineering School. He has given keynote speeches to more than 200 groups in 20 countries and served on numerous scholarly editorial boards. Bob's work has been featured in The New York Times, BusinessWeek, The Atlantic, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and The Washington Post.

He is a frequent guest on various television and radio programs, and has written seven books and two edited volumes, including the bestsellers The No A-hole Rule, Good Boss, Bad Boss, and Scaling Up Excellence. He is the co-author with Huggy Rao of The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder*.

We’ve all worked with someone who seemed just a bit oblivious. None of us want to be that kind of leader. In this conversation, Bob and I discuss key strategies for how to stop it and also prevent it.
Key Points

 	Privilege spares you hassles, but has a cost. You risk cluelessness about troubles in the organization.
 	Power and prestige can cause leaders to focus more on themselves, less on others, and act like the rules don’t apply to them.
 	An antidote to oblivious leadership is less transmission and more reception. Measure two behaviors: (1) how much the leader talks vs. others in interactions and (2) the ratio of questions the leader asks vs. statements the leader makes.
 	Either manage by walking out of the room or get into the details with ride alongs, direct help, and doing the work with folks. Be cautious about “managing by walking around” getting ritualistic.
 	Hierarchy is inevitable and useful. The most effective leaders flex it by knowing when to collaborate and when to direct.

Resources Mentioned

 	The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder* by Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	Use Power for Good and Not Evil, with Dacher Keltner (episode 254)
 	How to Ask Better Questions, with David Marquet (episode 454)
 	How to Help People Speak Truth to Power, with Megan Reitz (episode 597)
 	How to Prevent a Team From Repeating Mistakes, with Robert “Cujo” Teschner (episode 660)

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667: The Way to Handle Oblivious Leadership, with Robert Sutton

Todd Rogers: Writing for Busy Readers
Todd Rogers is a professor of public policy at Harvard University, where he has won teaching awards for the past seven consecutive years. He is a behavioral scientist and the cofounder of the Analyst Institute and EveryDay Labs. His opinion pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and Politico, among other outlets. He's co-author with Jessica Lasky-Fink of Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World*.

You probably only skimmed that email I spent an hour writing. And let’s be equally honest the other way — I only skimmed the document your team worked on most of last week. This is the reality of how we all read in a busy world. On this episode, Tom and I discuss how to write so that people actually read what you send.
Key Points

 	Virtually everyone is a writer in some significant way: emails, text messages, memos, social media posts, and many other daily communications.
 	While your writing is important to you, the audience is often trying to spend as little time as possible processing what you’ve sent. Virtually everyone skims, especially in the context of work.
 	Using fewer words make it more likely that people will engage with the message at all, much less taken action.
 	Addressing fewer ideas often helps people engage better. Studies show better results for calls to action when fewer ideas are presented in a single communication.
 	Asking busy readers for more can cause them to do less. Be mindful about the number of requests you are making in writing and eliminate those which aren’t essential.

Resources Mentioned

 	Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World* by Todd Rogers and Jessica Lasky-Fink
 	AI for Busy Readers (transform your writing in real-time using the science of Writing for Busy Readers)

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	The Surprising Truth About Influencing Others, with Daniel Pink (episode 84)
 	Improve Your Writing With Practical Typography, with Matthew Butterick (episode 145)
 	Make Your Reading More Meaningful, with Sönke Ahrens (episode 564)

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666: Get People Reading What You’re Sending, with Todd Rogers

Randelle Lenoir
Randelle Lenior is a vice president at Fidelity Investments and a graduate of the Coaching for Leaders Academy. In this conversation, Randelle and I discuss how to utilize LinkedIn in order to showcase your team externally.
Key Points

 	Start small. Begin by posting about job opportunities or sharing articles and resources that will be useful for others.
 	Even though you are also representing your organization, the relationships you build are yours and stay with you throughout your career.
 	Establishing a larger “why” for a LinkedIn presence is important and invites others to want to join in to support the vision.
 	Ask permission and allow team members to easily opt out — and people who don’t engage initially may decide to later.
 	People are going to look you up anyway. By having a presence on LinkedIn, you set the narrative of what they perceive about you.

Related Episodes

 	How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile, with Brenda Bernstein (episode 285)
 	How to Get Noticed on LinkedIn, with Stephen Hart (episode 495)
 	The Way to Get Noticed by Key Stakeholders, with Daphne E. Jones (episode 614)

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665: How to Represent Your Team on LinkedIn, with Randelle Lenoir

Marcus Collins: For the Culture
Marcus Collins is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator. He is a recipient of Advertising Age’s 40 Under 40 award and Crain’s Business 40 Under 40 award and a recent inductee to the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement. He has worked for several top advertising agencies, and his strategies and creative contributions have led to the success of Budweiser’s Made in America music festival, the launch of the Brooklyn Nets (“Hello Brooklyn!”), and State Farm’s “Cliff Paul” campaign, among others. Prior to his advertising tenure, Marcus worked on iTunes + Nike sport music initiatives at Apple and ran digital strategy for Beyoncé.

He is a marketing professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and faculty director for the school’s executive education partnership with Google. Marcus delivers keynote talks across the globe for companies and conferences such as the Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity, SXSW, Social Media Week, Adcolor, Hyper Island, TEDx, and Talks at Google. He is the author of For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be*.

Whether you’re in a sales and marketing role or not, every leader needs to appreciate the psychology of why people buy. Often we assume people buy because of what the product or service provides. But as Marcus and I discuss in this episode, people often buy because of who they are.
Key Points

 	For getting people to move, nothing is more powerful than aligning with culture.
 	Anaïs Nin said, “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
 	Audiences buy because of what the product is, but congregations buy because of who they are.
 	Many leaders assume people love their brand -- but it's not really about the brand, it's about how people view themselves.
 	Begin with examining your own thinking and language regarding customer relationships and transactions. How you view these influences the actions of others.

Resources Mentioned

 	For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be* by Marcus Collins

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	Start With Why, with Simon Sinek (episode 223)
 	Serve Others Through Marketing, with Seth Godin (episode 381)
 	The Way to Earn Attention, with Raja Rajamannar (episode 521)

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664: The Reason People Make Buying Decisions, with Marcus Collins

Amy Edmondson: Right Kind of Wrong
Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, where she studies people and organizations seeking to make a positive difference in the world through the work they do. She has pioneered the concept of psychological safety for over twenty years and is recognized as number one on the Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers. She also received that organization’s Breakthrough Idea Award in 2019 and Talent Award in 2017. In 2019 she was first on HR Magazine’s list of the 20 Most Influential International Thinkers in Human Resources.

Her prior book, The Fearless Organization, explains psychological safety and has been translated into fifteen languages. In addition to publishing several books and numerous articles in top academic outlets, Amy has written for, or her work has been covered by, media such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Financial Times, and many others. Her TED Talk on teaming has been viewed more than 3 million times. She is the author of Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well*.

Many leaders espouse the value of talking about our failures. Yet, failure is a threat to our ego, so it turns out we’re better at learning from the failures of others than we are from our own. In this conversation, Amy and I explore how to do a better job of growing when we’re in the wrong.
Key Points

 	Failure is a threat to our ego. As a result, we’re more likely to learn from the failures of others than from our own failures.
 	It’s hard to learn if you already know. If you can frame situations more helpfully, it can substantially influence your ability to grow from being wrong.
 	Disrupt the inevitable emotional response to being wrong by asking this: how was I feeling before this happened?
 	Challenge yourself by considering if the content of your thoughts are useful for your goal. A key question: what other interpretation of the situation is possible? Pro tip: start with the phrase, “Just for fun...”
 	Choose to say or do something that moves you closer to your goals. This question will help: what is going to best help me achieve my goals? Consider shifting from me to we and now to later.

Resources Mentioned

 	Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well* by Amy Edmondson

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson (episode 404)
 	The Value of Being Uncomfortable, with Neil Pasricha (episode 448)
 	How to Quit Bad Stuff Faster, with Annie Duke (episode 607)

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663: How to Grow From Your Errors, with Amy Edmondson

Joan Garry: Guide to Nonprofit Leadership
Joan Garry is an internationally recognized champion for the nonprofit sector and a highly sought after executive coach for CEOs at some of the largest organizations. Joan’s firm offers high-end strategic advisory services with a unique combination of coaching and management consulting. She is the founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, a worldclass online educational membership organization for board and staff leaders of small nonprofits.

As a columnist for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, contributor to Harvard Business Review and to Forbes, Joan is a preeminent media spokesperson and thought leader on the role of the nonprofit sector in our society and is a sought after voice on issues facing the sector today. Joan was previously executive director of GLAAD, one of the largest gay rights organizations in the United States. She is the author of Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership: Because the World is Counting on You*.

When thinking about executives interacting with boards, the first thought I used to have was that an executive’s job is keep the board happy. In contrast, the most effective executives are intentional about creating a for framework for shared leadership. In this episode, Joan and I discuss key lessons from the non-profit world to help align better with your board.
Key Points

 	The relationship between an executive director and board chair in one of the most critical ones for an organization. Shared leadership provides more opportunity today than hierarchy.
 	Many “type A” people are in leadership roles. Getting clear on how decides what is critical because “type A” people don’t tend to operate well with ambiguity.
 	Focus on getting clarity and aligned on one thing at a time to avoid overwhelming the decision-making progress. Use a recent example as a catalyst to begin this process.
 	Executive directors should encourage boards to think and work and altitude so they get beyond only doing risk management.
 	It’s not enough to expect a board chair or member to want to “give back” — more important is to understand why they want to give back to this organization specifically.

Resources Mentioned

 	Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership: Because the World is Counting on You* by Joan Garry
 	Nonprofit Leadership Lab

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	How to Involve Stakeholders in Decisions, with Eric Pliner (episode 586)
 	How to Start a Big Leadership Role, with Carol Kauffman (episode 617)
 	How to Start Better With Peers, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 635)

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662: How an Executive Aligns with a Board, with Joan Garry

David Hutchens: Leadership Story Deck
David Hutchens helps leaders find and tell their stories. He works with leaders around the world to find, craft, and tell their most urgent stories for the purpose of creating shared meaning, preserving culture, disseminating learning, and speeding change in organizations.

He has taught the Storytelling Leader program at some of the most influential organizations, including NASA, Paypal, Loreal Paris, Cisco, Walmart, Google, FedEx — and he’s written many books, including the Circle of the 9 Muses*, Story Dash*, and The Leadership Story Deck*. He is the co-creator with longtime friend of the show Susan Gerke of the GO Team program.

Many of us have heard that we should be vulnerable and, at least occasionally, share a story about ourselves. But how do you tell a story about yourself without making the entire interaction about you? In this episode, David and I explore how to best utilize a personal story to help the organization move forward.
Key Points

 	While leaders more often tell stories about others, a personal story can be very powerful for relationship building.
 	An effective, personal story is 2-3 minutes.
 	Telling a story about yourself needs to have a leadership point. Be clear on the “so what?” once the story concludes.
 	Even if you don’t quite capture all the emotion, say the word out loud that describes the emotion you want to convey.
 	Share your stories with others to get objective insight to tighten your message.

Resources Mentioned

 	Leadership Story Deck by David Hutchens (use code CFL24 for a limited-time discount)
 	To receive a free copy of the Story Canvas, David invites listeners to reach out to him directly via david@davidhutchens.com

Related Episodes

 	Ignite Change Through Storytelling, with Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez (episode 268)
 	How to Start Better With Peers, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 635)
 	What Vulnerable Leadership Sounds Like, with Jacob Morgan (episode 648)

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661: How to Tell a Story About Yourself, with David Hutchens

Robert “Cujo” Teschner: Debrief to Win
Robert “Cujo” Teschner is a retired F-15 / F-22 fighter pilot. He is also a former F-15 Weapons School Instructor, F-22 Squadron Commander, senior Joint Staff officer, and combat veteran. He holds advanced degrees in Operational Art and Science and National Security Strategy and has extensive experience in tactical planning and execution, and organizational leadership. From 2004 to 2006, he served as the US Air Force’s expert in post-mission debriefing, the methodology used by high-performing military teams to self-correct and improve continuously.

Cujo retired immediately after his promotion to full Colonel due to complications from cancer-related care and started an international business consulting practice based in St. Louis, MO. His company is called VMax Group. VMax Group’s mission is to teach, inspire, and nurture teams on how to really “team”, making work more fulfilling, and making teams much more effective. He is the author of Debrief to Win: How America&#39;s Top Guns Practice Accountable Leadership...and How You Can, Too!*

Many of us recognize we could get better at reflecting on our team’s work, but we rarely get beyond what went well and what didn’t. One of the best ways to stop making the same mistakes is to look at the truth of what’s already happened, and learn from it. In this conversation, Cujo and I look at the value of a debrief and how to bring that practice into your organization.
Key Points

 	Saying, “We learned a lot of important lessons today,” doesn’t actually prove that any learning has happened.
 	The context of military and civilian debriefs are both different, but the stakes are still high in both venues.
 	A debrief is not about blame or shame. Instead, it’s an affirming, positive experience that builds future leaders.
 	A key benefit of regular debriefs is to institutionalize the process of challenging conversations. Psychological safety is critical for this to happen well.
 	Objectives should measurable, achievable, and time-constrained. Debrief should focus on the objectives and the decisions that were made to meet those objectives.
 	Be cautious about outsourcing debriefing to external facilitators. An effective debrief should be led by someone who has participated in the mission or project.

Resources Mentioned

 	Debrief to Win: How America&#39;s Top Guns Practice Accountable Leadership...and How You Can, Too! by Robert “Cujo” Teschner
 	Robert “Cujo” Teschner’s website

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

 	Five Steps to Hold People Accountable, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 306)
 	How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson (episode 404)
 	The Way to Make Better Decisions, with Annie Duke (episode 499)

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660: How to Prevent a Team From Repeating Mistakes, with Robert “Cujo” Teschner

Jen Byyny
Jen Byyny is a senior director of product design in health-tech and a graduate of the Coaching for Leaders Academy. In this conversation, Jen and I discuss how to handle change in your career when things keep shifting around you.
Key Points

 	It’s about people, not product. When lots of change is happening, come back to relationships and communication.
 	Pay attention to the people who support you and the ones you look forward to working with. They will be your champions through whatever happens.
 	Provide space for grace during times of change. Others need it as much as you do.
 	It’s helpful to have people in your corner who are pulling for you but who are not tied to the politics or emotion of the situation.

Related Episodes

 	The Power of Weak Connections, with David Burkus (episode 347)
 	How to Win the Long Game When the Short-Term Seems Bleak, with Dorie Clark (episode 550)
 	How to Quit Bad Stuff Faster, with Annie Duke (episode 607)

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659: Ways to Thrive When the Ground Keeps Shifting Under You, with Jen Byyny

Frances Frei: Move Fast & Fix Things
Frances Frei is a professor at Harvard Business School. Her research investigates how leaders create the context for organizations and individuals to thrive by designing for excellence in strategy, operations, and culture. She regularly works with companies embarking on large-scale change and organizational transformation, including embracing diversity and inclusion as a lever for improved performance. In 2017, Frances served as Uber’s first senior vice president of leadership and strategy to help the company navigate its very public crisis in leadership and culture.

Her partner Anne Morriss and her are the authors of Uncommon Service and The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You. They are also hosts of Fixable, a leadership advice podcast from the TED Audio Collective, and they are recognized by Thinkers50 as among the world’s most influential business thinkers. Their newest book is Move Fast & Fix Things: The Trusted Leader's Guide to Solving Hard Problems*.

A lot of us assume that going fast is reckless. There are certainly times when that’s the case, but it’s also true that leaders going too slow at the wrong time can make things worse. In this conversation, Frances and I discuss how to do a better job of moving quickly when it’s time to address the toughest problems.
Key Points

 	Many of us believe that going fast is reckless and going slow is righteous. While there are times that is true, there are many examples where it’s not.
 	The fastest way to speed up your company is to empower more people to make more decisions.
 	Dare to be bad at something. Deciding what not to address allows you to go faster at what you’re best at.
 	Two key elements of completing work are work-in-progress and cycle time. Most leaders address cycle time first and miss the more substantial work-in-progress opportunities.
 	Create a way to fast-track projects that become important and build this into the culture of the organization.

Resources Mentioned

 	Move Fast & Fix Things: The Trusted Leader's Guide to Solving Hard Problems by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	The Way to Turn Followers Into Leaders, with David Marquet (episode 241)
 	How to Solve the Toughest Problems, with Wendy Smith (episode 612)
 	How to Approach a Reorg, with Claire Hughes Johnson (episode 621)

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658: How to Help Change Happen Faster, with Frances Frei

David Burkus: Best Team Ever!
David Burkus is the bestselling author of four books about business and leadership which have won multiple awards and been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, and many other media outlets.

Since 2017, David has been ranked multiple times as one of the world’s top business thought leaders. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over two million times. He has worked with leaders from organizations across all industries, including PepsiCo, Fidelity, Clorox, Adobe, and NASA. He's the author of Best Team Ever!: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams*.

There are many things that help teams work well together, but perhaps you haven’t thought of this one: clarity. Knowing what is being done and who’s doing it often helps a team achieve more. In this conversation, David and I discuss the practical steps to surface more clarity and drive better performance.
Key Points

 	Casting a leadership vision is important, but insufficient. It’s not helpful to expect a team to figure out roles and responsibilities on their own.
 	Teams work best when they understand how each individual works best. Clarity increased performance.
 	Hold huddles using these three questions: (1) What did I just complete? (2) What am I focused on next? and (3) What is blocking my progress?
 	Consider communicating in bursts to allow for people to retreat into less interrupted time for deeper work.
 	Establish priorities and consistently make those priorities clear so they are obvious and apparent to the team.

Resources Mentioned

 	Best Team Ever!: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams* by David Burkus

Interview Notes
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Related Episodes

 	An Astronaut’s Guide to Life On Earth, with Chris Hadfield (episode 149)
 	How to Make Deep Work Happen, with Cal Newport (episode 233)
 	How Great Teams Find Purpose, with David Burkus (episode 481)

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657: How to Increase Team Performance Through Clarity, with David Burkus

Heather Younger: The Art of Active Listening
Heather Younger is an experienced international keynote speaker, best-selling author, CEO, and Founder of Employee Fanatix. Known as The Employee Whisperer, Heather harnesses humor, warmth, and an instant relatability to engage and uplift audiences and inspire them into action.

She is a Certified Diversity Professional, certified in Emotional and Social Intelligence and DiSC, and is also the author of three books. Her previous best-selling book, The Art of Caring Leadership: How Leading with Heart Uplifts Teams and Organizations, was praised for offering powerful insights for developing authentic, thoughtful, and purposeful leaders and change-makers. She's the author of The Art of Active Listening: How People at Work Feel Heard, Valued, and Understood*.

When you know how to listen, people will share more. We may or may not always be able to resolve every concern, but we can be sure others are heard. In this conversation, Heather and I discuss how we can shift from listening for what we want to hear towards listening for what we need to learn.
Key Points

 	Some issues can only be resolved through better listening. That alone makes this a critical skill for leaders.
 	When you know how to listen, people will bring things to you. Listen for not what you want to hear but what you want to learn.
 	Listening is not just about what’s been said, but also about what is seen. Get beyond simply, “What I hear you saying is…”
 	Some leaders have a fear about the direction that a response might take a conversation. Remember that often people first and foremost want to be heard, regardless of what happens next.
 	Nobody is ready to listen at every moment. Taking time to center yourself for a conversation in a few minutes or later in the day can be helpful for both parties.

Resources Mentioned

 	The Art of Active Listening: How People at Work Feel Heard, Valued, and Understood* by Heather Younger
 	Art of Active Listening Certification

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

 	The Way to Have Conversations That Matter, with Celeste Headlee (episode 344)
 	Four Habits That Derail Listening, with Oscar Trimboli (episode 500)
 	How to Help Others Be Seen and Heard, with Scott Shigeoka (episode 654)

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656: How to Understand People Better, with Heather Younger

Sheila Heen: Difficult Conversations
Sheila Heen is the Thaddeus R. Beal Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School, a Deputy Director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, and a founder of Triad Consulting Group. She often works with executive teams to engage conflict productively, repair working relationships, and implement change in complex organizations.

She has published articles in The New York Times and the Harvard Business Review and appeared on Oprah, CNBC’s Power Lunch, and NPR. She is coauthor along with Douglas Stone of The New York Times bestseller Thanks for the Feedback and also now, in its third edition, co-author with Douglas Stone and Bruce Patton of the iconic bestseller, Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most*.

When our intentions are good, it’s hard to appreciate how we could have had such negative impact on someone else. It’s equally challenging to navigate a tough conversation when someone else’s words or actions have wronged us, even if that’s not what they intended. In this conversation, Sheila and I discuss how to shift just a bit to help our difficult conversations go better.
Key Points

 	Intent does not equal impact.
 	It’s a mistake to assume that we know the other party's intentions.
 	It’s a mistake to assume that good intentions erase bad impact.
 	Prevent the first mistake by attempting to separate intent from impact. Use these three questions:


 	Actions: What did the other person actually say or do?
 	Impact: What was the impact of this on me?
 	Assumption: Based on this impact, what assumption am I making about what the other person intended?


 	To present the second mistake, listen first for feelings before sharing intent. It’s helpful also to reflect on your own intent, which may not always be as pure as initially recognized.

Resources Mentioned

 	Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most* by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen

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

 	How to Get Way Better at Accepting Feedback, with Sheila Heen (episode 143)
 	How to Begin Difficult Conversations About Race, with Kwame Christian (episode 594)
 	How to Deal With Passive-Aggressive People, Amy Gallo (episode 595)

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655: How to Help Difficult Conversations Go Better, with Sheila Heen

Scott Shigeoka: Seek
Scott Shigeoka is an internationally recognized curiosity expert, speaker, and author. He is known for translating research into strategies that promote positive well-being and connected relationships around the globe, including at the UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and through his popular courses at the University of Texas at Austin.

Scott implements his curiosity practices with leaders in the public sector, Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood, media organizations, education institutions, and small businesses. He is the author of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World*.

Often we think about curiosity as a way to get information. And yes, it does do that, but there’s a much bigger opportunity that many leaders miss — taking the next step with curiosity to actually help connect better with others. In this episode, Scott and I highlight four phrases that will help you do that better.
Key Points

 	It’s a mistake to limit the purpose of curiosity to only information gathering. Deep curiosity can be one of the best ways to create connection.
 	Saying, “I don’t know,” may elicit fear in a lot of us, but leaders who can do this are often perceived and more competent in their work.
 	The invitation to, “Tell me more,” is a way to respond to a bid from someone for attention that opens to door to feeling seen and heard.
 	Even if you don’t literally say the words, “I understand that you're more than your job,” making that clear in your conversations helps limit work-life conflict and uncovers better ways to support others.
 	We tend to have a bias in the workplace for the people who traditionally have the “answers.” Asking, “Who else?” opens the door to surfacing the best ideas, regardless of who they originate with.

Resources Mentioned

 	Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World* by Scott Shigeoka
 	4 Phrases That Build a Culture of Curiosity by Scott Shigeoka

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

 	How to Be Present, with Dave Crenshaw (episode 511)
 	How to Inspire More Curiosity, with Shannon Minifie (episode 520)
 	How to Genuinely Show Up for Others, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 590)

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654: How to Help Others Be Seen and Heard, with Scott Shigeoka

Adam Bryant: The Leap to Leader
Adam Bryant is Senior Managing Director and Partner at the ExCo Group, where he works with hundreds of senior leaders and high-potential executives. As the creator and former author of the iconic “Corner Office” column in The New York Times, Adam has mastered the art of distilling real-world lessons from his hundreds of interviews and turning them into practical tools, presentations, and exercises to help companies deepen their leadership benches and strengthen their teams.

Adam works with executive leadership teams to help drive their transformation strategies, based on a best-practices framework he developed for his widely praised book, The CEO Test. He's also the author of The Leap to Leader: How Ambitious Managers Make the Jump to Leadership*.

Many of us have our career trajectories planned out in our minds. While we know it’s not going to happen exactly the way we’ve planned, it’s still jarring when we find ourselves on a different path — or presented with a different opportunity — than we anticipated. In this episode, Adam and I discuss the mindsets and actions that will help you take the next step in your career.
Key Points

 	There can be a large gap between how assertive you are and how people perceive you.
 	Think about your career like a pyramid — building a strong foundation across many areas of practice. Bloom where you are planted.
 	Don’t just solve the problem your manager tells you to solve. Find (and start solving) the bigger problem that isn’t even on the radar screen of senior leadership.
 	Use these words: “I need your help.” When seeking advice in the context of someone that might mentor you, make your ask specific and then loop back to share what you did with their advice.
 	When someone asks how you are, instead of just saying “fine,” tell a story about what you’re working on.
 	Peer relationships are a common blind spot. Early promotions may come from your manager, but higher level promotions comes moreso from the relationships with your peers.

Resources Mentioned

 	The Leap to Leader: How Ambitious Managers Make the Jump to Leadership* by Adam Bryant

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

 	How to Nail a Job Transition, with Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (episode 555)
 	How to Start a Big Leadership Role, with Carol Kauffman (episode 617)
 	How to Start Better With Peers, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 635)

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653: The Path Towards Your Next Promotion, with Adam Bryant

Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed
Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*.
Listener Questions

 	Tony asked our opinion on his plan to have the team provide feedback to each other directly.
 	Lean wondered about alternatives to the nine box talent mapping framework that some organizations use.
 	Qasim noted that leadership can sometimes feel thankless and asked if we had any rituals to help minimize this.

Resources Mentioned

 	FeedForward: Coaching for Behavioral Change by Marshall Goldsmith
 	What Is the 9-Box Model? by Brian Anderson
 	Warning: This Is Not Your Grandfather’s Talent Planning featuring Kim Scott

Related Episodes

 	How to Get Way Better at Accepting Feedback, with Sheila Heen (episode 143)
 	How to Process Your 360 Feedback, with Tom Henschel (episode 341)
 	Your Leadership Motive, with Patrick Lencioni (episode 505)

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652: How to Encourage Team Feedback, with Bonni Stachowiak

Kirstin Ferguson: Head & Heart
Kirstin Ferguson is a company director, columnist, keynote speaker, and executive coach. Beginning her career as an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, Kirstin has held roles that have included chief executive officer of an international consulting firm, and acting chair and deputy chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She has sat on boards of both publicly-listed and privately-listed companies for more than a decade.

Kirstin has a PhD in leadership and in 2021 was named one of Thinkers50’s top thinkers to watch. In 2023, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her significant service to business and gender equality. She writes a weekly column on leadership and work in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and is also a contributor to the Australian Financial Review and to Forbes. She is the author of Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership*.

It’s often apparent when someone else doesn’t a read a room, but much harder to see it in ourselves. In this conversation, Kirstin and I discuss how we can do a better job of either literally or figuratively reading the room. Plus, we explore several of the actions leaders can take to do a better job at being more proactive at moving beyond their own perspective.
Key Points

 	Memory is different than perception. A study by Adrian de Groot shows that chess grandmasters reply more on the former for reading things quickly.
 	Perception is an ongoing process vs. something any of us arrive at.
 	A study of medical residents shows four ways we tend to approach situations: stalled, fixated, adaptive, or vagabonds. Vagabonds in particular look at a wide range of possibilities, but don’t fully explore or rule out paths forward.
 	Zoom out to seek broad input. That’s especially important when the stakes are high. Also important is to get perspective outside of your industry. Reading books from different disciplines is one starting point.
 	Leaders needs to also recognize that people in the room are reading you as well. There’s an element of partnership that shapes how the room moves forward.

Resources Mentioned

 	Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership by Kirstin Ferguson
 	Head & Heart Leader Scale by Kirstin Ferguson

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

 	How to Start Seeing Around Corners, with Rita McGrath (episode 430)
 	Leadership in the Midst of Chaos, with Jim Mattis (episode 440)
 	The Way to Get Noticed by Key Stakeholders, with Daphne E. Jones (episode 614)

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