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In this week's episode, Scott is joined by authors Minette Norman and Karolin Helbig as they delve into practical strategies for fostering trust, vulnerability, and inclusion in organisations, and explore the nuances of psychological safety. This episode reveals how small changes can lead to profound shifts in workplace culture. In this episode, you'll discover: · The definition and emotional experience of psychological safety · The importance of vulnerability and courageous communication for leaders · How default behaviours and default settings impact team inclusivity · The role of self-awareness in changing organisational culture · Micro habits and deliberate experimentation to embed safety practices · Managing reactions and emotional responses in high-stakes interactions · The connection between risk-taking, failure, and innovation · Designing inclusive rituals and meetings to foster belonging · Practical tips for leaders to create psychologically safe teams today Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to psychological safety and why it matters 02:26 - Defining psychological safety and its emotional impact 03:01 - The visceral feelings of safety versus threat 10:00 - Turning awareness into default behaviors to reduce exhaustion 13:02 - The role of self-awareness in behavior change 17:15 - The responsibility of senior leaders in setting cultural tone 22:08 - Balancing expertise with vulnerability for authentic leadership 26:36 - Creating space for understanding and curiosity in conversations 32:16 - Embracing risk and failure as catalysts for growth 37:39 - Designing meetings intentionally to foster participation and belonging 40:00 - Closing thoughts and resources Resources & Links: · Psychological Safety Playbook Connect with us: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram Connect with Minette & Karolin: Karolin Helbig on LinkedIn | Minette Norman on LinkedIn
My guest for episode 546 is Gary Peterson, who recently retired from O.C. Tanner after helping lead the continuous improvement work that earned the company the Shingo Prize in 1999. Gary is an AME Hall of Fame inductee, and he now serves as an executive in residence at the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, working with their Master of Business Operational Excellence (MBOE) program. Gary started this work almost 40 years ago, before the word Lean was in common use. A change in how O.C. Tanner went to market shrank order sizes from thousands down to one or two, and a factory built for big batches started bleeding cost and quality. Gary stepped into a role called facilitator of change. He pulled departments apart, built one-piece flow, and asked frontline people to solve problems in a culture that had taught them it wasn't safe to speak up. We spend a good part of the conversation on psychological safety and autonomy, and why Gary thinks neither one does much without the other. He also tells what he calls the hardest story in his repertoire. An employee stopped him on a stairwell to tell him his system wasn't working. She was right. He talked circles around her until she cried. What he did next, and what two people did a few hours later, became a turning point for him and for the company. Topics we get into: Why a real business problem made the change easier to sustain than a "we read a book" mandate Leading change from the middle without support from the top Cutting a 1,800-person workforce roughly in half through attrition, with no layoffs, while raising the bar on what it meant to work there Momentum, entropy, and the 30 to 40 systems that quietly stopped during COVID Building succession so the culture didn't depend on Gary's energy alone Sincere, specific, timely praise, and why he coached frontline teams differently than VPs Link to the episode and full transcript. What would it take for you to tell a room full of people that you don't know what you're doing?
Discretionary effort is the gap between what people have to give and what they choose to give. Research consistently shows that most leaders are leaving 20–30% of their team's capacity on the table — not because of skill shortages, but because of environment.In this episode, we draw on six of the world's most influential thinkers on leadership and performance to give you a practical, layered framework for unlocking the effort your team already has inside them.The question isn't how to push people harder. It's how to create the conditions where they choose to give more.I've practised all of these myself, in low-functioning teams, and can personally attest to the spectacular rise that's possible when you are deliberate about applying them.The Six-Layer Discretionary Effort StackLayer/Thinker: The Question to Ask YourselfPositivity/Shawn Achor:Am I creating an environment where people feel good?Clear Direction/Greg McKeown: Do people know exactly what matters most?Strengths/Dan Sullivan: Is everyone working in their Unique Ability?Safety/Timothy R. Clark: Can people speak up without fear?Purpose/Simon Sinek: Do people know why their work matters?Right People/Jim Collins: Are the right people in the right seats?Ask Dex AI Coach for leadership strategy e.g. "My team are underperforming - how can I find out why?" https://app.coachvox.ai/share/DexRandallSubscribe for more leadership and burnout recovery insights → https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7393784577229709312----------------------------------- Resources:Leadership Performance without Burnout https://go.dexrandall.com/leadershipDex AI Coach https://app.coachvox.ai/share/dexrandallConfidential. Expert. Free. Your Leadership Performance Partner.For even more TIPS see FACEBOOK: @coachdexrandallINSTAGRAM: @coachdexrandallLINKEDIN: @coachdexrandallYOUTUBE: @dexburnoutcoachSee https://linktr.ee/coachdexrandall for all links
Gustavo Razzetti once sat next to a woman at a corporate conference, judging the regional VP presenting on stage until she revealed that was her husband. Instead of backpedaling he apologised, then stood by every word. That instinct of owning the mess without pretending he didn't mean it is the backbone of his work.He has spent decades inside corporate and agency life watching great ideas die because of terrible culture. He now works with teams on what he calls conversational debt: the gap between what people nod through in meetings and what they actually act on. His research found that when people are asked why others don't speak up, the answer is fear, but when asked why they themselves don't, the answer becomes pointlessness: a learned belief that nothing will change anyway.Gustavo refuses to live that way. He fires clients before the work even starts if the fit is wrong. His rule is that he'd rather lose his job over one conversation than avoid a hundred — and he did.We talked about the power dynamics that shape what is considered professionalism, the most dangerous type of silence in organisations and why we should all drop the invisible contract nobody handed us and stop waiting for permission to speak.Links to learn more about Gustavo Razzetti:Forward Talk (Gustavo's new book)WebsiteSubstackWorkshopsAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/
Flutist Agnes Vass asked Bernhard a question: what if you applied the Fifth Stage of psychological safety to an orchestra?It turns out an orchestra is one of the best models we have for how high-performing teams work.(With thanks to Agnes Was, co-principal flute at the Bremerhaven Philharmonic and founder of the Body Mind Music Lab.)WHY ORCHESTRAS?Peter Drucker used orchestras constantly as a model for organisations. So has Bernhard, given his background.The reason: an orchestra of 70 to 150 musicians creates an outstanding performance in three days—often led by a conductor they have never met before. The analogies for management write themselves.---DUNBAR'S NUMBERBritish anthropologist Robin Dunbar found that humans can maintain around 150 meaningful relationships at once (his average: 148.6).The proof arrived with social media. Remember the early joy of Facebook—reconnecting with old friends? Then somewhere around 150–200, your feed filled with people you didn't really care about. Dunbar's number, demonstrated at scale.Orchestras sit right inside that number. So does W.L. Gore, the company behind Gore-Tex—they cap units at around 200 people and build a new site rather than exceed it. The belief: people at work should genuinely know each other.THE REFRAME: RELATIONAL SAFETY ISN'T FRIENDSHIPAre 140 orchestra members all good friends? No. Some are close. Some can't stand each other. And yet the best orchestras deliver extraordinary performances."The safety a good orchestra has is this: even if I don't like my colleague, I know they are committed to the highest performance, just as much as I am."Relational safety, properly understood, is built on a shared, explicit common goal—the same standard of quality, the same drive, the same dedication to practice. Not affection."If you're a flutist and you haven't practiced, every person in the audience will hear it."FUZZY GOALS vs. MOTIVATIONAL GOALSOrganisations often run on fuzzy goals—"increase turnover by 10%." That's like telling an orchestra to finish five minutes early by playing faster. Nobody is moved by it.Motivational goals are about a meaningful outcome: electrifying the audience, leaving the customer completely wowed. When everyone is committed to it, everything changes.Underneath it: a commitment to practice. Musicians practice. Most managers wing it 80% of the time. That's why Bernhard built RolePlays.ai—a place for leaders to practice the difficult conversations.DIVERSITY: HACKMAN'S ORCHESTRA RESEARCHIn the 1980s, J. Richard Hackman of Harvard studied women in orchestras. At the time, many were all-male—the Vienna Philharmonic didn't admit women until US tour pressure forced the change.What Hackman found:Below 10% women: high turnover, mobbing, sexism. Women leave.Between 10% and 33%: a hard struggle.Around 33%: an equilibrium. Men and women playing together becomes natural. Sexism drops. Performance improves. Women stay. You can even hear it—diversity changes the sound.Not only a values argument: listed companies with diverse boards significantly outperform all-male ones.THE THREE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE GROWTH ZONETo bring a team into the growth zone—where breakthroughs happen—you need three things beyond relational safety: a shared, motivating sense of purpose; a genuine commitment to practice; and space for diversity.True for a 140-person orchestra. Equally true for a team of five.Jon Katzenbach put it well: what separates a high-performing team from a merely good one is that its members are committed to their own learning—and to each other's.REFERENCES:Dunbar, R. How Many Friends Does One Person Need?Hackman, J. R. Leading Teams.Katzenbach, J. R. The Wisdom of Teams.Agnes Was — Body Mind Music Lab (Instagram).LINKS: bernhardkerres.com | roleplays.ai#PsychologicalSafety #Orchestra #Leadership #Teams #Diversity
What does it actually look like to lead people through a crisis — not just manage operations, but truly show up for the humans involved? In this episode of Leading Through Crisis, host Céline Williams sits down with Tracy Nolan, a Fortune 50 Senior Executive and global Board Leader with deep expertise in regulated industries, including healthcare and telecommunications. Tracy has led through it all: the closure of 27 retail stores as the last executive standing, being on a plane landing at Newark on the morning of 9/11 while working for Verizon, and managing 14,000 Sprint employees through both COVID-19 and a simultaneous merger with T-Mobile. Her philosophy? Jump in (beyond the operational checklist, beyond what the job description says), and treat your people the way you'd want to be treated. In this conversation, Tracy shares: - Why most leaders fail at crisis communication (and what to do instead) - How she ran "no-canned-questions" listening sessions that changed the way her teams trusted her - The "CEO for a day" roundtable method she uses to stay connected to frontline reality - Why feedback is a gift, regardless of your title - A powerful trust exercise every leader should do with their team today If you're a leader, executive, or manager who wants to build an organization that can not only survive a crisis but thrive through one, this episode is essential listening. — Tracy Nolan is a Fortune 50 senior executive and global board leader with deep experience in regulated industries, including healthcare and telecommunications. She has overseen $6B+ in P&L's, led multi-billion dollar revenue transformations, and delivered sustainable value through M&A integrations, operating models redesigns, and risk-managed expansion. Tracy currently serves as Senior Vice President, where she leads the Insurance sales organization and distribution strategy. Tracy has recently been named to the 50/50 Women to Watch for Boards list and serves as the Board Secretary for Dress for Success Worldwide. She is an advocate dedicated to "Inspiring Leaders to Lift while they Climb." Connect with Tracy: tracynolan.com | LinkedIn: Tracy E. Nolan
Are leaders thinking big enough—and human enough—in the AI era? Explore how AI and technology shape the human experience with Kate O’Neill and guest Brian Solis, Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow. Discover the concept of cognitive Darwinism, AI transformation stories, leadership in the AI era, and how to drive growth while staying human-centric. Topics Covered:AI augmentation vs. automationCognitive Darwinism and self-awarenessCapacity and capability overhang in AI adoptionTransformation as a human storyPurposeful iteration vs. intentional innovationReturn on intelligence vs. return on ignoranceReskilling and workforce transformation case studies (IKEA & Walmart)Human-centric leadership and psychological safetyPersonal relationship with technology & digital attentionMind shifts required for future-ready leadership Connect with Brian SolisServiceNowLinkedInBrian Solis, Author at Workflow® Episode Chapters:00:04 Introduction & Guest Welcome01:00 Transformation as a Human Story02:24 The Human Story Leaders Miss in the AI Era03:06 AI's Anti-Human Trajectory & Cognitive Darwinism04:28 AI Tax and Brain Fry05:49 AIQ: Artificial vs. Augmented Intelligence Quotient09:16 Agentic AI & Process Reinvention11:11 Grand Strategy and Leadership Mindsets15:55 Mind Shifts and Self-Awareness17:18 Book Inspiration and Becoming a Leader of the Moment20:13 Unlearning Disruption Myths in Enterprise25:16 Innovation: Creating New Value26:59 Evaluating AI Use: Efficiency vs. Net New Value31:13 Psychological Safety and Human-Centric Leadership32:28 IKEA & Walmart: Augmentation and Reskilling Case Studies38:00 Personal Relationship with Technology & Life Scale41:48 Closing Thoughts: Questions for Embracing Change43:05 Episode Wrap-Up and Farewells
Cultivating a Culture of Truthlighting offers a path for workplaces to move away from practices that gaslight women and toward ones that build a culture grounded in truth, trust, and accountability that advance fair opportunities for women. In this episode, my guest, leadership and workplace culture consultant and author Dr. Falguni Shah, shares practical ways to recognize gaslighting, validate people's reality, and use “truthlighting” behaviors to create safer, more inclusive environments where people can thrive instead of constantly second-guessing themselves. This conversation is for anyone who senses something is “off” at work and wants language, clarity, and tools to drive real change. Some of what we talk about on this episode includes:The erosion of self-trust from workplace gaslightingShifting from “imposter syndrome” to impostor's ambitionCultivating truthlighting as a leadership and culture frameworkWhen it's time to leave and reclaim your purpose, confidence, and truth. Have thoughts or questions about this episode? Share them with me!Send me a voice memo: https://www.speakpipe.com/MindsetUnlimited CONNECT WITH FALGUNI:WEBSITEBUY THE BOOK: FROM GASLIGHTING TO TRUTHLIGHTINGMEDIA FEATURES BOOK FALGUNI TO SPEAK LINKEDIN INSTAGRAM FACEBOOKTIKTOK CONNECT WITH VALERIE:Ask Valerie (anonymous form)Sign up for Valerie's newsletterApply to be coached on the podcastSchedule an exploration call This podcast was produced by Valerie Friedlander CoachingProud member of the Feminist Podcasters CollectiveSend us Fan MailSupport the show
What You'll Learn in This Episode:In this special Lean Solutions Summit episode, Patrick Adams sits down with keynote speakers Richard Sheridan, Joe Dyer, and Jason Schroeder to discuss the summit theme: Better Together: People Plus Innovation.The conversation explores the growing role of AI, automation, and technology in today's organizations while emphasizing that sustainable success still depends on people, leadership, and culture. Each guest shares their perspective on innovation, explaining why human-centered leadership, respect for people, and continuous learning remain critical regardless of technological advancements.You'll hear insights on creating joyful workplace cultures, developing a stewardship mindset, and building organizations rooted in respect and stability. The speakers also discuss the importance of reducing fear during times of change, preparing future leaders, and creating environments where people can thrive alongside innovation.If you're curious about the future of leadership, Lean thinking, and how organizations can embrace innovation without losing their focus on people, this episode offers a powerful preview of the ideas and conversations that will take center stage at the Lean Solutions Summit.Key Takeaways:1. Innovation should enhance people—not replace them2. Great leadership requires stewardship, humility, and a commitment to developing others3. Respect, stability, and psychological safety are essential foundations for continuous improvement4. The future belongs to organizations that successfully combine technology, innovation, and human-centered leadershipLinks: Lean Solutions Summit Lean Solutions Website
In the latest episode of The Science of Personality, Ryne and Blake are joined by Melvyn Payne, Commercial Director at Advanced People Strategies, one of Hogan's fabulous distributors in the UK, to talk about finding the right balance between team engagement and psychological safety. More specifically, we look at the role personality plays through the lens of Hogan data. This is something Melvyn and his team at APS have made a priority recently as they continue to deliver best-in-class team solutions for their vast client portfolio.
What does strong leadership really look like in facility management? In this episode of Connected FM, host Wayne Whitzell welcomes Kathryn Lopez for a candid conversation on leadership, resilience and the human side of facility management. Drawing from decades of experience in global FM leadership, Kathryn shares lessons on staying calm under pressure, creating psychological safety for teams and developing people through mentorship and trust. She explains why great leaders “take the bullets and give the credit,” how mistakes can become growth opportunities and why empathy is essential in today's workplace. The conversation also explores how AI is beginning to transform facility management workflows, from streamlining communication to delivering faster operational insights. Wayne and Kathryn discuss the growing role of data, digital tools and “smart buildings” in attracting the next generation of facility management professionals into the industry. Whether you lead a global portfolio, manage an in-house FM team or are growing into leadership for the first time, this episode offers practical insights on building trust, navigating challenges and leading with humanity. This episode is sponsored by SiteMap®, powered by GPRS. Learn more at sitemap.com/ifma Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:17 Global FM Reality Check 03:20 IFMA Roots and Impact 04:30 Staying Calm Under Fire 07:30 Smoke Jumper Problem Solver 10:02 Psychological Safety in Leadership 15:17 Mentorship Mistakes Growth 18:31 Ad Break 18:59 Empathy Versus Dictatorship 20:39 AI That Actually Helps 22:39 Attracting the Next Gen 26:14 Kindness and Empathy 29:06 Closing Thanks and Outro Connect with Us:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ifmaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalFacilityManagementAssociation/Twitter: https://twitter.com/IFMAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ifma_hq/YouTube: https://youtube.com/ifmaglobalVisit us at https://ifma.org
What changes when we lead with trauma sensitivity? Trauma is far more common than most realize, affecting at least 70% of people, and its hidden residue frequently drives workplace conflict through survival mechanisms like freezing or fawning. Through trauma sensitivity, leaders can look past superficial personality clashes, avoid replicating past injuries, and proactively cultivate structural safety where everyone can safely show up and do their best work. On this episode of Just One Q, Dominique chats with workplace human rights lawyer, consultant, and author Adriana Leigh about her book, Trauma Sensitivity at Work. They break down how common stress responses manifest in everyday team dynamics, differentiate a checkbox “informed” approach from genuine sensitivity, and discuss practical strategies like “meeting hygiene”. Learn how leaders can prioritize emotional regulation to build more humane, supportive, and highly effective workplace cultures. Keep Up with Adriana: https://algconsulting.ca/ Try Learning Snippets: https://dialectic.solutions/signup Contact Us to Be a Guest on Just One Q: https://dialectic.solutions/podcast-guest
What it takes to lead as a communicator and communicate as a leader.Leadership isn't just about making decisions — it's about how you communicate them. As Matt Abrahams puts it, “Communication is operationalized leadership.”At a recent Me2We event, in connection with Stanford GSB's Executive Education LEAD program, Abrahams held a live discussion with four of the podcast's most popular guests: Celine Teoh, facilitator of the GSB's famous Interpersonal Dynamics course; Huggy Rao, organizational behavior professor and co-author of The Friction Project; legendary Stanford basketball coach Tara VanDerveer; and Dave Dodson, lecturer and author of The Manager's Handbook.In this special live episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the panel shares frameworks and lessons for leading and communicating more effectively. From Teoh's five A's for inviting dissent to Rao's warning against “jargon monoxide,” from VanDerveer's relationship-first approach to Dodson's case for leading like a teacher, this conversation explores what it takes to communicate as a leader — and lead as a communicator.Episode Reference Links:Celine TeohTara VanDerveerHuggy RaoHuggy's Book: The Friction ProjectDavid DodsonDavid's Book: The Manager's HandbookEp.194 Live Lessons in Levity and Leadership: Me2We 2025 Part 1 Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn Chapters:(00:00) - Introduction (04:18) - Encouraging Dissent (06:40) - The Addition Bias (09:57) - Coaching Through Encouragement (12:12) - Leadership in the AI Era (16:24) - Teaching vs. Managing (17:46) - Making People Feel Appreciated (19:06) - Slowing Down Decisions (21:24) - Listening More (24:24) - Avoiding Jargon (26:31) - Giving Better Feedback (28:53) - Preparing for Communication (29:44) - Using Communication Frameworks (31:15) - Skills for Future Leaders (37:47) - Conclusion
Tyler Chisholm is a CEO, author, speaker, and podcast host who shows leaders that curiosity isn't optional — it's the edge that builds trust and drives growth.Early in his career, Tyler Chisholm believed leaders had to know it all. The smartest in the room. The clearest voice. The one with the answers.But when the weight of certainty started breaking both plans and people, he discovered a better way: curiosity.As co-founder and CEO of clearmotive for over 15 years, host of two long-running podcasts, and author of Curious as Hell, Tyler has built his career on that lesson. Across boardrooms, interviews, and keynote stages, he shows leaders how asking better questions builds stronger teams, sharper decisions, and results that last.Connect with Tyler:Website: https://www.tylerchisholm.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerchisholm/Additional Resources:"Curious As Hell" by Tyler Chisholm on AmazonListen to the Podcast, subscribe, leave a rating and a review:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-power-of-curiosity-why-leaders-must-be-curious/id1614151066?i=1000770523862 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RsXXoexnZ9BW9fnyd8DuX?si=E0HFDldlTcaaSU7w5u1ZvA YouTube: https://youtu.be/lQ2BSfMhi9k
Nuts and Bolts editor Dr. Jerri Rose interviews Dr. Suzanne Friedman on how educators can establish good psychological safety for medical student and resident learners. This piece is a companion to the two page primer available online at Academic Pediatrics: https://www.academicpedsjnl.net/article/S1876-2859(25)00422-X/ Send this episode out to your colleagues and senior residents and let us know cosimini@ohsu.edu what other nuts and bolts episodes you would like covered on the podcast.
Sometimes what feels like “chemistry” is actually familiarity with chaos.
Last week: Timothy Clark's four stages of psychological safety. This week: what they're missing.Most teams that believe they have psychological safety are stuck in a place where everything looks safe but nothing moves.TWO DIMENSIONS, NOT ONEPsychological safety has two distinct dimensions. Most frameworks address only one.Relational safety: How safe do team members feel with each other? Can they be candid, vulnerable, direct?Environmental safety: How safe does the environment feel? Familiar room, known routines, predictable structures.These two axes create four zones.ZONE 1 — THE DANGER ZONE (low / low)Toxic environment, hostile colleagues, chaotic, no trust. Individual: leave. Leader: act now.ZONE 2 — THE PSEUDO SAFETY ZONE (high environmental / low relational)The trap most "psychologically safe" teams are actually in.Everything looks fine. Names on doors. Clear meeting structures. Everyone knows the systems. But nobody addresses conflict, nobody has the hard conversations, nobody pushes."It's an area where we feel okay, but nothing gets done in a way that moves the needle. Most people have already signed out—within themselves."ZONE 3 — THE CRUISING ZONE (high / high)Clear structure, trusted colleagues, hard conversations possible, listening genuine. Aim to be here 60–70% of the time.But the big steps don't happen here.ZONE 4 — THE GROWTH ZONE: THE FIFTH STAGE (low environmental / high relational)Breakthroughs only happen when you deliberately remove environmental safety—and the relational safety is strong enough to hold the team together without it.Warren Bennis, in Organizing Genius, showed this with case after case. Breakthrough innovation happens when small teams of people who trust each other are taken outside the big company and thrown into a garage. They no longer care about environmental safety. They are too deep in the work.When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, he took his most trusted engineers to a different building and raised a pirate flag. Inside the original Macintosh, the engineers' signatures are moulded into the metal—where nobody could see them. They didn't need anyone to.HIGH-PERFORMING TEAMS DON'T LASTJon Katzenbach (The Wisdom of Teams): high-performing teams exist for days, weeks, sometimes months. Never years."I ask leadership teams: what kind of team are you? They say: a high-performing team. I say: for how long? And what for?"The Fifth Stage is the same. You go there for the breakthrough, then return to the Cruising Zone to recover. Then, if needed, go again.THE TRAINING INTERVENTIONA five-day leadership course for consultants. The first two days deliberately build both kinds of safety—familiar room, breakout structures, personal stories, shared meals.Wednesday morning: participants arrive to find the room destroyed. Everything overturned. Death metal at full volume."Most teams aren't ready. They run around like headless chickens. Some set up a desk and start working alone. Some go for another coffee. Rarely does the whole team come together, clean up, and start the morning themselves."The exercise tests one thing: when environmental safety is gone, is relational safety strong enough to hold?THE TAKEAWAYNo breakthrough happens in the same environment a team has always worked in. To unlock innovation, transformation, or change, environmental safety has to come down—but only after relational safety has been deliberately built.Build the Cruising Zone first. Visit the Fifth Stage when the breakthrough is required. Return.REFERENCES:Clark, T. R. The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety.Edmondson, A. The Fearless Organization.Bennis, W. Organizing Genius.Katzenbach, J. R. The Wisdom of Teams.LINKS: bernhardkerres.com | roleplays.ai#FifthStage #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #Teams #Coaching
A surgeon hurls a scalpel across theatre. It clatters off the wall. Nobody looks up. Twenty minutes later he's in the tearoom offering everyone a biscuit, and someone shrugs: "That's just him when he's stressed."If you've worked in veterinary practice for any length of time, you've got your own version of that story - maybe a bit less dramatic, but still things that completely destroy psychological safety. This episode is about that stuff, and the new psychosocial safety laws now rolling out across Australia that say plainly: no, actually, that's not acceptable. To make sense of what that looks like on a normal Tuesday in a normal practice, you'll hear from psychologist Rhonda Andrews, who works across high-pressure industries - emergency departments, the courts, and the veterinary profession - and who has spent years watching them all wrestle with the same problem: people breaking. This conversation is not about “just be more resilient”, but about systems. Rhonda makes a genuinely good-news case that these laws aren't more bureaucracy to dread - they're the push our profession has needed all along.You'll hear Why the things you've always filed under "just part the job" might now legally count as a psychological workplace injury - with consequences attachedThe myth spreading fastest right now - that bosses can no longer have an honest performance conversation - and why that's flatly wrong What the new psychosocial safety laws actually require of you as a practice ownerWhy this a team problem, not just something for management to sort outWhy "workload" is almost never the real problem - and the thing breaking your team underneath it that owners consistently missThe one shift available to everyone in the building - whatever their title - that changes culture without a single policy changeA note: this is the second in a small psych-safety miniseries. If you haven't heard Episode 158 with Dr Rebecca Faris on the AVA Thrive programme, start there for the bigger picture.Resources:Barrington Centre - Rhonda's psychosocial safety seminars (two online sessions, plus an in-person Melbourne day) and the Vet ECM training programmes for owners, leaders, and new supervisors: barringtoncentre.comFor show notes, clinical content and the newsletter head to thevetvault.com, and come find your people at a Vets On Tour conference - email me at info@thevetvault.com to find out about our new-grad 50% discount for Wānaka inAugust.Topics and time stamps04:52 Rising Mental Health Claims08:41 Mythbusting Owners Fears10:37 Defining Psychological Safety12:37 Vets Staying in Bad Jobs14:28 Sponsor Break Vets On Tour16:03 Systems vs Individual Responsibility19:35 Burnout Stats and Human Cost21:17 Who Can Influence Culture?22:46 Is Vet Work Uniquely Hard?24:05 Human Sector Parallels29:15 Business Model Reality Check30:18 ROI of Retention32:20 Psychosocial Safety Laws37:34 Workload and Rostering Fixes42:44 Leadership and Being Heard45:27 From Blame to Pathways50:27 Training Programs and Teams52:58 Myth Busting Performance Reviews54:27 Final Takeaways
Retrospectives are supposed to help teams improve, but for many teams they slowly become rushed, repetitive, or skipped altogether. In this episode, Brian Milner and Cort Sharp unpack why retrospectives lose their value and what Scrum Masters and leaders can do to make them useful again. Overview When a team stops engaging in retrospectives, it is usually a symptom of something deeper. Sometimes the format has become stale. Sometimes the team no longer feels safe being honest. And sometimes the biggest issue is that retrospectives create plenty of discussion but very little meaningful change. In this conversation, Brian and Cort explore the most common reasons retrospectives begin to fail and how teams can rebuild trust in the process. They discuss the importance of psychological safety, why teams should focus on fewer actions instead of trying to fix everything at once, and how Scrum Masters can better tailor retrospectives to the personalities and working styles of their teams. They also share practical ideas for making retrospectives more engaging, more actionable, and more valuable over time. References and resources mentioned in the show: Cort Sharp Amy Edmonson, Psychological Safety #139: The Retrospective Reset with Cort Sharp #141: Cooking Up a Killer Retrospective with Brian Milner The Empirical Retrospective Approach by Mike Cohn Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we'd love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you'd like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode's presenters are: Brian Milner is a Certified Scrum Trainer®, Certified Scrum Professional®, Certified ScrumMaster®, and Certified Scrum Product Owner®, and host of the Agile Mentors Podcast training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Cort Sharp is the Scrum Master of the producing team and the Agile Mentors Community Manager. In addition to his love for Agile, Cort is also a serious swimmer and has been coaching swimmers for five years.
Psychological Safety at Work with Joseph M. Sisk, MD, FAAP
In Part Two of Clint's conversation with Wes Adams – Founder & CEO of SV Consulting Group, researcher at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center, and co-author of “Meaningful Work” – Wes breaks down what actually creates high-performing teams and why trust, psychological safety, and communication matter more than most leaders realize.Wes explains how great teams encourage diverse ideas, why leaders need to create environments where people feel safe sharing bad news early, and how collaboration improves when teams adopt a “yes, and” mindset instead of shutting ideas down. He also discusses the importance of values-based hiring, intentional onboarding, and how organizations can build stronger cultures by aligning leadership behavior with company values.The conversation also explores the future of meaningful work in the age of AI, and why human skills like empathy, adaptability, strategic thinking, and communication are becoming more valuable, not less.This is the second part of a two-part conversation.Topics Covered:Why psychological safety drives team performanceThe connection between trust and accountabilityHow leaders create environments where people feel safe speaking upWhy teams perform better when diverse ideas are welcomedLessons leaders can learn from improv and the “yes, and” mindsetEncouraging participation from quieter or introverted team membersThe importance of equal airtime in meetingsWhy remote and hybrid teams require more intentional communicationHow to respond productively during conflict and disagreementThe PEAR model for handling difficult conversationsWhy character and values matter more than raw talent when hiringThe long-term impact of onboarding and first impressionsUsing positive feedback to reinforce high performanceHow meaningful work influences accountability and collaborationThe role of AI in reshaping work and leadershipWhy human skills are becoming even more valuable in an AI-driven worldLinks:Wes' LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesadams1/ Wes' book, “Meaningful Work” - https://amzn.to/430EmSa
Donna Hicks spent three decades at the world's hardest conflict tables and found one hidden injury beneath them all: a violation of human dignity. From the Middle East to Northern Ireland, she watched negotiations stall not over policy, but over something no one in the room had named. This episode is the word that changed everything, and the model she built around it.Dr Donna Hicks, author of Leading with Dignity and Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, spent her career as a third party in unofficial diplomacy across the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Colombia and Northern Ireland. She co-facilitated the BBC series Facing the Truth alongside Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and her earlier book, Dignity, reshaped how the world understands conflict, connection and leadership. This one runs close to home for me. As a young boy from a Pied-Noir family — French people of European origin who had left Algeria after its independence — newly arrived in Nice, I was once told by a schoolmate to “get out of here.” I came home devastated. My father's answer, that I should be proud of where I came from and that I had something real to give, was dignity restored long before either of us had a word for it.In our conversation, we explore: → Why respect is earned but dignity is not, and how leaders who confuse the two quietly damage their teams → The ten elements of dignity, and the single one that 80% of employees say is violated most at work → What happened when the BBC sat victims and perpetrators face to face, and why healing did not require forgiveness → Why Donna now teaches dignity to eight-year-olds, and her advice to young leaders entering a harder world → Mandela consciousness: the three connections that rebuild dignity in any team, family or boardroom"I don't believe we need to find common ground. I believe we need to find higher ground." - Dr Donna Hicks, Harvard UniversityIf you have ever watched a meeting derail over something that was never really about the agenda, this conversation hands you the missing word, and a practical model for what to do next.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:In this episode, Patrick Adams welcomes back Beth Carrington to explore the difference between simply executing action plans and developing true scientific thinking through Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata.Beth shares her journey from the automotive industry into Lean transformation work and explains how discovering Toyota Kata fundamentally changed her approach to leadership and continuous improvement. The conversation breaks down why organizations often over-rely on rigid action plans and how experimentation creates better long-term learning and adaptability.You'll learn how leaders can use simple coaching routines, PDCA cycles, and reflection questions to help teams think more scientifically, solve problems more effectively, and stay focused on outcomes rather than just completing tasks. Beth also explains why AI and emerging technologies make experimentation and scientific thinking even more important in today's business environment.If you've ever struggled with teams becoming too task-focused or wondered how to build a stronger culture of learning and experimentation, this episode provides practical tools and frameworks to help you get started.Key Takeaways:Action plans alone can limit learning and adaptabilityScientific thinking is built through experimentation, reflection, and coachingPsychological safety is essential for teams to admit uncertainty and learnAI and emerging technologies increase the need for experimental thinking and continuous learningLinks:Kata Matters WebsiteBeth Carrington LinkedInLean Solutions Summit Lean Solutions Website
Emanuele Mazzanti is a day one rule-breaker. When he moved to EY Italy, his boss asked to be called "Dottore." He noticed the distance being created and suggested, politely, that they drop the formalities and just use first names. Surprisingly, the answer was yes.That's a pattern he kept running into. Different countries and roles but the same kind of distance disguised as formality to keep things simple and boost performance. In consultancy, where everyone is climbing the same ladder, connection becomes a liability as only one person can move up at a time.The irony is that the performance everyone's after lives exactly in the connection they've learned to avoid. That's the space Emanuele keeps moving towards for nearly two decades. Sometimes the barriers are pushed and sometimes they push him. His solution? Love - the deepest form of connection.Emanuele firmly believes that love belongs at work and is a core leadership trait and nothing will inspire people to do and be their best at work like feeling loved.Links to learn more about Emanuele Mazzanti:LinkedInAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/
So much has been written about psychological safety. This is a different angle—practical, tool-driven, and building toward something new.Amy Edmondson gave us the concept. Timothy Clark made it practical with four stages. Bernhard walks through all four—and the tools to actually build them—before introducing his own fifth stage next week.STAGE 1 — INCLUSION SAFETYDo people feel they belong? It sounds trivial. It isn't."At a football match, they separate the fans into zones—because there is no inclusion safety. In leadership trainings, I look at the shoes. Fifty percent wear white sneakers. There's the white sneakers club."Inclusion shows up in signs, clothing, and above all language. Bernhard describes a dinner where a comment meant to support a female colleague backfired—because it framed her as "female versus us" rather than simply one of the team.STAGE 2 — LEARNER SAFETYCan people admit they don't understand?"I teach at universities, and regularly I find out by accident that people didn't understand the concept—because they didn't dare ask."In high-charged groups—senior executives, consultants—nobody admits confusion. The leader's job: build a feedback loop so you know whether people actually learned, and make asking a question feel essential rather than embarrassing.STAGE 3 — CONTRIBUTOR SAFETYCan people contribute—and are they actually heard?"From hundreds of coaching sessions: women in male-dominated teams are normally not listened to. The strangest thing? Their feedback says 'you should contribute more.' But they do. Nobody listens."Two tools:First, before discussion, give everyone two minutes to think. The fast talkers drown out the careful thinkers otherwise. Set a timer, then go around the table—and as leader, speak last. (John Katzenbach's wisdom of teams: the moment you speak, everyone aligns to you.)Second, after the first round, each person must build on the previous person's idea—not add their own. It forces real listening and takes the conversation deeper.STAGE 4 — CHALLENGER SAFETYCan people challenge you—and you not take it personally?"When senior executives say 'I welcome the challenge'—boy, they don't. Challenger safety is one of the hardest levels to reach, because so many of us take a challenge personally."The tool: propose an idea, then go around the table—everyone must challenge it. No exceptions, even if you love it.For bigger groups, an adapted Disney method: split into visionaries, realists, and pessimists. Each subgroup challenges every idea from their assigned role, regardless of what they personally think. Then rotate. The role gives people permission to challenge—and the idea gets dramatically better.THE THROUGH-LINE:"We can't take the four stages for granted. We need tools to build and grow them. Use them—don't assume they're already there."NEXT WEEK — THE FIFTH STAGE:"I'll take this a step further to the fifth stage—a concept I came up with over the last couple of weeks."REFERENCES:Edmondson, A. The Fearless Organization.Clark, T. R. The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety.Katzenbach, J. & Smith, D. The Wisdom of Teams.LINKS: bernhardkerres.com | roleplays.ai#PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #Teams #Coaching #Edmondson
On this week's episode of Do Good to Lead Well, I am joined by Kevin Ford, the former CEO of Calian, whose track record as a transformational CEO sets the stage for a candid exploration of what really drives lasting personal and business success.We start by asking the question: Are authenticity and transparency more critical than ever in the age of AI? Our answer is a resounding ‘yes.' We continue the conversation by exploring how the ATP trifecta—authenticity, transparency, and positivity—became the defining factor behind Kevin's award-winning tenure as CEO.Our discussion moves beyond buzzwords, tackling real questions: How do you lead authentically even when you don't have all the answers? How does transparency foster trust and spark breakthrough thinking? And why does a leader's positive energy ripple through teams, especially in uncertain times?Packed with fresh perspectives and memorable stories, this conversation is essential listening for leaders and aspiring leaders looking to create thriving, rather than surviving, cultures. If you want to future-proof your leadership, build high-trust organizations, and learn how positivity can become your secret competitive edge, listen in to learn the tools and strategies that bring the ATP model to life for you.What You'll Learn- The Power of Authentic Leadership.- Transparency as a Catalyst for Engagement.- Positivity as the Secret Sauce. - Building Trust in an Ai-Driven world.- Embracing Vulnerability for Growth.- Practical Ways to Become an ATP Leader.Podcast Timestamps(00:00) - Setting the Stage (02:38) - Defining ATP: Authenticity, Transparency, Positivity(03:13) - Personal Reflections on Legacy and Feedback(04:19) - Maintaining Core Values Amidst Public Company Pressures(05:16) - Exploring Authenticity: What It Means and Why It Matters(08:57) - Trust as a Foundation: Authenticity and Transparency in Practice(10:02) - Transparency: Challenges and Benefits for Modern Leaders(11:18) - The Power of ‘Thinking Out Loud'(14:16) - The Downside of Command-and-Control Leadership(15:37) - Positivity as Secret Sauce: Leading Through Uncertainty(16:58) - Controlling How You Show Up: Practical Positivity(18:06) - Avoiding Negativity: Energy and Team Dynamics(21:30) - Community Call-to-Action: Living and Leading ATPKEYWORDSPositive Leadership, Authenticity, Transparency, Positivity, Leading Through AI/Disruption, Business Growth, Engaged Culture, Acquisitions, Public Company, Building Trust, ‘Think Out Loud' Sessions, Workplace Culture, Personal Reflection, Legacy, Growth Mindset, Reframing, Employee Feedback, Positive Mindset, Resilience, Human Connection, Psychological Safety, Self-Awareness, CEO Success
EPISODE SUMMARY I grew up in a household where complaining wasn't tolerated. My immigrant parents had a simple philosophy: others always have it worse, be grateful, and suck it up. My older sister even had a name for complainers: windy whiners. So naturally, I became a "suck it up" leader. What followed was a distrust cycle I didn't see coming, and then an overcorrection that cost me something different. This episode is about both mistakes, what I learned from each, and how I finally found the balance between high warmth and high expectations. TAKEAWAYS Your leadership default isn't your personality. It's the emotional blueprint you inherited as a kid. Silence isn't peace. When people don't feel safe bringing problems forward, you don't get fewer problems. You get late ones, with excuses attached. Empathy without accountability isn't kindness. It's just a different kind of letting people down. The overcorrection is its own failure. The ARC Method breaks the cycle. Ask what people actually need. Respect what you hear. Connect it to real action and real standards. THIS WEEK'S GOOD VIBE TO GO The WNBA season starts this weekend and it is going to be a great, historic one. Catch yourself up by watching this video. I'll be cheering for the Chicago Sky.
In this episode of The Team Engagement Podcast, host Shawn Richards speaks with Sue Schuster, Executive at Bizfi.io, about leadership, stress management, and psychological safety.Sue explains how leaders can create healthier and more productive environments by reducing unnecessary stress, encouraging growth, and modeling balanced leadership.What you'll learn:• Why leadership behavior shapes psychological safety • How reducing stress improves team performance • Why continuous growth matters in leadership • The role of emotional wellness in sustainable success • Leadership lessons learned through teamwork and responsibilityConnect with Sue: Website: https://bizfi.io
Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews leadership consultant Minette Norman about psychological safety and her co-authored book, The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers. Norman defines psychological safety as the belief that in a group you can ask questions, make mistakes, and voice differing views without embarrassment, exclusion, or repercussions, and contrasts it with environments where people agree publicly but dissent privately. They discuss high-stakes consequences of low psychological safety (healthcare errors, the Challenger disaster), organizational costs (reduced innovation and performance, increased burnout and disengagement, reputation management and groupthink), and links to inclusion and hearing from introverts and neurodivergent thinkers. Norman shares practical leadership actions such as redesigning meetings, inviting dissent, asking “What am I missing?”, admitting mistakes, using blameless learning after failures, and sustaining safety through mutual respect; she highlights “the power of the pause” to respond thoughtfully when triggered.00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched00:27 Why Safety Matters03:15 Defining Psychological Safety05:00 Real World Stakes06:47 How the Book Happened11:37 What It Is Not15:19 The Hidden Costs21:35 Reputation and Inner Circles23:34 Building It Day by Day30:57 Inclusive Meetings for All36:51 Top Practices to Try39:30 The Power of the Pause43:07 Final TakeawaysHelpful Links:Minette NormanMinette Norman LinkedInMinette Norman InstagramThe Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers Book
What happens when doing the right thing costs money, creates tension, or slows results? Tara Shewchuk, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Privacy, Integrity, and Compliance Officer at Medtronic, pulls back the curtain on what ethical leadership actually looks like inside a global company where decisions can impact millions of lives. You'll hear how leaders navigate pressure, disagreement, and uncertainty while staying grounded in values that guide both business and patient care. Tara shares powerful real-world examples of principled leadership in action, including Medtronic's decision to open source ventilator technology during the pandemic, the systems they use to strengthen speak-up culture across global teams, and the daily leadership behaviors that build trust over time. This conversation goes far beyond compliance and policies. It's about how leaders create cultures where integrity becomes part of how people think, decide, and act every day. You'll discover:Why ethical culture must be intentionally built every day How leaders create safety for people to speak up What Medtronic did when profit conflicted with patient care How ethics circles strengthen decision-making across teams Why authenticity and vulnerability make leaders strongerConnect with Tara Shewchuk on Social MediaLinkedIn WebsiteTara's employer, Medtronic Check out all the episodesLeave a review on Apple PodcastsConnect with Meredith on LinkedIn
Minette Norman is an award-winning author, speaker, and leadership consultant who previously spent decades leading global technical teams in the Silicon Valley software industry and realized that we needed a new, more human model of leadership. Mike Petrusky asks Minette about her new book, "The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers: Transform Your Workplace Culture" and what motivated she and he co-author, Dr. Karolin Helbig, to write it. They explore how innovation thrives in a team environment where psychological safety allows open, respectful debate and diverse ideas to flourish. Minette says that anyone can be a changemaker and encourages us all to positively influence workplace culture through small, deliberate actions that create ripple effects. Successful change management prioritizes the human side of change by listening to concerns, anticipating impact, and fostering inclusion to reduce resistance, so the book offers practical strategies for addressing skepticism. Curiosity and open-minded listening are essential leadership qualities, so Mike and Minette offer the encouragement and inspiration you need to be a Workplace Innovator in your organization! Connect with Minette on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minettenorman/ Buy Minette's new book "The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers": https://thepsychologicalsafetyplaybook.com/the-psychological-safety-playbook-for-changemakers/ Learn more about Minette: https://www.minettenorman.com/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSkmmkVFvM4H3pwnlU2AuqynuRDpvnh4J Discover free resources and explore past interviews at: https://eptura.com/discover-more/podcasts/workplace-innovator/ Learn more about Eptura™: https://eptura.com/ Connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepetrusky/
Cathey Armillas built her career the way most people are told not to. She doesn't separate what she loves from what she sells. Her sneaker collection became a filter for clients. Her obsession with waterfalls became a corporate training product. Her decades as a competitive softball pitcher became her coaching methodology. Her background in marketing psychology became her speaking framework.She coaches TED speakers and executives to do the same. To stop becoming a flatter version of themselves the moment they walk into a professional space, and to trust that what makes them recognisable outside of work is exactly what will make them land inside it.She has a name for what happens when people don't believe who they are is enough: voice masking. Her argument is that the moment an audience senses someone performing instead of connecting, they stop listening. Not consciously. Viscerally. And no amount of memorisation fixes that.We talked about the wall we are told to build between our personal and professional lives, and why Cathey's career is a case for replacing the bricks with glass so you can see what's on the other side and decide what's worth bringing through.Links to learn more about Cathey Armillas:WebsiteLinkedInSpeaker Skills AcademyAny thoughts? Share them with us!Support the show✨✨✨If you miss the "workshops work" podcast, join us on Substack, where Myriam builds a Podcast Club with monthly gatherings around old episodes: https://myriamhadnes.substack.com/
Back in 2006, The Devil Wears Prada introduced audiences to one of cinema's most iconic workplace bosses: Miranda Priestly. At the time, her leadership style -demanding, authoritarian and often toxic - felt strangely familiar to many people working in corporate environments. But nearly twenty years later, workplace culture has changed dramatically, and we see that play out in cinemas at the moment with the movie's sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2. In this episode of The HR Room Podcast, hosts Dave Corkery and Mary Cullen are joined by Insight HR consultants Aoife Dolan and Joe Redmond, to explore how The Devil Wears Prada and its sequel reflect the evolution of leadership, workplace expectations and employee rights over the past two decades. Guests • Aoife Dolan — HR Consultant, Insight HR • Joe Redmond — HR Consultant, Insight HR Topics include: • How The Devil Wears Prada reflects workplace culture in 2006 versus today • Miranda Priestly's leadership style and the evolution of toxic workplace behaviours • Generational shifts in expectations around work-life balance, wellbeing and psychological safety • The impact of social media, Glassdoor and public WRC decisions on employer reputation • Why employees today are more willing to raise grievances and speak up about toxic behaviour • The relationship between pressure, burnout and workplace conflict • The importance of psychological safety in creating healthy, high-performing workplaces Key Takeaways for HR Leaders • Toxic leadership styles may still exist — but employees are increasingly willing to challenge them. • Psychological safety and dignity at work are now essential expectations, not optional extras. • Generational shifts are changing attitudes toward work-life balance, wellbeing and leadership. • Organisations that ignore toxic behaviour risk reputational damage, retention issues and increased complaints. • High performance should never excuse bullying, harassment or inappropriate conduct. • Employer reputation is more exposed than ever through social media, Glassdoor reviews and public WRC cases. • HR teams play a critical role in coaching leaders, addressing poor behaviour and shaping healthy cultures. Referenced Episodes and Resources • Episode 263 — Generational Differences in the Workplace with Dr Mary Collins • Episode 261 — Neurodiversity & Psychological Safety in the Workplace • Workplace Bullying Webinar featuring Adrian Twomey • Insight HR Workplace Investigations Get in Touch If you're not already following us on LinkedIn, please do. If you have suggestions for future episodes, or if you'd like to join us as a guest, reach out to Dave Corkery at dcorkery@insighthr.ie or connect with him on LinkedIn. About The HR Room Podcast The HR Room Podcast is brought to you by Insight HR — where we speak with HR leaders, experts and practitioners across Ireland about the issues shaping the world of work today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please share it with colleagues or friends and leave us a review. We love to hear your feedback, we take requests, and we're always here to support you with your HR challenges. Immediate HR support
Neurodivergence, Feedback & Psychological Safety at Work (Dear Dyslexic Podcast)This episode of the Dear Dyslexic podcast explores how feedback and workplace practices can impact neurodivergent people, including those with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism, particularly when feedback feels overly critical or triggering due to past experiences. The conversation focuses on the role of great leadership in giving feedback privately and safely, discussing practical adjustments like changing red markup colors and reframing “feedback” as “advice.” It also covers how constant check-ins can raise anxiety and suggests creating adult-adult relationships where employees have permission to speak up about what works for them. The guest emphasizes the importance of training leaders in psychological, social, and emotional dynamics and neurodivergence, linking psychological safety to improved productivity and business outcomes, alongside growing legal and regulatory obligations in Australia.00:00 Welcome to Dear Dyslexic00:33 Feedback and RSD02:13 Better Ways to Give Feedback03:54 Advice Not Feedback04:20 Checking In Without Anxiety06:05 Adult Adult Leadership07:27 Training Leaders on Neurodiversity10:11 Business Case and Compliance12:22 Wrap Up and Next Episode15:19 Resources and Sign Off
Ein CEO lässt 800 Mitarbeitende eine halbe Stunde warten, weil er noch beim Mittagessen sitzt. Dann setzt er sich auf seinen Chefstuhl in die erste Reihe. Und dann – darf der Redner anfangen. Hochstatus? Oder einfach nur daneben? Hallo bei "Positiv Führen"! In dieser zweiten Folge meines Gesprächs mit Vaya Wieser-Weber und Ralf Schmitt von den Impulspiloten geht es um genau diese Frage: Was ist guter Hochstatus – und wo kippt er ins Dysfunktionale oder gar Toxische? Was verraten Tempo, Raum und Körpersprache über Führung? Und warum ist „Status Awareness“ vielleicht das unterschätzteste Führungstool überhaupt? Vaya zeigt, wie sie Frauen im Management mit kleinen Statusgesten zu mehr Standing coacht. Ralf erklärt, warum Fuckup Nights die Fehlerkultur revolutionieren können. Und wir machen live eine Impro-Übung, die ihr sofort mit eurem Team ausprobieren könnt. Außerdem: Warum echte Veränderung kein Workshop ist, sondern ein Prozess. Wieso das Wort „Experiment“ mehr bewirkt als „Projekt“. Und warum eine Kultur zu verändern mindestens drei Jahre dauert – egal, was der CEO sich wünscht. „Langsam gehen, langsam sprechen, sich Raum und Zeit nehmen – damit kann man eine Menge ausrichten.“ – Vaya Wieser-Weber
High-stakes sales puts pressure on the mind before it tests the deal strategy. Reps and leaders have to stay present through judgment, rejection, complex stakeholders, and the weight of the number. Dr. Michael Gervais joins John Kaplan and John McMahon to unpack FOPO, the fear of other people's opinions, and its impact on executive presence, listening, trust, and decision-making. Drawing from his work with Olympians, world champions, Fortune 100 leaders, and elite teams, Dr. Gervais explains how mental skills like awareness, breathing, self-talk, imagery, and honest team dynamics help people operate with more clarity under pressure. The conversation brings performance psychology into the realities of enterprise sales, where long cycles, executive buyers, and high-consequence conversations demand discipline before the moment arrives. Dr. Michael Gervais is a performance psychologist, the founder of Finding Mastery, host of the Finding Mastery podcast, co-creator of the Performance Science Institute at the University of Southern California, and author of The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What People Think of You. He has worked with Olympians, world champions, MMA fighters, Fortune 100 CEOs, and elite teams to help them train their minds for high-pressure performance. Connect with Dr. Gervais: Website Podcast IG Facebook LinkedIn Resources mentioned: Dr. Michael Gervais' Morning Mindset Routine The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What Other People Think of You by Michael Gervais, PhD Rethinking Success: Eight Essential Practices for Finding Meaning in Work and Life by J. Douglas Holladay Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella Key takeaways from this episode: 00:00 – Why FOPO quietly turns high-stakes sales conversations into moments of self-protection. 06:32 – A look inside the brain pattern that pulls leaders away from listening when presence matters most. 19:47 – What it really takes to tell the difference between useful pressure and activation that disrupts execution. 25:42 – Why elite performers treat mental training as a discipline, not a reaction to pressure. 41:18 – How rehearsing adversity helps leaders stay composed when the moment starts to break pattern. 48:20 – What leaders often overlook about the trust required for honest challenge on high-performing teams. 56:34 – Why psychological skill development is becoming part of how serious organizations prepare their people. Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results. This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale. Connect with Us: LinkedInYouTubeForce Management
In this episode, Dr. Shari Simpson speaks with Madeline Kipperman, Human Resource Leader at Gorilla Glue, about the importance of leading with humanity in the workplace. They discuss how compassion and transparency can enhance leadership effectiveness, especially in high-pressure environments. Listeners will learn practical strategies for fostering trust and psychological safety among team members. • Understand the role of metrics in fostering conversations rather than just evaluating performance. • Recognize the importance of having difficult conversations with clarity and compassion. • Learn how to model humane leadership behaviors on the production floor. • Discover actionable steps to build trust when it is low among team members. • Identify the key elements that the next generation of employees seek in leadership. Timestamps: 00:00 -- Introduction to the episode and guest 00:52 -- The importance of leading with humanity 01:54 -- Metrics: helpful or harmful in leadership? 03:14 -- Example of leading with humanity vs. without 08:08 -- Coaching managers for difficult conversations 10:01 -- Leadership in high-pressure environments 12:09 -- Building trust and psychological safety 15:09 -- Transparency in communication with employees 18:02 -- What the next generation wants from leaders 19:17 -- Actionable steps for humane leadership Guest(s): Madeline Kipperman is a Human Resource Leader at Gorilla Glue. She specializes in HR strategy, workforce development, and leadership, bringing a frontline perspective to her role. Madeline has a strong commitment to fostering human potential in the workplace. Keywords: human leadership, workplace compassion, HR strategies, building trust, difficult conversations, employee engagement, metrics in HR, psychological safety, next generation workforce, leadership transparency
In this episode, we are sharing the Fully Flavored Business Podcast episode, in which co-founders Lace Flowers and Sutton McCraney welcome Sacha Thompson, a leadership development strategist and founder of the Equity Equation. Sacha shares her insights on building psychologically safe, high-performing workplace cultures and the importance of inclusion in organizational settings. She discusses her journey in the equity and inclusion space, highlighting the necessity of having willing participants for successful initiatives. Tune in to explore meaningful conversations around human-centered leadership and workplace culture, and discover how Sacha's work is making a difference in the community. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deiafter5.substack.com/subscribe
Dr. Sam is back and this time we chat about the impact of parents arguing in front of their kids, whether boredom is necessarily a bad thing, thoughts about toddlers and screens, the idea that the risk of tech-addiction is 'dose dependent', why letting kids experience a degree of risk, discomfort and uncertainty to build confidence, resilience and adaptability is okay, psychological safety vs. psychological flexibility and lots more. **Dr Sam Casey is a Registered Play Therapist, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, has a PhD in Psychology and has spent over twenty years working with children and families. She's also the founder of the Play Prescription® Method.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Susie Silver, CDE, joins Donald Thompson to make the ROI case for psychological safety, belonging, and people-first culture at scale." — used by Google Podcasts and podcast SEO toolsSummaryPsychological safety is not a perk — it is a performance strategy that drives measurable business results.In this episode, Donald Thompson sits down with his colleague and workplace consultant Susie Silver, a Certified Diversity Executive and Senior Consultant at the Workplace Options Center for Organizational Effectiveness. Drawing from her background in fine arts, education, and nearly two decades of consulting, Susie breaks down how the most successful organizations are the ones that treat human insight as a business asset, not an afterthought.Episode Long DescriptionIn this episode of High Octane Leadership, Donald Thompson and his colleague Susie Silver answer what people-first leadership actually means for executives who are accountable to both a culture scorecard and a financial one.In this episode of High Octane Leadership, Donald and Susie pull back the curtain on what it looks like to build a culture of psychological safety from the inside out, including including the specific story of how Susie's team pitched a microlearning program, earned Donald's buy-in at The Diversity Movement, and scaled it into a seven-figure opportunity. That is not a feel-good story. That is what happens when a leader creates the conditions for people to bring their best thinking.They also dig into what leaders get wrong about "bring your authentic self," why women leaders are often set up to fail by the very phrases meant to empower them, and how to balance the culture conversation with the financial conversation without sacrificing either one.This episode is built for HR executives, CHROs, and senior leaders who need the business case for culture — not just the philosophy.Key Talking Points:Human Insight as Strategy: How do you measure belonging the same way you measure revenue, and what are leaders who skip this step consistently getting wrong? The Micro-Training Revolution: What happened when one team replaced all-day workshops with 30-minute Monday sessions — and why 70% of an entire workforce, including the CEO, showed up every time?Psychological Safety in Practice: What does psychological safety actually require from a manager on a Tuesday morning, when the stakes are real and the buzzwords are useless?The "Be Bold" Lie: Why telling underrepresented leaders to bring their authentic selves — without redesigning the environment they are walking into — is one of the most damaging things a well-meaning organization can do?Empathy and Economics: What do organizations that treat culture and performance as competing priorities consistently get wrong — and what are the leaders winning right now doing instead?Chapter Markers0:00 - Intro: Susie Silver02:15 - From Fine Arts to the Boardroom: Susie's Journey05:00 - Translating Human Insight Into Business Strategy07:30 - What Psychological Safety Actually Looks Like in Practice10:00 - Teaching Employees to Speak the Language of Leadership13:00 - The Micro-Training Pilot: From Idea to Seven Figures18:00 - Stop Debating. Start Testing. Let the Data Lead.20:00 - Parenting in Unprecedented Times and What Leaders Can Learn From It24:00 - Flexibility Is Not a Weakness. It Is a Leadership Tool.27:00 - How Susie Consumes Information and Stays Current30:00 - The "Be Bold" Lie: What Women Leaders Are Really Up Against34:00 - How to Interrupt Bias in the Room in Real Time37:00 - You Do Not Have to Choose Between Empathy and EconomicsAbout the GuestSusie Silver is the rare workplace strategist whose frameworks were not built in a business school, they were built in fine arts studios, public school classrooms, and the kind of organizations where belonging was treated as a luxury until she made it a line item. Susie spent 18 years in fine arts education before realizing the most broken learning environments were inside corporations — and that career pivot became the foundation of her work as a Certified Diversity Executive and Senior Consultant at the Workplace Options Center for Organizational Effectiveness. With a background in fine arts, education, and nearly 18 years in the classroom, Susie pivoted into organizational consulting focused on psychological safety, inclusive culture, and LGBTQ plus inclusion. A serial entrepreneur and passionate advocate for building workplaces where people and performance thrive together, Susie brings a rare combination of creative thinking, business acumen, and real-world data to every engagement.Resources:Donald Thompson LinkedInDonald's Books: https://donaldthompson.com/books-resources/The Center for Organizational Effectiveness by Workplace Options Website Susie Silver LinkedInWorkplace Options 2026 Psychological Safety Study: https://psychsafety.workplaceoptions.com/resource/the-coe-2026-psychological-safety-study/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=psych_safety Stay connected with Donald: Get Donald's newsletter that is packed with actionable insights, and the kind of straight-talk leadership intelligence that helps build authority, drive performance, and stay ahead of what is coming next: donaldthompson.com.Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldthompsonjrSubscribe on SubStack: https://substack.com/@donaldthompsonjr High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO'S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.
Let's create space, it's episode 68 of Leadership Kung Fu! How do you like our new art and look? Many workplaces feel like disagreeing is stopping progress, when in reality, it can be the beginning of it! Jen and Sandi sit down in episode 68 to encourage you to make room for dissent by discussing: Why creating space is currently not happening in workforces The role of Psychological Safety in creating space Identifying where the insecurity lives within the workforce Setting up a space with intention The "meeting after the meeting" actions How prep work might be your most important work The worth of being vulnerable What silence can mean versus what it should mean Levels of agreement The effects of holding back What alignment actually is compared to what we think it is and more! Thank you so much for listening! If you like what you hear, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, and make sure to check out the video over on the Leadership Kung Fu Youtube Channel! Connect with Jen on LinkedIn and visit her website Own Up!® Connect with Sandi on LinkedIn and visit her website Satori Consulting, Inc! Have a comment, question, or topic for Sandi and Jen? Email us at podcast@dramafreeworkforce.com or leave us a comment on LinkedIn.
Why “trust takes time” is an incomplete leadership belief Time reveals patterns, it does not create trust The real foundation of trust: consistency in behavior and response How teams evaluate trust through patterns, not words Signs trust is breaking: hesitation, avoidance, filtered communication The impact of inconsistent leadership on team engagement and performance Common leadership gaps: uneven accountability, defensive reactions, shifting expectations Why predictability creates psychological safety The difference between being rigid and being reliable Practical reflection: Where am I being inconsistent without realizing it? How consistent leadership builds high-performing, trust-driven teams Connection to Think First: slowing down reactions to lead with intention Think First
Mutual respect is easy when everyone agrees. The real test comes when the pressure is on, the roles clash, and the person across from you sees things completely differently — and you have to choose, in that moment, what kind of teammate you're going to be. In this episode of Your Health University, host Jamie Preston is joined by the Your Health Patient Experience Team — Jennifer Kistler, Kim Metz, Whitney Myers, Carlos Heyward, and Rebecca Dillard — to explore one of the most demanding values in healthcare: Mutual Respect. Not as a concept, but as a daily practice that shows up in how we listen, how we disagree, how we treat the people we serve, and how much we're willing to learn from someone who doesn't look, think, or live like we do. What you'll hear in this episode: Why active listening is the foundation of all mutual respect — and what it looks like when someone has already "checked out" of a conversation Rebecca's moving story of a nurse who protected a patient's dignity in a single, graceful moment — without missing a beat How reverse mentoring flips the hierarchy and why Rebecca learned one of her most valuable lessons from Whitney Carlos's quiet act of mutual respect that resolved a conflict the room couldn't — just by listening Why conflict isn't the enemy of respect — and how Disney's creative process models what happens when mutual respect stays in the room Every patient is valued. Every voice belongs. That's not a slogan at Your Health — it's a practice. Press play and find out what it takes to really live it. www.YourHealth.Org
Why do (senior) executives so rarely hear what they need to improve? I explore this critical leadership blind spot, inspired by a recent article in Fast Company by Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and global thought leader on psychological safety, Amy Edmondson. Relying on thought-provoking research amplified by real-world case examples, this episode exposes the invisible barriers that often keep leaders in the dark and offers a toolkit for reversing the trend.From the dangers of hierarchical silence to the psychology of honest feedback, I review practical strategies we can all use including asking focused questions, acknowledging our own blind spots, and separating our immediate reactions from thoughtful reflection. The importance of acting on feedback, no matter how small, is a simple, yet frequently overlooked opportunity. I also share the powerful example of Alan Mulally, one of the most celebrated and respected CEOs of all-time, to highlight how we can transform our cultures from focusing on fear to unleashing our individual and collective potential.For leaders who are hungry to boost their impact and foster psychological safety, this episode is full of actionable advice on creating an environment where candor thrives and teams and leaders at every level can truly grow.What You'll Learn- The benefits of feedback.- What is feedback?- Ask for specifics, not generalities - The power of specific questions. - Reward courage – It's scary to offer someone feedback.- Act on feedback and communicate your changes.Podcast Timestamps00:00 Welcome and Episode Introduction01:37 Today's Topic: The Feedback Gap for Senior Leaders04:04 What Feedback Really Is: The Zenger Folkman Definition05:47 Why Senior Leaders Struggle to Receive Honest Feedback08:11 Strategy 1: Ask for Disconfirming Data, Not General Impressions10:31 Asking Specific, Targeted Feedback Questions12:40 Strategy 2: Separate Ingestion from Reaction14:57 Strategy 3: Focus on Patterns, Not One Data Point17:18 Strategy 4: Act on One Small Piece of Feedback First19:40 The Alan Mulally and Ford Turnaround Story22:01 Red Lights Are Gems: Closing Thoughts KEYWORDSPositive Leadership, Feedback, Psychological Safety, Amy Edmondson, 360 feedback, Self-Awareness, Hierarchy, Power Differential, Leadership Development, Constructive Feedback, Actionable Feedback, Behavioral Change, Barriers to Feedback, Receiving Feedback, Accountability, Alan Mulally, Ford Turnaround, Transparent Leadership, CEO SuccessSource: Why senior leaders get less feedback—and how to change that - Fast Company
What stops you from speaking up when it matters most?This week on Think Fast Talk Smart, we're featuring a special episode from TED Business. Healthcare leader Sarah Crawford-Bohl offers a practical, compassionate framework to have difficult conversations with clarity and heart — and shows how it can lead to stronger teams and real impact.TED Business is a podcast from TED that offers you a new idea and perspective for any business conundrum — whether you want to learn how to land that promotion, set smart goals, undo injustice at work, or unlock the next big innovation. Every Monday, host Modupe Akinola of Columbia Business School presents the most powerful and surprising ideas that illuminate the business world. After the talk, you'll get a mini-lesson from Modupe on how to apply the ideas in your own life — because business evolves every day, and our ideas about it should, too. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or here.Episode Reference Links:TED Business Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (02:46) - If Not You, Then Who? (04:01) - The Cost of Silence (05:25) - Avoiding Conflict at Work (06:20) - Why Speaking Up Matters (07:30) - Building Courage Through Practice (08:40) - A Moral Compass for Conversations (12:01) - Handling Tough Feedback (17:41) - QORC Apology Framework (19:31) - Conclusion ********Thank you to our sponsors. These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.comJoin our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.
Be Unmessablewith: The Podcast hosted by Josselyne Herman-Saccio
In this episode of the Be Unmessablewith Podcast, Greg Stephens shares his journey of restoring relationships that seemed impossible. He discusses the importance of having hard conversations, creating psychological safety, and the power of asking the right questions during conflicts. Greg emphasizes the significance of integrity and keeping one's word, as well as overcoming the insatiable need to be right. He provides practical tools for transforming difficult relationships and highlights the impact of coaching in personal growth. Through personal anecdotes, he illustrates how to navigate challenging situations and emerge unmessable with.What You'll Learn In this Episode:Restoring relationships requires a commitment to cleaning up past interactions.Hard conversations are often more about our internal narratives than the actual dialogue.Impossible relationships can become possible with the right skills and mindset.Coaching can provide valuable insights and support in navigating difficult conversations.Download My Free Daily Motivation Guide https://beunmessablewith.com/moving-beyond-motivation/Find Greg At:Website: https://www.alignment-resources.com/Connect With JosselyneWebsite: beunmessablewith.comInstagram: @beunmessablewithFacebook: UnmessablewithnessLinkedIn: josselyneherman-saccioYouTube: @beunmessablewith
https://teachhoops.com/ In the world of elite athletics, "Culture" is often used as a buzzword, but rarely is it defined with precision. A winning culture is not a set of slogans on a locker room wall; it is the collective set of behaviors that a team repeats under pressure. It is the "soil" in which your tactical systems grow. If the soil is toxic, even the most brilliant offensive sets will wither. To build a championship-level environment, a coach must move from "policing" behavior to "Architecting an Identity." You aren't looking for compliance; you are looking for "Buy-In" so deep that the players eventually take ownership of the standard themselves. 1. Standards over Rules Rules are meant to be broken or bypassed; Standards are the floor below which no one is allowed to fall. A rule says "Don't be late"; a standard says "We value each other's time." When you have a culture of standards, accountability becomes a peer-to-peer transaction rather than a top-down dictate. In the mid-season January grind, the strength of your standards is tested. If your best player is allowed to skip a box-out without a consequence, you don't have a standard—you have a "suggestion." Consistency in upholding these standards, regardless of the player's talent level, is the only way to build lasting Trust Equity. 2. Radical Accountability and the "Truth Room" A winning culture thrives on "Radical Honesty." This means creating a "Psychological Safety" zone where players and coaches can critique performance without it becoming personal. In the "Truth Room" (your film sessions or locker room meetings), the only goal is the Pursuit of the Right Play. When players feel safe enough to admit mistakes and hold their teammates accountable, you eliminate the "silent resentment" that destroys teams from the inside out. You want a team that is "demanding but supportive"—where the friction of high expectations produces a diamond, not a crack. 3. "Stars in Their Roles" Every championship roster has a "Hierarchy of Value" but an "Equality of Respect." Culture is strengthened when the "bench energy leader" feels just as vital to the win as the leading scorer. You must explicitly define and celebrate the "invisible" roles: the screen-setter, the gap-filler, and the vocal communicator. When players realize that their specific role is the "missing piece" of the puzzle, they stop competing with their teammates for stats and start competing with the opponent for the win. Basketball team culture, winning mindset, athletic leadership, program building, coaching philosophy, high school basketball, youth basketball, basketball IQ, coach development, "The Villanova Way," character development, radical accountability, psychological safety in sports, team chemistry, coach unplugged, teach hoops, basketball success, mental toughness, leadership standards, coaching legacy. Show NotesThe Anatomy of a Winning CulturePillarThe ManifestationThe Cultural ImpactShared LanguageUsing specific "program terms" for drills and actions.Creates a sense of "In-Group" identity and speed.VulnerabilityCoaches admitting mistakes to the team.Increases trust and allows players to take risks.GratitudePlayers thanking teammates for "extra passes" or "help rotations."Shifts focus from "Me" to "We" instantly.Next Play SpeedZero "hang time" after an official's call or a turnover.Builds mental resilience and competitive poise.SEO Keywords Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What does authenticity at work truly mean and why is it worth the effort? On this week's episode, I have a thought-provoking conversation with Claude Silver, the world's first Chief Heart Officer from VaynerMedia, about the messy, courageous path to being yourself, even when it feels risky. Together, we deconstruct major myths around vulnerability in the workplace, offering evidence and stories that show how authenticity drives not just well-being, but tangible results: lower turnover, greater innovation, and a sense of collective purpose.Inspired by Claude's honest approach, our live listeners pose powerful questions that highlight common daily struggles such as hesitating to speak up, managing boundaries, and leading authentically under pressure. Claude brings empathy and actionable insight, emphasizing that psychological safety isn't a luxury, but the backbone of sustainable performance. She also meets tough questions about hybrid work, digital disconnection, and the demands of high expectations with practical advice for human connection, even screen-to-screen.Whether you're looking to find your voice at work or creating an environment where others share more of themselves at the office, this conversation offers a blueprint for creating impact through authenticity, empathy, and everyday courage.What You'll Learn- Authenticity doesn't mean sharing everything—it means showing up as you and taking up space.- Leaders aren't expected to have all the answers; the magic happens when we guide, listen, and connect.- Empathy and accountability are not at odds. When people feel seen and valued, results follow.- Protect your energy and set boundaries; you cannot pour from an empty cup.- In challenging times, focus on what you can impact and be gentle with yourself.Podcast Timestamps00:57 Welcome and introduction to Claude Silver03:06 Origin story: Why Claude wrote Be Yourself at Work04:48 The Chief Heart Officer role explained07:01 Authenticity at work: Dipping your toe in09:20 The cost of hiding who you are12:19 The ROI of psychological safety and human-centered culture15:42 Authenticity in high-performance transformation environments18:24 Cultivating self-awareness: Where to start21:26 Getting curious about your emotions23:44 The biggest misconception about authenticity26:06 Leaders don't need all the answers28:38 Empathy vs. accountability: They're not opposites33:17 Speaking up in meetings and overcoming imposter syndrome36:12 Having difficult conversations with courage39:41 Connection in a virtual and hybrid world44:11 Cameras on: Why it matters46:52 When your face comes across as intense48:46 Staying grounded when the world feels heavy52:41 Boundaries: The recovering codependent's guide56:09 Closing message: Text three people todayKEYWORDSPositive Leadership, Authenticity at Work, Psychological Safety, Workplace Culture, Empathy, Self-Awareness, Vulnerability, Maintaining Boundaries, People-Centered Leadership, Hybrid Work, Chief Heart Officer, Organizational Values, Imposter Syndrome, Emotional Intelligence, Collaboration, Belonging, Workplace Diversity, CEO Success