October 16, 2025 • 24 mins
What if the real shortcut to high performance is subtracting the noise, not stacking more on your plate? We close Season 7 by distilling nine conversations with leaders, coaches, and researchers into four practical trends that transform how we work: redefine success, build resilience for nonlinear growth, lead through connection, and lock it in with light, powerful systems.
We start by exposing busyness as an addiction and recentering on high‑value work. You’ll hear why “real power” is the capacity to produce intended constructive outcomes, how to replace heroic control with a clear “company way,” and why modeling imperfection boosts psychological safety and creativity. From there, we chart resilience as a skill, not a trait: dissect problems to root causes, strip out emotional fog, anchor in core values during chaos, and practice acclimatization—getting comfortable with discomfort while you learn.
Connection becomes the decisive edge. Trust compounds when leaders show up truthfully, ask for help, and invest in emotional intelligence. We share coaching practices that reveal blind spots, exercises that break jargon to unlock creativity, and small human moments that drive big engagement gains. Finally, we turn insight into infrastructure: EOS for transparency and right seats, SMART power to rethink leadership, and strategic speed to align vision, systems, and people. Add a 90‑day cadence to step back, recalibrate, and keep purpose at the center.
If you’re ready to trade hustle for purpose, control for connection, and perfection for play, this conversation gives you the tools and frameworks to start today. Listen, share with a colleague who needs it, and subscribe to get the first word on Season 8. Your leadership voice gets stronger from here—leave a review and tell us which trend you’ll apply first.
Thanks for listening and for being a part of The Communicative Leader community. To get even more exclusive tips—like the ones we talked about today—join us at TheCommunicativeLeader.com.
Also, I've poured all my best work into my newest book, Amplifying Your Leadership Voice: From Silent to Speaking Up. If today's episode resonated with you, I know the book will be a powerful tool. You can preorder it now to be one of the first to get your copy when it is out in December!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Leah OH (00:00):
Welcome back to the Communicative Leader.
I'm Dr.
Leah O, and for the past nineweeks, we've been on a deep
transformational journey withsome of the world's most
insightful leaders, coaches, andresearchers.
This season, season seven, wasdedicated to cracking the code
on high performance leadership,but not in that traditional
(00:21):
management book kind of way.
Our theme was the human side ofhigh achievement.
We asked, how do you lead withpower and impact, but without
sacrificing your well-being,your purpose, or your team's
humanity?
The answer we uncovered is thatmodern leadership demands a
complete mindset shift, a movefrom that traditional, that
(00:44):
rigid, transactional hustleculture to one that is a
purpose-driven culture.
Today we're synthesizing nineamazing conversations into four
essential actionable trends youcan use right now to make your
work life what you want it tobe.
Let's dive in.
(01:04):
Hello and welcome to thecommunicative leader, hosted by
me, Dr.
Leah O'Millian Hodges.
My friends call me Dr.
O.
I'm a professor ofcommunication and a leadership
communication expert.
On The Communicative Leader,we're working to make your work
life what you want it to be.
(01:25):
So in today's episode, Best ofthe Rest from season seven
already, my friends, we are justpulling out four major trends
that help us to make sense ofkind of these questions that
we've asked this season, theconversations that we've had.
And to start, I kind of what wereally saw come to the surface
(01:48):
is the need to redefine whatsuccess actually means.
So for too long, that defaultanswer was busyness and your
title.
But as our experts showed usthis season, that's a trap.
That is not where we areanymore anymore.
So first, Peggy Sullivan, shediagnosed the problem.
(02:10):
Busyness is an addiction.
She shared the shockingstatistic that 94% of people who
work are over the top busy anddon't know how to escape.
And what she told us is toescape, the first step is
subtraction.
Like a leader she worked withwho cut email traffic by 72%,
(02:32):
just by getting people to ask,does this email give value or
get value?
This move to high-value workleads to real power.
Dr.
Sylvia Rode Liebenau explainedthat old power is forced and
transactional.
But when we're thinking aboutreal power, my friends, it's the
ability to create intendedconstructive outcomes.
(02:56):
Right.
So that was the opposite of thestalled innovation she used to
witness at the EuropeanInvestment Bank.
But we can't just, you know,hope that these new changes that
we're making stick.
We need to think aboutmaintenance.
And to maintain these outcomes,you need predictable structure.
(03:18):
Chris Davenport, after his1,000%, yes, you heard that
right, 1,000% revenue surge, herealized he couldn't manage
every problem himself.
He had to replace his personalcontrol, you know what he
referred to as the Chris way.
And I mean, we're all guilty ofthis, right?
So we had to replace that oldpersonal control with an
(03:42):
organizational system.
And for his currentorganization, if it's the three
eye way.
And this is the way that hefound that he could ensure that
company's growth was stable andcontinued to align with the
mission while also not burninghim out and not just protecting
Chris, but also empowering histeam, right?
(04:06):
When you hire smart people,when you hire people, give them
the space to shine, right?
To grow and to innovate.
And then finally, wrapping upthis trend one, it's about
leading with authenticity.
Jimmy Cannon reminded us thatan effective voice acts as a
bridge.
(04:26):
And Melissa Dinwiddy showed ushow to make that bridge safe by
urging leaders to modelimperfection.
You heard that right, friends.
So for so long, it has beenabout being this perfect role
model.
Remember, perfect doesn'texist.
Perfect is a myth.
(04:46):
And when we model imperfection,when we can acknowledge that uh
we are um susceptible tostumbles and fumbles just like
anyone else, it increasespsychological safety.
Also increases uh youremployees' ability to be
creative, to own mistakes, andto uh um think outside of the
(05:11):
box.
So, Melissa, she is a trainedartist, she was a performance or
performance artist.
Um, she confessed that she wasstuck in this non-creative box
for 15 years herself.
But if you never showed yourvulnerability, your team won't
either.
And then you stay stuck.
You stay exactly where you areand you stagnate.
(05:33):
So, trend one, this is aboutintentionality.
We leave that hustle culturebehind and we embrace
subtraction, you know, whichsounds kind of silly.
We're not on a math podcast,but by subtracting out what is
not adding value, we are able tofree up time and space.
(05:54):
This allows us to document andlean into a company way, right?
And lead with authentic realpower.
So once you accept that growthisn't always comfortable, how do
you handle that inevitablesetbacks?
That is what uh we're gonnatalk about now, too, my friends,
(06:15):
with trend two, that nonlinearpath of growth and resilience.
So the second major trend, whenI look back across all of the
episodes of season seven, I sawacross the board is this idea
that growth is not linear, andthat's really hard.
That is really hard for me.
Um, you know, I love the ideathat you're putting in the time,
(06:38):
you're putting in the effort.
So, of course, you keep goingforward, but we recognize it
doesn't happen like that.
And it's actually quite messy,it's quite iterative, and it
requires a lot of resilience.
So, the key skill here,structured problem solving.
And if you want to know moreabout this, go and listen to
(06:59):
Chris Davenport's um episode.
You know, he's known as thewolf by his competitors because
he is so good at solving umproblems.
So he is actually sought out bycompetitors when they can't
figure out what's going on, theywill call in Chris.
And Chris shared two principlesthat help him to be this expert
(07:21):
problem solver.
One, dissect the problem downto the most basic parts because
the problem you see often isjust the symptom, right?
So we don't want to just put aband-aid on the symptom.
We want to look at the root tofigure out what is actually
causing those symptoms.
So, one, after we dissect thatproblem down to the most basic
(07:44):
parts, two, we're gonna take theemotion out of it.
So, Chris recounts going intodire situations where a team
driven by fear couldn't see asolution right in front of them.
And Chris was able to solve itbecause he came in with a fresh,
unemotional set of eyes.
And again, this is a lot easiersaid than done.
(08:05):
But my friends, I want you tothink about those two tips
there.
Dissect the problem to its mostbasic parts and take the
emotion out of it.
And it is really going to makeit much, much easier to get at
that root of the problem, notjust being stuck in that symptom
that you're seeing orexperiencing.
So when we're thinking aboutgrowth and we're thinking about
(08:30):
growth that is nonlinear, wealso have to talk about personal
resilience.
And Melissa Dinwiddy, she gaveus a golden formula.
She said, self-awareness plusself-compassion equals the key
to everything good.
I love that.
Let's look at that again.
Self-awareness plusself-compassion equals the key
(08:52):
to everything good, right?
So, what Melissa is telling usis that when we are aware,
right, we're taking the time,we're celebrating our strengths,
but we're also kind of checkingin on those areas that we need
to grow and we need to improveon.
We're being patient withourselves, we're being kind with
ourselves, we're givingourselves grace, right?
That self-compassion.
(09:13):
We've got the keys to thekingdom, my friends, the keys to
everything good.
And then I also want to raiseup Stephanie Craig.
So when we're bringing in, whenwe're thinking about just
practical chaos, Stephanie Craigadvised implementing drills and
preparation, right?
So Stephanie does all of thisamazing work in crisis
(09:36):
communication, um helpingorganizations and individuals.
And so she talks about you, youknow, she does this disaster
training for major airportswhere teams train to move from
panic to action when chaosinevitably hits.
Well, what does this mean foryou, right?
So you're not, you know,listeners, you might not be
(09:59):
sitting there running a majorairport, but whether it is the
chaos you manage at home or atwork or even the chaos in your
own head, right?
We've all been there.
What Stephanie stresses is thatby kind of anchoring in your
core values, that becomes yourtouchstone to guide you.
And so when emergencies hit,when there are major stressors,
(10:24):
major setbacks, go back to thosecore values.
Is it integrity?
Is it patience?
Is it dignity?
Is it your leadership?
Return to those, let those bekind of that safe space, that
stepping stone that you returnto when you're choosing your
words, when you're choosing inyour actions, when you are
(10:46):
making the commitment to be calmso that you're able to handle
that practical, practical chaosrather than succumbing to it.
And finally, we have anultimate example from our friend
Jen Drummond, the first womanto climb the second highest
peaks on all seven continents.
She shared that she had to findher own acclimatization, the
(11:08):
acceptance that the goal isnever to be comfortable, but to
be okay with the uncomfortableprocess of learning a new skill.
For Jen, I mean, this isliterally to be okay with the
uncomfortable feeling offreezing, of building an a
literal makeshift igloo on topof a summit uh for shelter
(11:31):
before you climb the next dayand after climbing uh for days
on end.
But this idea it applies to allof us, right?
There are moments when we'relearning, when we're um trying
new things.
I've recently taken on uh a newleadership position at work, me
(11:52):
personally, and it's reallyuncomfortable to not know, to
not even know who to askquestions to, um, but to
recognize that's part of theprocess, right?
So that's trend two.
Resilience is built by movingfrom fear to facts.
You dissect the problem, youembrace self-compassion, and
(12:14):
understand that discomfort issimply your acclimatization
process.
That is how we socialize,right?
That is how we grow.
So now that we know how tohandle ourselves in the storm,
how do we handle our teams?
That leads us to trend three: vulnerability, emotional (12:30):
undefined
intelligence or EI, andconnection.
The third trend is the mosthuman and frankly the most
counterintuitive to old schoolmanagement.
Leadership is built onconnection, not on control.
(12:50):
I love that statement, right?
We're gonna say this again.
Leadership is built onconnection, not on control.
I don't want anyone who learnedhow to lead through control to
feel shame.
That is how things were done,and that is how they were done
(13:11):
for a very long time, and thatis how someone demonstrated
successful leadership.
We recognize that things areshifting today, and that's not
the way.
So we want you to think aboutleaning into connection.
And that's where emotionalintelligence and vulnerability
come in, because they are two ofyour um your best tools in
(13:35):
today's workplace in order tofoster that connection.
So I think back to aconversation I've really enjoyed
with Dr.
Sylvia Rode Liebenau.
And she she named it.
She said, trust is asuperpower, and the only way to
generate that power is byshowing up more truthfully and
with greater vulnerability.
(13:55):
And that's how Sylvia ended uprethinking this idea of power
and bringing it intocontemporary organizations and
uses.
And we're gonna get to that ingreater detail in a moment.
I'm really excited.
But before we can get there, weneed to remember all of the
internal work that leaders needto do.
(14:16):
So Chris Davenport, he told usthat you have to boil down every
company.
You're not managing, you'remanaging people, not products.
And that's a huge shift, too,right?
So he stressed that a leadermust master emotional
intelligence, noting that hehimself has worked with a coach
or therapist for 10 years tostay ahead of his own blind
(14:38):
spots.
This is a crucial act ofleadership accountability.
He said a good coach will enterthe danger by calling out when
a mentee isn't being honest withthemselves.
Right.
So ensuring that you, thateveryone has someone who they
trust enough and um have anestablished relationship with
(15:01):
enough where they can say, Hey,is that really how it happened?
Is that really what we wouldcall that?
Right?
Someone who can be there tohelp you ensure that we're we're
not letting ourselves off thehook and helping us to see blind
spots that, again, we might noteven be aware of.
(15:21):
And the impact of connection isprofound.
And I think back to myconversation with Peggy
Sullivan, she shared this reallypowerful anecdote about an
executive named Randy who,instead of forcing his exhausted
team to work late, he chose tospend the night bonding and
connecting just as humans, aspeople.
(15:42):
And that one night eventuallyended up catapulting employee
engagement by 26%.
And Melissa Dinwiddy, sheexplained why this does work.
Communication is a containerfor creativity.
She used the time traveleractivity asking a technical team
(16:03):
to explain a cell phone to aperson from 500 years ago, and
it forces them to find simpleshared language and overcome the
expertise-induced blindness.
Right?
We all, I'm definitely guiltyof this as an academic.
I think we're among the worst.
We get stuck using our ownjargon.
(16:24):
It's a language that we thinkin, it's a language that we
write in, it's a language thatwe use to connect with others in
our field.
But we have to remember thatthat's not always the most
helpful, and that is almostalways not a shared language
across other groups.
And another point I want toraise up that I've been thinking
(16:47):
about, that I've been using, issome advice from John
Gallagher.
And he summed it up byconfessing one of the hardest
things he had to learn was howto say the three most important
words a leader can utter.
I need help.
Simple words, right?
There's nothing tricky aboutthem.
But for a long time, society asa whole, we've been taught that
(17:12):
you need to figure it out onyour own, that you demonstrate
strength by kind of musclingthrough.
And what we're recognizing now,what our conversations are
about now, is aboutcollaboration, is about
collection, about that emotionalintelligence and well-being,
right?
(17:33):
And my friends, I can tell youthis is something I haven't said
much in the past, but in thisnew role, when I'm not sure,
when I've exhausted the, youknow, kind of the resources I
have, I've said I need help morein the last few months than I
have in the last decade, Iimagine, right?
And it's been really helpful.
It hasn't been met withridicule.
(17:55):
Um, no one has chastised me.
No one has rolled their eyes atme.
They've they've just helped,right?
And it's made my life in thisnew role so much easier.
I'm able to do what I want todo and more quickly, right?
When I have the answers that Ineed, I'm able to kind of move
from that place of feeling stuckand just trying to piece things
(18:17):
together to where I'm in aposition to actually start to
think about innovating.
So that was trend three.
Connection is the new currency.
To earn it, you must invest inyour own emotional intelligence.
I want you to show up avulnerability and prioritize
bonding to build thepsychological safety that is
(18:38):
essential for innovation.
But all of this has to besustainable.
So, how do we put these humanconcepts into a functional
accountable system?
Now that is trend four: structure, accountability, and (18:49):
undefined
preparation.
We're wrapping up with thequestion: how do we put all
these human creative conceptsinto a functional, accountable
structure?
The answer is to use smartframeworks that manage
(19:09):
complexity and they help youprioritize meaningful,
high-value work.
Chris Davenport dramaticallyproved that structure reduces
stress and it enhancesproductivity.
He saw this most vividly whenhis company found their CFO was
embezzling a large sum of money,a discovery made possible only
(19:31):
after he had implemented asystematic accountable structure
of the entrepreneurialoperating system, EOS.
He stressed that accountabilityis about transparency of
numbers, but also putting theright person in the right seat.
We saw a few other reallyincredible frameworks this
(19:52):
season that I want to uh drawyour attention to.
I want you to go back and checkout these episodes if you
haven't.
So the busy busting frameworkis Peggy Sullivan's framework.
It proved that happiness drivesperformance.
She advised making mojo makinga daily ritual and shared that
implementing just two shortcubicle dance parties.
(20:14):
It didn't have to be just danceparties, my friends.
Uh, but something that broke upthe day.
But when they did this atUnited Healthcare, it resulted
in a 33% increase in first callresolution.
That means that stakeholdersaren't calling back two, three,
four, five times.
And guess what?
Every time we have to callback, we get more upset, we get
(20:37):
more frustrated.
So this is a huge win for anorganization.
Another framework, the SMARTPower acronym, Dr.
Sylvia Rode Libenau again gaveus a new definition of
leadership.
So SMART is our acronym here: systemic, merging, authentic, (20:50):
undefined
personal, relational, andtransformational.
And the key here is merging,the courage to give up some
control, to combine yourinfluence with others.
I love this new way of lookingat power.
(21:11):
I really encourage you to checkout Sylvia's book if you
haven't already.
And the final framework I wantto raise up is the strategic
speed formula.
And this is what StephanieCraig gave us, among many other
really helpful, tangible,insightful tools.
And Stephanie told us we needto define our vision, align our
(21:33):
systems, and mobilize ourpeople.
And when we have that, again,that that chaos, it gets quiet,
right?
That that stress, where we haveeverything in place in order to
be able to tackle it in arational, successful way.
To achieve sustainable success,Dr.
(21:55):
Marjan Modera reinforced ChrisDavenport's concept.
The leadership team must adopta 90-day cadence to regularly
step back and work on thebusiness instead of always being
consumed in the day-to-daythick of it.
And that is trend four.
Structure is freedom.
You gain productivity andreduce stress by being
(22:18):
maniacally focused.
I love that word, maniacallyfocused on the rate framework,
maintaining transparency withyour team and taking those
quarterly airplane view meetingsto ensure your work stays
aligned with your purpose.
It is really easy to get lostand to get sidestepped or uh and
(22:38):
to get sidetracked rather andto feel like that season of
busyness is never going to end.
But again, this fourth trendreally helps to give you the
guardrails to stay in track.
So our core lesson from allnine episodes of season seven is
really, really simple.
(22:59):
To lead better, you mustcommunicate better, and to
communicate better, you must bea better human.
I mean, it doesn't get easierthan that, does it, my friend?
So the work of a modern leaderis to replace hustle with
purpose, control withconnection, perfection with
play.
(23:19):
Right?
So again, I want you to reallythink about this and embrace
this.
Get rid of hustle, replace itwith purpose, get rid of
control, replace of thatconnection, get rid of
perfection.
Again, that is a myth.
It doesn't exist.
It's like a unicorn and replacethat with play.
(23:40):
I encourage you to revisit theepisodes that spoke to you most,
use that busy bustingframework, embrace the idea of
real power, go out there andlead with intention, my friends.
So thank you so much forjoining us on the communicative
leader.
I want to take a moment tosincerely thank you, our
listeners, for supporting usthrough this incredible season.
(24:02):
We're already hard at workputting together season eight,
so stay tuned for more newssoon.
Um, I'll also, this is reallyexciting for me.
I'll be sharing excerpts for myupcoming book, Amplifying Your
Leadership Voice from Silent toSpeaking Up.
And the whole goal of the book?
To give you tools to make yourwork life a whole lot easier.
(24:23):
All right, my friends, thatwraps up our conversation today.
Until next time, communicatewith intention and lead with
purpose.
I'm looking forward to chattingwith you again soon on the
Communicative Leader.
Welcome back to the Communicative Leader.
I'm Dr.
Leah O, and for the past nineweeks, we've been on a deep
transformational journey withsome of the world's most
insightful leaders, coaches, andresearchers.
This season, season seven, wasdedicated to cracking the code
on high performance leadership,but not in that traditional
(00:21):
management book kind of way.
Our theme was the human side ofhigh achievement.
We asked, how do you lead withpower and impact, but without
sacrificing your well-being,your purpose, or your team's
humanity?
The answer we uncovered is thatmodern leadership demands a
complete mindset shift, a movefrom that traditional, that
(00:44):
rigid, transactional hustleculture to one that is a
purpose-driven culture.
Today we're synthesizing nineamazing conversations into four
essential actionable trends youcan use right now to make your
work life what you want it tobe.
Let's dive in.
(01:04):
Hello and welcome to thecommunicative leader, hosted by
me, Dr.
Leah O'Millian Hodges.
My friends call me Dr.
O.
I'm a professor ofcommunication and a leadership
communication expert.
On The Communicative Leader,we're working to make your work
life what you want it to be.
(01:25):
So in today's episode, Best ofthe Rest from season seven
already, my friends, we are justpulling out four major trends
that help us to make sense ofkind of these questions that
we've asked this season, theconversations that we've had.
And to start, I kind of what wereally saw come to the surface
(01:48):
is the need to redefine whatsuccess actually means.
So for too long, that defaultanswer was busyness and your
title.
But as our experts showed usthis season, that's a trap.
That is not where we areanymore anymore.
So first, Peggy Sullivan, shediagnosed the problem.
(02:10):
Busyness is an addiction.
She shared the shockingstatistic that 94% of people who
work are over the top busy anddon't know how to escape.
And what she told us is toescape, the first step is
subtraction.
Like a leader she worked withwho cut email traffic by 72%,
(02:32):
just by getting people to ask,does this email give value or
get value?
This move to high-value workleads to real power.
Dr.
Sylvia Rode Liebenau explainedthat old power is forced and
transactional.
But when we're thinking aboutreal power, my friends, it's the
ability to create intendedconstructive outcomes.
(02:56):
Right.
So that was the opposite of thestalled innovation she used to
witness at the EuropeanInvestment Bank.
But we can't just, you know,hope that these new changes that
we're making stick.
We need to think aboutmaintenance.
And to maintain these outcomes,you need predictable structure.
(03:18):
Chris Davenport, after his1,000%, yes, you heard that
right, 1,000% revenue surge, herealized he couldn't manage
every problem himself.
He had to replace his personalcontrol, you know what he
referred to as the Chris way.
And I mean, we're all guilty ofthis, right?
So we had to replace that oldpersonal control with an
(03:42):
organizational system.
And for his currentorganization, if it's the three
eye way.
And this is the way that hefound that he could ensure that
company's growth was stable andcontinued to align with the
mission while also not burninghim out and not just protecting
Chris, but also empowering histeam, right?
(04:06):
When you hire smart people,when you hire people, give them
the space to shine, right?
To grow and to innovate.
And then finally, wrapping upthis trend one, it's about
leading with authenticity.
Jimmy Cannon reminded us thatan effective voice acts as a
bridge.
(04:26):
And Melissa Dinwiddy showed ushow to make that bridge safe by
urging leaders to modelimperfection.
You heard that right, friends.
So for so long, it has beenabout being this perfect role
model.
Remember, perfect doesn'texist.
Perfect is a myth.
(04:46):
And when we model imperfection,when we can acknowledge that uh
we are um susceptible tostumbles and fumbles just like
anyone else, it increasespsychological safety.
Also increases uh youremployees' ability to be
creative, to own mistakes, andto uh um think outside of the
(05:11):
box.
So, Melissa, she is a trainedartist, she was a performance or
performance artist.
Um, she confessed that she wasstuck in this non-creative box
for 15 years herself.
But if you never showed yourvulnerability, your team won't
either.
And then you stay stuck.
You stay exactly where you areand you stagnate.
(05:33):
So, trend one, this is aboutintentionality.
We leave that hustle culturebehind and we embrace
subtraction, you know, whichsounds kind of silly.
We're not on a math podcast,but by subtracting out what is
not adding value, we are able tofree up time and space.
(05:54):
This allows us to document andlean into a company way, right?
And lead with authentic realpower.
So once you accept that growthisn't always comfortable, how do
you handle that inevitablesetbacks?
That is what uh we're gonnatalk about now, too, my friends,
(06:15):
with trend two, that nonlinearpath of growth and resilience.
So the second major trend, whenI look back across all of the
episodes of season seven, I sawacross the board is this idea
that growth is not linear, andthat's really hard.
That is really hard for me.
Um, you know, I love the ideathat you're putting in the time,
(06:38):
you're putting in the effort.
So, of course, you keep goingforward, but we recognize it
doesn't happen like that.
And it's actually quite messy,it's quite iterative, and it
requires a lot of resilience.
So, the key skill here,structured problem solving.
And if you want to know moreabout this, go and listen to
(06:59):
Chris Davenport's um episode.
You know, he's known as thewolf by his competitors because
he is so good at solving umproblems.
So he is actually sought out bycompetitors when they can't
figure out what's going on, theywill call in Chris.
And Chris shared two principlesthat help him to be this expert
(07:21):
problem solver.
One, dissect the problem downto the most basic parts because
the problem you see often isjust the symptom, right?
So we don't want to just put aband-aid on the symptom.
We want to look at the root tofigure out what is actually
causing those symptoms.
So, one, after we dissect thatproblem down to the most basic
(07:44):
parts, two, we're gonna take theemotion out of it.
So, Chris recounts going intodire situations where a team
driven by fear couldn't see asolution right in front of them.
And Chris was able to solve itbecause he came in with a fresh,
unemotional set of eyes.
And again, this is a lot easiersaid than done.
(08:05):
But my friends, I want you tothink about those two tips
there.
Dissect the problem to its mostbasic parts and take the
emotion out of it.
And it is really going to makeit much, much easier to get at
that root of the problem, notjust being stuck in that symptom
that you're seeing orexperiencing.
So when we're thinking aboutgrowth and we're thinking about
(08:30):
growth that is nonlinear, wealso have to talk about personal
resilience.
And Melissa Dinwiddy, she gaveus a golden formula.
She said, self-awareness plusself-compassion equals the key
to everything good.
I love that.
Let's look at that again.
Self-awareness plusself-compassion equals the key
(08:52):
to everything good, right?
So, what Melissa is telling usis that when we are aware,
right, we're taking the time,we're celebrating our strengths,
but we're also kind of checkingin on those areas that we need
to grow and we need to improveon.
We're being patient withourselves, we're being kind with
ourselves, we're givingourselves grace, right?
That self-compassion.
(09:13):
We've got the keys to thekingdom, my friends, the keys to
everything good.
And then I also want to raiseup Stephanie Craig.
So when we're bringing in, whenwe're thinking about just
practical chaos, Stephanie Craigadvised implementing drills and
preparation, right?
So Stephanie does all of thisamazing work in crisis
(09:36):
communication, um helpingorganizations and individuals.
And so she talks about you, youknow, she does this disaster
training for major airportswhere teams train to move from
panic to action when chaosinevitably hits.
Well, what does this mean foryou, right?
So you're not, you know,listeners, you might not be
(09:59):
sitting there running a majorairport, but whether it is the
chaos you manage at home or atwork or even the chaos in your
own head, right?
We've all been there.
What Stephanie stresses is thatby kind of anchoring in your
core values, that becomes yourtouchstone to guide you.
And so when emergencies hit,when there are major stressors,
(10:24):
major setbacks, go back to thosecore values.
Is it integrity?
Is it patience?
Is it dignity?
Is it your leadership?
Return to those, let those bekind of that safe space, that
stepping stone that you returnto when you're choosing your
words, when you're choosing inyour actions, when you are
(10:46):
making the commitment to be calmso that you're able to handle
that practical, practical chaosrather than succumbing to it.
And finally, we have anultimate example from our friend
Jen Drummond, the first womanto climb the second highest
peaks on all seven continents.
She shared that she had to findher own acclimatization, the
(11:08):
acceptance that the goal isnever to be comfortable, but to
be okay with the uncomfortableprocess of learning a new skill.
For Jen, I mean, this isliterally to be okay with the
uncomfortable feeling offreezing, of building an a
literal makeshift igloo on topof a summit uh for shelter
(11:31):
before you climb the next dayand after climbing uh for days
on end.
But this idea it applies to allof us, right?
There are moments when we'relearning, when we're um trying
new things.
I've recently taken on uh a newleadership position at work, me
(11:52):
personally, and it's reallyuncomfortable to not know, to
not even know who to askquestions to, um, but to
recognize that's part of theprocess, right?
So that's trend two.
Resilience is built by movingfrom fear to facts.
You dissect the problem, youembrace self-compassion, and
(12:14):
understand that discomfort issimply your acclimatization
process.
That is how we socialize,right?
That is how we grow.
So now that we know how tohandle ourselves in the storm,
how do we handle our teams?
That leads us to trend three: vulnerability, emotional (12:30):
undefined
intelligence or EI, andconnection.
The third trend is the mosthuman and frankly the most
counterintuitive to old schoolmanagement.
Leadership is built onconnection, not on control.
(12:50):
I love that statement, right?
We're gonna say this again.
Leadership is built onconnection, not on control.
I don't want anyone who learnedhow to lead through control to
feel shame.
That is how things were done,and that is how they were done
(13:11):
for a very long time, and thatis how someone demonstrated
successful leadership.
We recognize that things areshifting today, and that's not
the way.
So we want you to think aboutleaning into connection.
And that's where emotionalintelligence and vulnerability
come in, because they are two ofyour um your best tools in
(13:35):
today's workplace in order tofoster that connection.
So I think back to aconversation I've really enjoyed
with Dr.
Sylvia Rode Liebenau.
And she she named it.
She said, trust is asuperpower, and the only way to
generate that power is byshowing up more truthfully and
with greater vulnerability.
(13:55):
And that's how Sylvia ended uprethinking this idea of power
and bringing it intocontemporary organizations and
uses.
And we're gonna get to that ingreater detail in a moment.
I'm really excited.
But before we can get there, weneed to remember all of the
internal work that leaders needto do.
(14:16):
So Chris Davenport, he told usthat you have to boil down every
company.
You're not managing, you'remanaging people, not products.
And that's a huge shift, too,right?
So he stressed that a leadermust master emotional
intelligence, noting that hehimself has worked with a coach
or therapist for 10 years tostay ahead of his own blind
(14:38):
spots.
This is a crucial act ofleadership accountability.
He said a good coach will enterthe danger by calling out when
a mentee isn't being honest withthemselves.
Right.
So ensuring that you, thateveryone has someone who they
trust enough and um have anestablished relationship with
(15:01):
enough where they can say, Hey,is that really how it happened?
Is that really what we wouldcall that?
Right?
Someone who can be there tohelp you ensure that we're we're
not letting ourselves off thehook and helping us to see blind
spots that, again, we might noteven be aware of.
(15:21):
And the impact of connection isprofound.
And I think back to myconversation with Peggy
Sullivan, she shared this reallypowerful anecdote about an
executive named Randy who,instead of forcing his exhausted
team to work late, he chose tospend the night bonding and
connecting just as humans, aspeople.
(15:42):
And that one night eventuallyended up catapulting employee
engagement by 26%.
And Melissa Dinwiddy, sheexplained why this does work.
Communication is a containerfor creativity.
She used the time traveleractivity asking a technical team
(16:03):
to explain a cell phone to aperson from 500 years ago, and
it forces them to find simpleshared language and overcome the
expertise-induced blindness.
Right?
We all, I'm definitely guiltyof this as an academic.
I think we're among the worst.
We get stuck using our ownjargon.
(16:24):
It's a language that we thinkin, it's a language that we
write in, it's a language thatwe use to connect with others in
our field.
But we have to remember thatthat's not always the most
helpful, and that is almostalways not a shared language
across other groups.
And another point I want toraise up that I've been thinking
(16:47):
about, that I've been using, issome advice from John
Gallagher.
And he summed it up byconfessing one of the hardest
things he had to learn was howto say the three most important
words a leader can utter.
I need help.
Simple words, right?
There's nothing tricky aboutthem.
But for a long time, society asa whole, we've been taught that
(17:12):
you need to figure it out onyour own, that you demonstrate
strength by kind of musclingthrough.
And what we're recognizing now,what our conversations are
about now, is aboutcollaboration, is about
collection, about that emotionalintelligence and well-being,
right?
(17:33):
And my friends, I can tell youthis is something I haven't said
much in the past, but in thisnew role, when I'm not sure,
when I've exhausted the, youknow, kind of the resources I
have, I've said I need help morein the last few months than I
have in the last decade, Iimagine, right?
And it's been really helpful.
It hasn't been met withridicule.
(17:55):
Um, no one has chastised me.
No one has rolled their eyes atme.
They've they've just helped,right?
And it's made my life in thisnew role so much easier.
I'm able to do what I want todo and more quickly, right?
When I have the answers that Ineed, I'm able to kind of move
from that place of feeling stuckand just trying to piece things
(18:17):
together to where I'm in aposition to actually start to
think about innovating.
So that was trend three.
Connection is the new currency.
To earn it, you must invest inyour own emotional intelligence.
I want you to show up avulnerability and prioritize
bonding to build thepsychological safety that is
(18:38):
essential for innovation.
But all of this has to besustainable.
So, how do we put these humanconcepts into a functional
accountable system?
Now that is trend four: structure, accountability, and (18:49):
undefined
preparation.
We're wrapping up with thequestion: how do we put all
these human creative conceptsinto a functional, accountable
structure?
The answer is to use smartframeworks that manage
(19:09):
complexity and they help youprioritize meaningful,
high-value work.
Chris Davenport dramaticallyproved that structure reduces
stress and it enhancesproductivity.
He saw this most vividly whenhis company found their CFO was
embezzling a large sum of money,a discovery made possible only
(19:31):
after he had implemented asystematic accountable structure
of the entrepreneurialoperating system, EOS.
He stressed that accountabilityis about transparency of
numbers, but also putting theright person in the right seat.
We saw a few other reallyincredible frameworks this
(19:52):
season that I want to uh drawyour attention to.
I want you to go back and checkout these episodes if you
haven't.
So the busy busting frameworkis Peggy Sullivan's framework.
It proved that happiness drivesperformance.
She advised making mojo makinga daily ritual and shared that
implementing just two shortcubicle dance parties.
(20:14):
It didn't have to be just danceparties, my friends.
Uh, but something that broke upthe day.
But when they did this atUnited Healthcare, it resulted
in a 33% increase in first callresolution.
That means that stakeholdersaren't calling back two, three,
four, five times.
And guess what?
Every time we have to callback, we get more upset, we get
(20:37):
more frustrated.
So this is a huge win for anorganization.
Another framework, the SMARTPower acronym, Dr.
Sylvia Rode Libenau again gaveus a new definition of
leadership.
So SMART is our acronym here: systemic, merging, authentic, (20:50):
undefined
personal, relational, andtransformational.
And the key here is merging,the courage to give up some
control, to combine yourinfluence with others.
I love this new way of lookingat power.
(21:11):
I really encourage you to checkout Sylvia's book if you
haven't already.
And the final framework I wantto raise up is the strategic
speed formula.
And this is what StephanieCraig gave us, among many other
really helpful, tangible,insightful tools.
And Stephanie told us we needto define our vision, align our
(21:33):
systems, and mobilize ourpeople.
And when we have that, again,that that chaos, it gets quiet,
right?
That that stress, where we haveeverything in place in order to
be able to tackle it in arational, successful way.
To achieve sustainable success,Dr.
(21:55):
Marjan Modera reinforced ChrisDavenport's concept.
The leadership team must adopta 90-day cadence to regularly
step back and work on thebusiness instead of always being
consumed in the day-to-daythick of it.
And that is trend four.
Structure is freedom.
You gain productivity andreduce stress by being
(22:18):
maniacally focused.
I love that word, maniacallyfocused on the rate framework,
maintaining transparency withyour team and taking those
quarterly airplane view meetingsto ensure your work stays
aligned with your purpose.
It is really easy to get lostand to get sidestepped or uh and
(22:38):
to get sidetracked rather andto feel like that season of
busyness is never going to end.
But again, this fourth trendreally helps to give you the
guardrails to stay in track.
So our core lesson from allnine episodes of season seven is
really, really simple.
(22:59):
To lead better, you mustcommunicate better, and to
communicate better, you must bea better human.
I mean, it doesn't get easierthan that, does it, my friend?
So the work of a modern leaderis to replace hustle with
purpose, control withconnection, perfection with
play.
(23:19):
Right?
So again, I want you to reallythink about this and embrace
this.
Get rid of hustle, replace itwith purpose, get rid of
control, replace of thatconnection, get rid of
perfection.
Again, that is a myth.
It doesn't exist.
It's like a unicorn and replacethat with play.
(23:40):
I encourage you to revisit theepisodes that spoke to you most,
use that busy bustingframework, embrace the idea of
real power, go out there andlead with intention, my friends.
So thank you so much forjoining us on the communicative
leader.
I want to take a moment tosincerely thank you, our
listeners, for supporting usthrough this incredible season.
(24:02):
We're already hard at workputting together season eight,
so stay tuned for more newssoon.
Um, I'll also, this is reallyexciting for me.
I'll be sharing excerpts for myupcoming book, Amplifying Your
Leadership Voice from Silent toSpeaking Up.
And the whole goal of the book?
To give you tools to make yourwork life a whole lot easier.
(24:23):
All right, my friends, thatwraps up our conversation today.
Until next time, communicatewith intention and lead with
purpose.
I'm looking forward to chattingwith you again soon on the
Communicative Leader.
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