Podcasts about Psychological safety

In this raw episode of Do Good to Lead Well, I welcome Tom Hardin, whose journey from Wall Street hedge fund analyst to one of the FBI's most prolific informants is a powerful examination of what drives good people to cross ethical lines. Despite the widespread belief that corruption comes from major events, Tom outlines the subtle drift and rationalizations that can turn ambition into poor decisions.Tom makes a compelling case that most people are far more vulnerable to contextual pressures than they would care to admit. In fact, he argues that the more confident we are in our belief that we are incorruptible, the more likely we are to make an ethical misstep. Through honest storytelling, the episode urges us to move beyond blaming or distancing ourselves, challenging us to ask better questions, reflect on our own values, and foster workplaces where psychological safety and true accountability can thrive.For anyone seeking a deeply personal and vulnerable understanding of ethics, culture, and resilience, this conversation delivers practical tools for self-reflection, leadership, and building lasting trust. These heartfelt lessons matter at every level of business and life.What You'll Learn- Why 80% of us are at risk of “moral drift” if we're not vigilant- The crucial difference between mistakes and choices- Culture is what gets rewarded- How leaders can spot and stop ethical slippage, starting with “the little things”- The power of asking better questions—not just of your team, but of yourself- Why honesty, humility, and self-forgiveness are the real superpowers in leadershipPodcast Timestamps(00:00) – The Decision to Share a Profound Story of Vulnerability(05:14) – Cheating is a Choice(09:19) – Ownership, Shame, and the Challenges of Self-Forgiveness(13:06) – Moral Drift and Rationalization(16:35) – How to Spot Warning Signs(24:05) – Culture, Values, and Leadership(40:01) – Resilience and Redemption(45:08) – Radical Listening(48:22) – A Story of Hope and Personal AgencyKEYWORDSPositive Leadership, Insider Trading, Behavioral Ethics, Organizational Culture, FBI Informant, Compliance, Self-Reflection, Vulnerability, Rationalization, Psychological Safety, Ethical Culture, Whistleblowing, Character Development, Integrity, Reputation vs. Character, The Peril of Incentive Structures, Ethical Decision-Making, Personal Values, Resilience, Redemption, Asking Clarifying Questions, Moral Drift, Organizational Justice, CEO Success

Summary In this episode, Andy talks with Brett Harned, founder of the Digital PM Community and the Digital PM Summit, and author of Project Management for Humans: Helping People Get Things Done. Brett has spent years coaching project leaders and helping organizations rethink what project management really is. His core conviction: the human side of the work is not a nice-to-have. It is the work. In this conversation, you'll hear how Brett fell into project management and what early experiences shaped his perspective on people and projects. You'll learn the patterns he sees repeated across teams and industries, practical habits for when projects feel messy or start to drift, and why he believes project management is a leadership role that most organizations still undervalue. Brett also shares his candid take on AI, what it can and cannot do for project leaders, and what advice he would give his younger self. If you lead projects or teams, whether or not you have a PM title, this episode is for you! Sound Bites "Often with PMs, it's finding or receiving or feeling the permission to lead like a human instead of like a machine or a robot." "Projects fail because conversations didn't happen or they happened way too late." "Project management is a leadership role and too often organizations don't see it as a leadership role the way that they should." "Project managers are quietly carrying emotional labor that no one really acknowledges." "You can't earn trust by being invisible." "The role has become less about task tracking and more about judgment, good communication and trust building." "If you call people on your team resources, they have every right to call you overhead." "Slowing conversations down before speeding up the work is like the biggest thing." "Drift isn't usually about effort. It's about misaligned understanding." "AI is not going to replace a really good leader." "AI is great at admin. It's terrible at the leadership stuff. It can't read the room, it can't navigate tension, it can't earn trust." "Say the thing now. Saying something early is almost always safer than saying it too late." "The job of a project manager isn't to absorb chaos. It's to make it a conversation." "Caring about people and building relationships is a skill, and it's a skill that's necessary for this career." Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:52 Start of Interview 01:57 How Brett Describes What He Does 03:29 When the People Side Became Clear 06:52 Patterns Across Teams and Organizations 10:32 How Expectations of the PM Role Have Changed 12:28 The Impact of Remote and Hybrid Work 15:26 Practices for When Projects Feel Messy 18:20 How to Name What Is Happening Out Loud 21:30 A Question for When Projects Start to Drift 23:43 How AI Will and Won't Change the PM Role 25:50 Practical Ways Brett Uses AI 30:21 Advice to Younger Brett 33:40 How PM Skills Show Up Outside of Work 35:58 The PM Squad and Same Team Partners 38:01 End of Interview 38:22 Andy Comments After the Interview 41:30 Outtakes Learn More You can learn more about Brett and his work at SameTeamPartners.com and BrettHarned.com. For more learning on this topic, check out: Episode 336 with Clint Padgett. During the interview with Brett, Andy mentioned the weakness of using only percent complete or status colors. That's something Clint and Andy talked about in episode 336. Episode 99 with Mike Roberto. The topic of conflict came up several times in this discussion. In episode 99, Mike and Andy talk about managing the tension between conflict and consensus. It's a discussion worth hearing, especially if you grew up thinking conflict is mostly a negative. Episode 500 with Steve Brown, former Google DeepMind futurist. Andy and Steve talk about AI and the future of work, and it's a discussion highly recommended for anyone leading projects today. Chat with PMeLa You can chat directly with PMeLa—the podcast's AI persona—to get episode recommendations and answers to your project management and leadership questions. Visit PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/PMeLa to chat with her. Pass the PMP Exam If you or someone you know is thinking about getting PMP certified, we've put together a helpful guide called The 5 Best Resources to Help You Pass the PMP Exam on Your First Try. We've helped thousands of people earn their certification, and we'd love to help you too. It's totally free, and it's a great way to get a head start. Just go to 5BestResources.PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com to grab your copy. I'd love to help you get your PMP this year! Join Us for LEAD52 I know you want to be a more confident leader–that's why you listen to this podcast. LEAD52 is a global community of people like you who are committed to transforming their ability to lead and deliver. It's 52 weeks of leadership learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Learn more and sign up at GetLEAD52.com. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills Topics: Project Management, Leadership, Team Dynamics, Communication, Emotional Labor, Human-Centered Leadership, Conflict Management, AI, Future of Work, Stakeholder Management, Psychological Safety, Remote Work, Project Recovery The following music was used for this episode: Music: Echo by Alexander Nakarada License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: Synthiemania by Frank Schroeter License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

The Role of Executive Leadership in Shaping Company Culture and Preventing Burnout Source article:  https://www.breakfastleadership.com/blog/he-role-of-executive-leadership-in-shaping-company-culture-and-preventing-burnout In this Deep Dive episode, we unpack a foundational leadership truth: culture is not messaging. It is behavior at scale. And it begins with executive leadership. This conversation moves beyond surface-level engagement tactics and examines culture as strategic infrastructure. If you want to assess organizational health, do not start with the employee survey. Start with leadership behavior. What leaders tolerate, reward, ignore, and model becomes the company's operating system. Culture Is a Leadership Discipline Drawing on research from Gallup and McKinsey & Company, the discussion highlights a critical point: managers account for at least 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement, and organizations with performance-aligned cultures significantly outperform peers. Culture is not soft. It is structural. It is measurable. And it is directly tied to financial outcomes. The episode challenges the common executive mistake of delegating culture to HR. High-performing organizations treat culture as a leadership discipline, not a department function. The Mirror Effect and Emotional Contagion Leaders set the emotional climate of the enterprise. Referencing findings published by Harvard Business Review, the episode explores behavioral contagion. Executive emotional states cascade through teams. If leaders operate in chronic urgency, the organization mirrors urgency. If leaders model accountability, transparency, and regulation, those behaviors scale. A key theme emerges: executive nervous system management is not self-help language. It is performance strategy. If leadership is dysregulated, no wellness program will repair the culture. Incentives Reveal the Real Values Many organizations declare collaboration, innovation, or integrity as core values. Yet compensation and promotion systems often reward individual output at any cost. That misalignment is not a culture problem. It is a leadership integrity problem. Referencing research from Deloitte, the discussion reinforces that organizations with alignment between mission and business strategy demonstrate greater resilience during disruption. Vision, incentives, and modeled behavior must align. Without alignment, culture becomes performative. Psychological Safety as a Performance Lever The episode revisits insights from Google's Project Aristotle research, which identified psychological safety as the primary predictor of high-performing teams. Psychological safety is not politeness. It is accountability without fear. Leaders create this environment by: Admitting mistakes Inviting dissent Responding to failure with curiosity rather than blame You cannot scale performance without scaling trust. Burnout Is a Structural Signal Burnout is often misdiagnosed as an individual resilience issue. The episode reframes it as a culture metric. According to the World Health Organization, burnout is an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. If executives create unclear priorities, constant urgency, unrealistic workloads, and low autonomy, burnout becomes predictable. Sustainable performance requires engineered capacity: Clear priorities Defined decision rights Normalized recovery Sustainable workload design Calm is not passive. Calm is controlled intensity. Top-Down Directional Clarity Building culture from the top does not mean command-and-control leadership. It means clarity. Exceptional leaders: Articulate a compelling vision Model required behaviors Design systems that reinforce those behaviors When executives abdicate culture design, informal power structures take over. Informal culture rarely aligns with long-term strategy. Executive Culture Audit The episode closes with a practical executive checklist: Are leadership behaviors consistent with stated values? Do incentives reward long-term thinking? Is psychological safety measurable? Are burnout indicators treated as operational metrics? Does communication cascade clearly? The organizations that will outperform in the next decade will not simply adopt AI or analytics. They will build resilient human systems. Culture is engineered. Performance is designed. Leadership behavior is the starting point. If this episode resonated, explore further insights in Workplace Culture and Burnout Proof, and visit BreakfastLeadership.com for additional executive-level analysis on sustainable high performance.

Lena McDearmid is the founder and CEO of Wryver, a consultancy that helps leaders create company cultures where people and performance thrive together. Previously Lena co-founded the fintech company Momnt, where she served as COO and Chief Culture Officer. With Wryver, she's on a mission to create teams that trust each other and organizations that are future-ready in an AI world. With more than 20 years in leadership, consulting, and culture strategy, she focuses on strengthening the trust, rhythms, and structures that determine whether teams succeed or stall. 

Summary In this episode, Andy welcomes Jen Fisher, author of Hope Is the Strategy: The Underrated Skill That Transforms Work, Leadership, and Wellbeing. In project management circles, we often hear the phrase "hope is not a strategy." Jen challenges that assumption, arguing that real hope is not wishful thinking at all. Instead, it's a practical cognitive process that can help leaders navigate uncertainty, pressure, and change. In the discussion, Jen explains how hope requires three elements: clear goals, multiple pathways to reach them, and the agency to believe we can influence outcomes. You'll also hear her personal story of realizing she was languishing under constant performance pressure, and how a candid conversation with her boss sparked the beginning of a healthier and more hopeful way of working. Along the way, Jen shares practical tools such as possibility journaling, energy ledgers, and hope spotting. She also explains why vulnerability can be a leadership superpower and how simple language shifts can turn hope killers into hope builders. If you're leading teams and projects under constant pressure and looking for practical ways to sustain both performance and wellbeing, this episode is for you! Sound Bites "How would I describe myself? I'm a hope dealer." "Hope is not flimsy. It's not whimsical." "Real hope actually requires action." "What drives hopelessness is feeling like there's nothing you can do." "Hope is the belief that tomorrow can be better than today." "67% of managers said that they've never been trained in how to manage other people. We put humans in charge of other humans, but we give them very little skill and training in how to lead." "You can perform when you're languishing, but the question is really why should we or why would we want to." "For the first time in my professional life, I actually felt seen and heard and valued." "Toxic positivity only makes people feel worse." "Possibility journaling is really thinking about what might be possible here." "Vulnerability is proof that you're human." "When people are feeling uncertain, they want to connect to somebody that feels human." Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:45 Start of Interview 02:00 What Hope Is Not: Clearing Up the Misconceptions 03:45 What Real Hope Actually Requires 05:42 Agency and the Feeling of Hopelessness 06:24 Burnout vs. Hopelessness: Is There a Difference? 07:55 Wellbeing Intelligence: The Leadership Skill We're Missing 11:44 Languishing: That Gray Space Between Fine and Flourishing 14:15 The Hidden Cost of Time Pressure on Creativity 17:00 Breaking Through the High-Functioning Facade 20:15 Setting Boundaries as a Recovering People Pleaser 24:03 Practical Tools: Possibility Journal, Energy Ledger, and Hope Spotting 29:15 Vulnerability as a Leadership Superpower 33:46 Hope Killers and Hope Builders: The Language of Hope 38:00 The Hope Audit and the Hope Strategist Toolkit 39:33 Applying Hope at Home and as a Caregiver 41:30 Where to Learn More About Jen 41:26 End of Interview 41:54 Andy Comments After the Interview 45:18 Outtakes Learn More You can learn more about Jen and her work at Jen-Fisher.com. For more learning on this topic, check out: Episode 462 with Margie Warrell. Part of Jen's message in the book is the importance of agency—of believing that you're not a victim and that you have options. Margie is a fierce advocate for how to take action when you're feeling hopeless. I highly recommend her work. Episode 448 with Marie-Hélène Pelletier. It's an engaging discussion about burnout and resilience, and a fantastic follow-up to this discussion with Jen. Episode 396 with Thomas Curran. It's an episode on perfectionism, and I think you'll find it an excellent follow-up to this discussion as well. Chat with PMeLa You can chat directly with PMeLa, the podcast's AI persona, to get episode recommendations and answers to your project management and leadership questions. Visit PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com/PMeLa to chat with her. Pass the PMP Exam If you or someone you know is thinking about getting PMP certified, we've put together a helpful guide called The 5 Best Resources to Help You Pass the PMP Exam on Your First Try. We've helped thousands of people earn their certification, and we'd love to help you too. It's totally free, and it's a great way to get a head start. Just go to 5BestResources.PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com to grab your copy. I'd love to help you get your PMP this year! Join Us for LEAD52 I know you want to be a more confident leader–that's why you listen to this podcast. LEAD52 is a global community of people like you who are committed to transforming their ability to lead and deliver. It's 52 weeks of leadership learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Learn more and sign up at GetLEAD52.com. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills Topics: Leadership, Wellbeing, Burnout, Hope, Resilience, Vulnerability, Boundaries, Team Culture, Employee Engagement, Languishing, Psychological Safety, Workplace Performance The following music was used for this episode: Music: Imagefilm 034 by Sascha Ende License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: Tuesday by Sascha Ende License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Feedback is one of the most powerful tools a leader has — and one of the most misused. Most leaders are either avoiding it entirely or delivering it like a surprise attack. Whether you're a manager trying to build a team culture where people tell each other the truth, or a professional who wants to handle feedback with more confidence and less defensiveness , this episode gives you a practical framework you can use immediately.In this episode:Why avoiding feedback feels kind but is actually costing your teamThe "permission slip" technique and the psychology behind why it worksHow to deliver feedback that lands instead of feedback that stingsWhat to do in the first 60 seconds when feedback blindsides youHow to separate the delivery from the data — even when the delivery is terribleThe one follow-up move that changes how people see you as a leaderSupport the showJill Griffin, host of The Career Refresh, delivers expert guidance on workplace challenges and career transitions. Jill leverages her experience working for the world's top brands like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Hilton Hotels, and Martha Stewart to address leadership, burnout, team dynamics, and the 4Ps (perfectionism, people-pleasing, procrastination, and personalities). Visit JillGriffinCoaching.com for more details on: Book a 1:1 Career Strategy and Executive Coaching HERE Build a Leadership Identity That Earns Trust and Delivers Results. Gallup CliftonStrengths Corporate Workshops to build a strengths-based culture Team Dynamics training to increase retention, communication, goal setting, and effective decision-making Keynote Speaking Grab a personal Resume Refresh with Jill Griffin HERE Follow @JillGriffinOffical on Instagram for daily inspiration Connect with and follow Jill on LinkedIn

In this episode of Leadership Unlearned (and Reframed), Maxine Attong speaks with Karel McIntosh, a communication professional, coach, and corporate trainer, about what it really takes for people to show up with agency—at work, at home, and in every system they belong to.Karel unpacks why the tension between personal power and fitting into a group often comes down to identity, belief, and early conditioning (“your family is your first system”). The conversation reframes “professionalism” as an often undefined standard that can shrink people into the “smallest version” of themselves—reducing honesty, creativity, and connection.Together, we explore what psychological safety looks like in real life: not “touchy-feely,” but the everyday practices that create dignity, courage, and clarity. Carol shares practical ways teams can surface the “elephant in the room,” understand differences in thinking and feeling styles, and stop mislabelling people as “difficult” when they're often operating from coping strategies shaped by their environment.A key theme: leaders say they want empowered, expressive employees—until that empowerment shows up with feedback, opinions, risks, and voice. The question becomes: Are leaders actually ready for the “superpowers” they're asking people to unleash?The episode closes with audience reflections on the loneliness of leadership, the lack of support when people move from technical expert to manager, and the need to normalize leadership as a human experience—one that benefits from coaching, mentoring, and spaces for honest reflection.

How important are relationships and the feeling of being loved to human happiness? How have the fields of happiness studies and relationship studies converged?  Sonja Lyubomirsky is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. She is also the author or co-author of the books How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most, The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want, and The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn't, What Shouldn't Make You Happy, but Does. Greg and Sonja discuss her shift from happiness research to her co-authored book with Harry Reis, How to Feel Loved. Sonja explains that many happiness interventions (gratitude letters, kindness practices, and variations like texting gratitude vs. social media posting vs. private writing) work largely because they increase feelings of love and connection They also discuss why listening is difficult, with Sonja sharing her experience in a Tel Aviv listening workshop, and the need for compassion and a growth mindset. Other themes include the Michelangelo effect (helping others become who they aspire to be), balancing sharing and listening (avoiding monologues or interrogations), appropriate vulnerability and gradual self-disclosure, and the “multiplicity” mindset of seeing people as complex quilts of good and bad traits to reduce harsh judgment.  The episode also considers whether people can feel loved without being loved, including AI companions that can mimic excellent listening but lack a genuine open heart, and the risk that some people may substitute simulated relationships for real ones.  *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.* Episode Quotes: What's the distinction between being loved and feeling loved? 07:42: A lot of us are loved, but we do not feel loved. So we might have, we might know that our partner loves us or child, or a family member or friend or colleague. But we do not really feel loved. And when you think about it, feeling loved is what really matters even more, right? Because if, you know, if you love me, but I do not feel loved by you, it is almost like you do not love me, right? Like, because I am not really sensing that, and so feeling loved is really important. That is what really matters to happiness. The key to feeling loved is really to be known and to know the other 10:16: The key to feeling loved is really to be known and to know the other, and we get known by taking the wall down a little bit. And I get to know you if I help you take your wall down. How do I help you take your wall down? By showing curiosity. Then hopefully you will start to open up a little bit. I show even more curiosity. I ask you questions and I l truly listen, not really just try to fix it or help you or tell my own story. I just listen to learn. The first step to feel more loved 09:11: If I want to feel more loved, the first step, which may sound counterintuitive, is to help the other person feel loved first. You go first. I go first. The first step is to show genuine curiosity in the other person, in their inner life and the details of their day, their dreams, goals, values, fears. We all want that. We want to be seen, we want to be heard, and we do not get genuine curiosity very often. When was the last time you remember telling a story about yourself and the other person was so curious they could not wait for you to finish the sentence? It is rare. When it happens, it is priceless. That is such a gift to someone, to show authentic curiosity in them. It has to be authentic because you cannot fake it. That is the first step. You help the person be seen by showing curiosity in them, and that helps them open up more. Real connection requires both listening and sharing 18:48: If you only share, it is a monologue. You are spouting off. If you only listen, then it is an interview. It is an interrogation sometimes. You really need to do both. They go together. That is where the emotional intelligence comes in. Because when you are sharing, the entire time you are sharing, and we all know people who do not do this, they go off and they seem to not see any cues that the other person is not interested in continuing the story. Show Links: Recommended Resources: Harry Reis Relationship Science Michelangelo Phenomenon Impression Management Multiplicity The All-or-Nothing Marriage: How the Best Marriages Work Esther Perel Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become Techne Unsiloed 208: Psychological Safety and the Benefits of Discomfort with Todd Kashdan Guest Profile: SonjaLyubomirsky.com Faculty Profile at UC Riverside LinkedIn Profile Profile on Wikipedia Social Profile on Instagram Social Profile on X Guest Work: Amazon Author Page How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn't, What Shouldn't Make You Happy, but Does Google Scholar Page TED Talk | 1 thing you can do today to be happier Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week's episode of the Do Good to Lead Well podcast, I speak with Vanessa Druskat, a globally recognized expert in team performance and author of "The Emotionally Intelligent Team." Vanessa shares the inspiration behind her research, highlighting the gap between anecdotal advice and evidence-based practices for building successful teams. She discusses the importance of cultivating esprit de corps—meaning a sense of belonging, value, and psychological safety—within teams, and emphasizes that this must come from both leaders and team members.Our conversation explores practical norms and routines that emotionally intelligent teams use, dispelling myths around individual emotional intelligence versus collective TeamEI. Vanessa provides actionable examples, such as brief check-ins, team charters, and structured feedback mechanisms, underscoring the need for leaders to be intentional, especially in remote or hybrid environments. Questions from the live audience explored topics such as the role of team charters, overcoming ineffective norms, and the courage required to embrace feedback and conflict constructively. The episode is packed with research-backed insights and practical strategies to help leaders create high-performing, emotionally intelligent teams.What You'll Learn- Great teams do things differently… and intentionally.- The importance of assessing your team's norms (anonymous surveys work wonders!).- Develop a charter and revisit it regularly.- Make feedback part of your culture rather than a once-a-year event- How to lead remote/hybrid teams effectively.- Why you want to finish meetings with a Plus/Delta.Podcast Timestamps(00:00) – Welcome to the Podcast(10:25) - Defining Team Emotional Intelligence vs Individual EQ(19:56) - Common Team Norms: Good, Bad, and Misunderstood(24:32) - Creating and Using Team Charters(27:12) - Activities to Build Understanding and Belonging(32:11) - Best Practices for Team Assessment(36:54) - Feedback and Accountability in Emotionally Intelligent Teams(41:20) - Constructive Conflict and Avoiding Sidebar Conversations(49:33) - Emotional Intelligence in Remote and Hybrid Teams(54:33) - Final ReflectionsKEYWORDSPositive Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Team Emotional Intelligence, Team Norms, Self-awareness, Psychological Safety, Feedback Culture, Team Rituals, Team-Building, High-Performing Teams, Team Assessment, Team Charter, Remote Teams, Hybrid Teams, Collaboration, Accountability, Sense of Belonging, Respect, Onboarding, Team Effectiveness, CEO Success

What's the hidden reality behind entrepreneurship when your company faces a merger or acquisition? Beyond the headlines and the excitement of a potential exit, there's a deeply human side to these transitions—one filled with change, uncertainty, and the need for strong leadership and cultural awareness.In this episode, Marcia Dawood sits down with Jennifer Fondrevay, a former corporate executive turned M&A expert. Having lived through three multi-billion-dollar deals and authored a book on the subject, Jennifer Fondrevay brings a rare perspective focused not just on the transaction, but on the “people piece” that determines true transformation and sustainable success.Together, they explore the most common pitfalls and opportunities in M&A, from the grief staff can experience to the critical role of humility, communication, and early cultural integration. Packed with actionable advice for leaders, founders, and angel investors, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone preparing for, or curious about, what really makes an M&A deal work. To get the latest from Jennifer Fondrevay, you can follow her below!https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-fondrevay/https://jenniferjfondrevay.com/ Sign up for Marcia's newsletter to receive tips and the latest on Angel Investing!Website: www.marciadawood.comDo Good While Doing WellLearn more about the documentary Show Her the Money: www.showherthemoneymovie.comAnd don't forget to follow us wherever you are!Apple Podcasts: https://pod.link/1586445642.appleSpotify: https://pod.link/1586445642.spotifyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/angel-next-door-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theangelnextdoorpodcast/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/theangelnextdoorpodcast/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marciadawood

In this week's episode of the Building Better Cultures Podcast, host Scott McInnes sits down with Joe Lalley, author of 'How Curiosity Can Transform Your Career, Your Team, and Your Organisation.' Together, they explore the power of curiosity in transforming careers, teams, and organisations. Tune in to discover practical insights on fostering curiosity, psychological safety, and innovative cultures.  Keywords:  Curiosity, innovation, psychological safety, organizational culture, design thinking, leadership, experimentation, learning from failure, AI, creative thinking  Key Topics:  The definition of curiosity as the desire to go from not knowing to knowing  The role of psychological safety in encouraging curiosity  Patterns of questions that drive innovation and learning  The importance of being close to customers for effective curiosity  The impact of organisational culture on curiosity and experimentation  The risks and rewards of curiosity in the workplace  Practical strategies for leaders to foster curiosity  The influence of childhood and education on curiosity development  The relationship between curiosity and AI in learning and work  How to balance curiosity with decision-making and focus  Takeaways  Curiosity is simply the act of wanting to go from not knowing to knowing.  Psychological safety is essential for fostering curiosity in teams.  Ask open-ended questions that challenge assumptions and explore possibilities.  Being close to the customer enhances the effectiveness of curiosity.  Organisational culture should be built around experimentation and learning.  Shortening feedback cycles accelerates learning and innovation.  Celebrate failures as first attempts in learning to encourage risk-taking.  Leadership modeling of curiosity and experimentation sets the tone.  Use examples and data to demonstrate the value of iterative work.  Encourage questioning and exploration as core organisational behaviours.  Chapters  00:00 Introduction to Curiosity in Organisations  02:53 Defining Curiosity and Its Importance  05:34 Psychological Safety and Curiosity  08:47 Curiosity in Meetings and Organisational Culture  11:29 Learning from Customers and Iterative Processes  14:48 Creating Space for Curiosity in Organisations  17:36 Embedding Curiosity into Organisational Culture  20:29 The Balance of Curiosity and Action  23:27 Practical Steps for Leaders to Foster Curiosity  26:32 The Impact of Technology on Curiosity  29:08 The Future of Curiosity in the Age of AI    Link to Joe's book:  Joelalley.com/book    Connect with us:  LinkedIn YouTube Instagram     

Free Speech, Cancel Culture, and the Mental Health Benefits of Speaking Up: Clinical psychologist Dr. Chloe Carmichael, author of “Can I Say That? Why Free Speech Matters and How to Use It Fearlessly,” frames free expression as a mental health and problem-solving issue amid rising polarization, self-censorship, and cancel culture. Carmichael says authentic speech deepens cognition, aids emotional regulation, and strengthens social support, while chronic suppression can lead to repression, denial, anxiety, depression, and resentment. She describes fear and professional risk after publicly opposing child masking during COVID and argues that labeling speech as “violence” distorts reality, though true threats and incitement differ from words. She distinguishes self-censorship from healthy restraint, offers the WAIT test (Want, Appropriate, Inoculate, Trust), and discusses groupthink, innovation, misinformation debates, time-place-manner limits, and examples from corporate and university settings.

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with clinical psychologist Dr. Chloe Carmichael, author of “Can I Say That? Why Free Speech Matters and How to Use It Fearlessly.”

What if the way we've been thinking about brains at work is fundamentally broken? What if accommodations aren't about fixing people, but about unlocking talent we've been filtering out for decades? In this powerful episode, Lori sits down with Dave Thompson to explore how neurodiversity is the biggest shift in human capital in a generation, and why the companies that get it right will lead the future of work. In this episode, you'll discover: Why “rebranding the brain” matters, and how moving from a deficit model to an ecological, strength-based framework changes everything for individuals and organizations The four levels of psychological safety (inclusion, learner, contributor, and challenger safety) and what they actually look like when done well — not as buzzwords Why hiring is broken for everyone, and how job descriptions, ATS systems, and rigid requirements filter out some of the most brilliant talent before they even get a chance The difference between accommodations and “success enablers” and why Dave's “desk tour” approach unlocks self-advocacy without labels or paperwork How ERGs can become true business resource groups, and why emotional labor and self-advocacy deserve recognition, not just a bullet on a job description About Dave Thompson: Dave Thompson is a strategist, author, and internationally recognized speaker focused on redesigning systems that support the full range of human cognition. A program coordinator and visiting scholar at Vanderbilt University's Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, two-time TEDx speaker, and advisor to Fortune 100 companies, he translates lived experience as an early-identified ADHDer and dyslexic thinker into practical change. His book Brainstorm: Neurodivergent Talent and the Future of Work is available now wherever books are sold. Timestamps: [00:00] Cold open — What if brains at work are fundamentally misunderstood? [01:10] Intro — Meet Dave Thompson [02:00] Dave's why — From cheese club to systems change [04:30] Rebranding the brain — The rainforest analogy for neurodiversity [08:00] Belonging & psychological safety — The four levels explained [14:30] Hiring is broken — Job descriptions, ATS bias & filtering out brilliance [21:30] Success enablers vs. accommodations — Dave's desk tour approach [26:00] Self-advocacy & recognition — Not everyone wants a birthday party [33:00] ERGs that actually work — From afterschool clubs to business drivers [40:00] Brainstorm the book — What Dave hopes readers take away [43:30] Outro — Patreon exclusive teaser + calls to action Want more? Dave joins us in the Difference Makers community on Patreon for an exclusive: watch here. Find Dave Thompson at: Website: brainstormneurodiversity.com Book: Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, bookshop.org, and wherever books are sold Subscribe, leave a review at https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com/reviews/new/, and share this episode. Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if your team isn't getting along as well as you think?  What if… they're just hiding? In this episode of Shameless Leadership, we're talking about what your team might be hiding behind a facade of niceness and seemingly quiet contentment. When employees don't feel psychological safety, they edit themselves, downplay ideas, avoid disagreement, and stay quiet in meetings. Silence gets mistaken for alignment. Politeness gets labeled as trust. But often, it's fear. Fear-based compliance is one of the earliest warning signs of a toxic work environment. Psychological safety isn't soft. It's a measurable leadership skill and a foundational component of leadership development. When people don't feel safe to challenge ideas, admit mistakes, or raise concerns, innovation slows, engagement drops, and diverse voices disappear first. The cost isn't just emotional, it's operational. If you care about performance, retention, and long-term results, psychological safety must be a strategic priority as you intentionally build out your team culture. In this episode, I share a simple 5-question Psychological Safety Audit you can run anonymously with your team to assess whether they are masking behind fear. The data may surprise you. Because masking doesn't always look dramatic - it often looks like professionalism, harmony, and “everyone gets along great”. But underneath that surface, your culture may be training people to stay small, even if inadvertently. If you want to strengthen psychological safety and prevent a toxic work environment, you must lower the social cost of honesty. That means rewarding thoughtful dissent, staying regulated when challenged, and modeling curiosity instead of defensiveness. Your reactions shape your team culture more than the values on your wall. If people are masking, it's not a performance problem. It's a leadership opportunity for you to solve. Links Mentioned: Shameless Leadership Episode 930: The Hidden Costs of Women Masking at Work TED Talk: Dare To Disagree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY_kd46RfVE Hire Sara to speak: saradean.com/speaking Coach with Sara: https://saradean.com/executive-coaching-services Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saradeanspeaks Watch Shameless Leadership episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saradeanspeaks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feeling busy yet strangely stuck? We pull together a month of conversations to reveal a clearer path: lead with conscious influence, not control. Across three standout themes—self-leadership, emotional fitness, and meeting design—we show how small, intentional choices create outsized cultural ripple effects.We start by reframing where leadership lives: not in titles or dashboards, but in behavior and micro moments. Tracy Clark's lens on self-awareness challenges us to look for where we unintentionally bottleneck our teams by over controlling or rushing to certainty. The move is from hero to catalyst—asking better questions, creating space for others to step up, and letting curiosity replace the need to be right. You'll hear practical reflection prompts and a simple weekly action to step back once and watch ownership grow.Next, we add emotional depth with Melinda McCormack. People do not leave their lives at the door, and disengagement rarely happens overnight. We practice the intentional pause: notice, name, and ask why this emotion, why now, then choose a values-aligned response. Treat emotions as data that point to met or unmet needs—belonging, respect, significance. This is how leaders create psychological safety, regulate under pressure, and earn trust that compounds over time.Finally, Rebecca Hinds equips us to reclaim our calendars. Meetings aren't bad; they're badly designed. We challenge visibility bias, clarify purpose, and treat meetings like a product with users, outcomes, and constraints. You'll learn how to run a calendar reset, redesign who's in the room, set tighter timeboxes, and use small structural tweaks—like 3:05 starts—to protect energy. One better meeting can reset a team's focus and signal what your culture truly values.We close with an integrated challenge: lead one moment with self-awareness, handle one situation with empathy and emotional regulation, and redesign one meeting to be more intentional. Ready to trade busyness for impact? Subscribe, share with a leader who needs this, and leave a review with the one change you'll try this week.Send a textSupport the show✅ Follow The Leadership Project on your favourite podcast platform and listen to a new episode every week!

What does conscious leadership look like in the age of AI?As artificial intelligence accelerates and uncertainty intensifies, leaders are realizing that strategy alone is no longer enough. The future of business won't be shaped by AI alone — it will be shaped by conscious leadership.In this episode of The Conscious Leadership Revolution, Susan Hobson and fractional COO Raymond Ussery explore:• Psychological safety as the foundation of innovation• Emotional intelligence and nervous system regulation in high-performance leadership• Ethical AI implementation and values-driven decision making• Healing as a catalyst for leadership growth• Why your “North Star” matters more than ever in 2026 and beyondIf you're navigating burnout, imposter syndrome, AI disruption, or organizational uncertainty, this conversation will help you lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.Because in an AI-driven world, the real competitive advantage is human: presence, regulation, ethics, and aligned leadership.AI may shape our systems.But conscious leadership will shape our legacy.

What happens when the life that looks perfect on the outside feels hollow on the inside?In this compelling episode of Confessions of a Terrible Leader, Layci dives deep with Kevin Palmieri, a man who traded a life of surface-level success for one of genuine impact. Kevin shares his raw, personal journey of recognizing that a lack of self-belief was holding him back, even when he had everything 'on paper.'Tune in as they unpack critical lessons for any entrepreneur or leader, including:The Power of the 'Dream Chaser' Mindset: Beyond simply setting goals, Kevin breaks down the absolute commitment and relentless self-work required to not just chase your dreams, but to become the person who achieves them.The Uncomfortable Truth About Vulnerability in Leadership: Kevin shares candid stories of how past mistakes and a fear of exposure led to fractured relationships. Learn why psychological safety isn't just a buzzword, but the bedrock of a high-performing team, and how embracing vulnerability is the ultimate leadership strength.Navigating Partnerships Without Sacrificing Your Relationship: Business partnerships can be explosive. Layci and Kevin discuss the delicate balance of maintaining clarity, healthy communication, and personal boundaries, ensuring the business thrives without destroying the personal connection.Crisis-Proofing Your Leadership: Don't wait for a breakdown to start working on yourself. The conversation concludes with actionable advice on cultivating deep self-awareness and practicing vulnerability before the pressure cooker of a crisis forces you to.This episode is a must-listen for anyone ready to stop faking it and start forging a path of authentic, committed, and impactful leadership.Takeaways:Dream chasers aspire to more and commit to personal growth.Self-belief is crucial for taking audacious steps in life.Vulnerability in leadership can shift team dynamics.Building partnerships requires shared core values and beliefs.Recognizing comfort zones is essential for growth.Feedback is a vital part of personal and professional development.Practice vulnerability when life is stable, not just in crisis.Understanding your triggers can improve relationships.Psychological safety fosters transformation and closeness.The journey of self-improvement is never truly complete.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Leadership Confessions01:36 Understanding Dream Chasers04:44 The Journey of Self-Discovery09:28 Building Strong Partnerships13:16 Pushing Through Comfort Zones19:18 The Balance of Vulnerability in Leadership23:59 Practical Steps for Growth27:51 Conclusion and ResourcesWATCH ON YOUTUBE!EPISODE LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-palmieri/https://www.nextleveluniverse.com/

Send a textIn this episode, John challenges common approaches to workplace culture and engagement. Instead of focusing on perks, surveys, and branding efforts, he introduces Adler's triad: belonging, significance, and contribution.Key points include:Belonging as the foundation of psychological safety and discretionary effort.Significance as the link between daily tasks and meaningful impact.Contribution as the need for agency, ownership, and visible influence.The episode explains why culture is shaped primarily by front line supervisors and daily interactions rather than corporate initiatives. Leaders will learn practical ways to strengthen each element of the triad and why failing to meet these needs undermines even the best strategic plans.This conversation is designed for executives, senior leaders, and managers who want a clear, behavior based framework for improving workplace culture in a lasting way.

In Part 2 of this two-part episode of Whiskey, Jazz & Leadership, host Galen Bingham continues his inspiring conversation with Cherise Taylor, the Chief Happiness Officer of Happier Life Today LLC. Cherise dives deeper into the connections between leadership, diversity, and emotional well-being, offering practical insights on how to create environments where everyone feels empowered, included, and valued.   This episode explores the power of diversity in its broadest sense—beyond race and gender—and how it drives innovation, growth, and success. Cherise also shares her thoughts on psychological safety, the importance of belonging, and how leaders can cultivate a growth mindset within their teams. With her signature warmth and wisdom, Cherise challenges listeners to rethink leadership as a shared responsibility and to embrace the beauty of collaboration and inclusion.   Listen in as Cherise Reflects on: Leadership as a Shared Responsibility: Why leadership isn't about titles but about mindset and influence. The Power of Diversity: How embracing diverse perspectives leads to smarter decisions and stronger teams. Psychological Safety and Belonging: Why creating safe spaces for mistakes and growth is essential for success. Growth Mindset: How leaders can inspire teams to embrace challenges and learn from failure. Faith and Authenticity: How Cherise integrates her faith into her work and life with grace and authenticity.   What you drinking? Galen raises a glass of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, a rich and timeless classic that embodies the essence of strong foundations and bold collaboration—perfectly aligning with the leadership insights explored in this episode. On the other side of the table, Cherise keeps it crisp and refreshing with ice-cold water, a reflection of her commitment to clarity, balance, and staying grounded. Together, their choices set the stage for a conversation that's equal parts bold, refreshing, and deeply inspiring.   Want more? For four dollars a month, you can become a Patreon VIP. You'll get early access to every Part Two episode. A deep archive of exclusive conversations. Insight into who's coming next. And direct access to Galen himself. Join the VIP circle today Click Here. Cheers to leadership that matters!  

We want your feedback and questions. Text us here.Leaders who want to build high-performing teams often focus on strategy and execution, but the real differentiator is culture. If you want honest feedback, stronger ownership, and healthier communication on your team, you have to understand the difference between being accessible and being safe. In this episode, we break down why open-door policies fail and what it actually takes to create psychological safety that drives performance. Today on the Champion Forum podcast, we're talking aboutwhy your open-door policy might be failing you and what to do instead.

A surprising pivot from nutrition and diet therapy to health and safety launched Danishon "Sean" Felder into a decades-long career investigating incidents, mastering compliance, and navigating complex military and OSHA standards with the US Air Force Reserves and Department of Defense. Sean and Jill discuss why compliance alone isn't enough, the power of mentorship and continuous learning, how risk management evolved into enterprise thinking, and why psychological safety may be the most critical leadership skill today. With his upcoming retirement, Sean is preparing for his "second mountain" in executive coaching and reflects on what truly makes safety cultures thrive. Listen to get a Certified Professional Coach's insights on leadership, culture, and influence techniques!

Leadership today can feel like a constant contradiction. Be strong but soft. Move fast but do not burn people out. In this conversation, Stephanie sits down with leadership speaker and author Selena Rezvani to unpack what modern leadership really requires and why so much of the old advice no longer works. They talk about how to move from being the “answer holder” to a true resourcer, how to lower stress instead of amplifying it, and how to create psychological safety without sacrificing results. This is a practical, grounded conversation for women leading teams while also leading full lives. This episode covers: Why the old “never let them see you sweat” leadership model is outdated How to shift from oracle to resourcer and build your team's confidence What psychological safety actually looks like in practice How to push back on fake urgency and protect your team's focus Meeting habits that build engagement instead of draining energy How to respond to quiet quitting with curiosity instead of judgment Why modeling boundaries as a leader changes workplace culture Books Mentioned Quick Leadership — Selena Rezvani Quick Confidence — Selena Rezvani Rest Is Resistance — Tricia Hersey If you are leading a team, building a business, or trying to create a healthier culture where performance and humanity can coexist, this episode will give you practical shifts you can use immediately.https://www.patreon.com/womendontdothat Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/womendontdothat/ TikTok- http://www.tiktok.com/@womendontdothat Blog- https://www.womendontdothat.com/blog Podcast- https://www.womendontdothat.com/podcast Newsletter- https://www.beaconnorthstrategies.com/contactwww.womendontdothat.com YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/@WOMENdontDOthat How to find Stephanie Mitton: Twitter/X- https://twitter.com/StephanieMitton LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemitton/ beaconnorthstrategies.com TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@stephmitton Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/stephaniemitton/ Interested in sponsorship? Contact us at hello@womendontdothat.com Produced by Duke & Castle Our Latest Blog: https://www.womendontdothat.com/post/i-don-t-do-resolutions-i-do-this-perfect-for-busy-women Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, I'm joined by Karen Canham—founder of Karen Ann Wellness and a coach who works with founders, high performers, and teams operating in high-pressure environments. Karen's work is all about expanding capacity—helping people understand how nervous system regulation shapes the way we communicate, lead, handle conflict, and show up authentically at work. In this episode, Karen and I explore what it really means to communicate from a regulated state, why so many people cycle between “go-go-go” and shutdown, and how that pattern contributes to miscommunication and burnout. Karen brings a grounded, human approach to communication that connects performance, leadership, and well-being in a way that feels both actionable and refreshing. Let's dive in. Additional Resources: ► Follow Communispond on LinkedIn for more communication skills tips: https://www.linkedin.com/company/communispond ► Connect with Scott D'Amico on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdamico/ ► Connect with Karen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenannwellness/ ► Learn more about Karen's work: https://www.karenannwellness.com/ ► Subscribe to Communicast: https://communicast.simplecast.com/ ► Learn more about Communispond: https://www.communispond.com

Psychological safety is often described as a “soft” leadership concept — something rooted in feelings, kindness, or culture. But that's not what it is. In Episode 673 of Daily Influence, Brian Smith reframes psychological safety as a structural performance system — not a mood, not a personality trait, and not an abstract cultural aspiration. When leaders see silence, hesitation, disengagement, or operational breakdown, the issue is rarely personality. It's structure speaking. In this episode, Brian explores: Why safety is a performance system — not a feeling The hidden link between fear, silence, and operational inefficiency How leaders unintentionally reward the very behaviors they later try to correct What feels cultural is often structural. You don't hope for psychological safety. You design it. Because structure is leadership.

Accountability isn't about blame or punishment. It's about learning faster than the cost of avoiding it. In this episode, we unpack why leaders drift when things go wrong, the three patterns that quietly sabotage accountability, and how to turn mistakes into meaningful progress.This is accountability as a skill, not a slogan.

What does it really take to lead transformation as responsibility grows?At some point, leadership stops being about doing the improvement work or having the right answers. For operational leaders and change practitioners alike, the work moves to holding the system—people, priorities, and consequences—and helping others learn how to do the same.In this episode of Chain of Learning, I'm joined by Carlos Scholz, CEO of Catalysis, to explore the critical shift leaders must make to enable systemic, lasting organizational change.Carlos shares his journey from technically trained engineer in manufacturing, to transformational change leader in healthcare leading a team of continuous improvement practitioners, to operations leader, and now CEO. Across these roles, he's learned that transformation doesn't fail because leaders don't care or aren't trying, but because we often rush to outcomes and skip the systems-level and behavioral maturity required to sustain them.This conversation highlights a critical truth: leadership is practice. It's not a role or a title, it's how you intentionally show up and get better, day after day.Together, we explore what really changes as leadership responsibility and organizational complexity increase, how leaders have to change their own behavior, and how influence shifts when the work is no longer about doing improvement, but about developing leaders who can own the system.In this episode, we explore:Why leadership becomes less about expertise and more about intentional practice as scope and responsibility expandWhat changes when you move from leading through influence to owning the system through positional authority and the consequences that come with itHow identity and perceived value shape resistance to change, including your ownWhy skipping organizational and behavioral maturity undermines reliability, even with strong intentionsHow repositioning improvement teams from doers to coaches helps leaders change their behavior and allows transformation to scaleIf you're navigating your own growth as a change leader—or supporting leaders in truly owning their system—this conversation offers language and perspective to help you lead with greater impact.ABOUT MY GUEST:Carlos Scholz is the CEO of Catalysis, a mission-driven organization advancing people-centered, value-based healthcare. A former manufacturing engineer and healthcare operations and change leader at Kaiser Permanente and NYC Health + Hospitals, he brings deep experience driving system-wide Lean and continuous improvement transformation and developing leaders at scale. Carlos was named a Shingo Rising Star and serves on the Shingo Institute Board.IMPORTANT LINKS:Full episode show notes with links to other podcast episodes and resources: ChainOfLearning.com/66 Check out my website for resources and ways to work with me KBJAnderson.comConnect with Carlos Scholz: linkedin.com/in/carlosscholz Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kbjandersonDownload my free KATALYST™ Change Leader Self-Assessment: KBJAnderson.com/katalyst Learn more about my Japan Leadership Experience: kbjanderson.com/japantripRELATED EPISODES:Episode 9 | Move from Technical Expert to Influential LeaderEpisode 16 | Leverage Analytical Systems Thinking and Psychological Safety to Drive Organizational Improvement [with Mark Graban]TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:03:02 Leadership shifts Carlos made stepping into senior executive responsibility06:19 The start of Carlos' journey and how it evolvedrelationships as it does on technical expertise12:19 Learning that sustainable change depends as much on influence and being vulnerable and sharing openly 17:42 Multiple approaches in creating conditions for leaders to feel safe enough to be vulnerable18:44 Importance of organizational assessment to identify behavioral gaps24:05 Understanding that sustainable change requires aligning the entire system, not just improving isolated parts26:32 When leaders are not on board with change efforts28:48 Importance of both the technical and social side of being a change leader31:30 The process of building a system of coaching36:23 Transitioning from leading through influence to stepping into direct operational leadership43:28 How skills developed as an influence leader strengthened operational leadership45:57 A surprising lesson from stepping into an operational leadership role50:16 How Carlos is leading transformation as a CEO of Catalysis55:08 Steps to make real transformation happen1:00:13 Reminders for leading transformational change1:01:43 Questions for reflection to strengthen the system around you Learn more and apply for the November 2026 cohort of my Japan Leadership Experience: https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/

Is Amazon's famous leadership principle being weaponized against you? Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel as we talk about how "disagree and commit" becomes "shut up and obey" in most companies. Watch or listen as we discuss one of tech's most misunderstood management concepts, covering topics such as:Difference between Amazon and Your CompanyRed flag phrasesWhy psychological safety is non-negotiableWhat happens when smart people stop pushing backThe OnE lEaDeRsHiP tRiCk managers hateAdditionally, drawing on research and experience, we build a framework for protecting yourself and your team from toxic decision-makers attempting to lift-and-shift the walls and roof of "disagree and commit" without the foundation. That's right - practical, diagnostic questions and actionable strategies to distinguish legitimate debate from leadership cowardice!#ProductManagement #AgileLeadership #WorkplaceCultureGoogle's Project Aristotle (2012-2014), Organizational Cynicism by James Dean Jr., Pamela Brandes, and Robbie Darwadkar (1998), Understanding and Managing Cynicism about Organizational Change by Rikers, Wanous, and Austin (1997), Arguing Agile Episode 243: How Corporate Turns Good People Bad, Jeff Bezos 2016 Letter to ShareholdersLINKSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596INTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Explore the science behind optimism. Aurecon's CEO Louise Adams speaks with clinical neuropsychologist Dr Kim Hazendonk about how choosing a positive mindset can help us to reshape the way we think, lead and build resilience. Find out how we can re-train our brains for optimism, despite the negativity bias all around us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disconnection doesn't usually explode—it leaks in through a thousand tiny moments until voices go quiet and energy fades. We sat down with leadership futurist and change strategist Melinda McCormack to chart a path back: a practical, human way to lead with empathy that drives performance without sacrificing people.Melinda shares her personal journey through loss alongside high-stakes corporate change, revealing how trauma and bias can make even the strongest leaders feel small and unseen. From those lived lessons comes PULSE, a five-step framework that turns empathy into action: clarify Purpose aligned to values, Unlock your emotional code to shift from reaction to response, Learn tools like vulnerability and humility, Shift with daily habits that stick, and Embrace change by balancing the heart that feels with the mind that leads. We dive into why emotional fitness is a trainable skill, how mirror neurons make culture contagious, and what leaders can do to create psychological safety so teams feel seen, heard, and valued.Expect clear, usable tactics you can try today. You'll hear how a single ten-second pause can flip a heated exchange, how to spot slow-burn disengagement before it becomes quiet quitting, and why “listening is the quiet art of influence.” We unpack triggers, cognitive biases, and the subtle ways meetings spiral into aggression and defensiveness—and we show how to bring them back to focus, trust, and useful outcomes. If you've ever wondered how to make empathy a competitive edge, this conversation gives you the map and the mindset to start.

Mark McCartney showed up to facilitate a C-level team in Berlin on the hottest day of the year, drenched in sweat, and opened by pointing out his own stain marks. They laughed. The room shifted. That's Mark — someone who left a 15-year finance career, spent a year in Peru, and has since asked 300+ people the same question: what is a good life?We got into why real vulnerability isn't the rehearsed trauma story but the small, mundane thing you say in the moment that reminds everyone they're sitting with a human. We talked about boundaries as a source of connection (not walls), why agreement is overrated in teams, and what happens when senior leaders can't admit they're overwhelmed even though it would be weirder if they weren't.Learn more about Mark McCartney:NewsletterWebsiteLinkedInYouTubeAny 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/

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk Go to www.LearningLeader.com This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader My guest: Tom Hardin was known as "Tipper X" during Operation Perfect Hedge, the largest insider trading investigation in history. After making four illegal trades based on inside information, the FBI approached him on a Manhattan street corner and convinced him to wear a wire over 40 times, helping build 20 of the 81 cases. Key Learnings  Ambiguity is where ethical lines blur. Tom's boss said, "Do whatever it takes," after the hedge fund lost money, and as a junior employee, Tom didn't ask clarifying questions. The undiscussable becomes undiscussable. Leaders give ambiguous messages, then pretend they weren't ambiguous, employees get confused and don't question the boss, and you end up with a culture of silence. Making decisions in isolation is dangerous. The information came to Tom and he didn't talk to his boss or his wife (who probably would've slapped him around for crossing ethical lines). Psychological safety requires muscle memory. You have to practice saying "I'm just going to ask some clarifying questions here" when your boss gives ambiguous orders. Bad decisions aren't mistakes. Mistakes are made without intent, but bad decisions are made with intent. Tom told himself for years he made "mistakes," but on a drive home from speaking at a keynote, he realized: "There's no way I made mistakes. I made bad decisions." Never say never. Tom argues you're more susceptible to falling down your own slippery slope when you think "that would never be me." 80% of employees can be swayed either way. 10% are morally incorruptible, 10% are a compliance nightmare, and 80% can be influenced by the culture around them. Tone at the top means nothing. Company culture isn't the tone at the top or glossy shareholder letters; it's the behaviors employees believe will be rewarded or put them ahead. Reward character, not just results. You can't just focus on short-term performance and dollar goals without understanding how the business was made and what was behind the performance. The question isn't "what?" but "how?" If you're just focused on the numbers and not on how you got there, you have the opportunity to end up in a slippery slope situation. Celebrate people who live your values. Companies that spend millions on trips for people who live out shared values (not financial performance) are putting their money where their mouth is. Leaders must share their own ethical dilemmas. We've all been in situations where we could go left or right, and sharing how you worked through those moments makes you more endearing and a better leader. Keep a rationalization journal. When Tom and his wife have big decisions (or even little things), he writes them down in a rationalization journal and reflects on them once a month. He's still susceptible to going down another slippery slope, so checking himself on those passing thoughts improves his character over time. It's not what you say, it's what you do. Just like kids see what parents do (not what they say), employees see what behaviors leaders actually reward. $46,000 cost him $23 million. A business school professor calculated Tom would've made $23 million if he'd stayed on the hedge fund path, but he made $46,000 on the four illegal trades before getting caught. His wife was his rock. 85% of marriages end when something like this happens, and she had every right to leave. They just got married, no kids yet. But she stayed. When Tom interviewed her for the book 20 years later, she said, "All I remember is you accepted responsibility immediately. You didn't make up excuses." Running pulled him out of a shame spiral. Tom got obese as a stay-at-home dad. His wife signed him up for a 5K race (and beat him while pushing a jogging stroller). Just crossing that finish line lit a fire. He ended up running a 100-mile race.  Doing hard things teaches you that you can do hard things. When Tom had to start a speaking business because they were running out of money, he said, "I can do this" because he'd already put his body through ultramarathons. No challenge is insurmountable. He ended up with something better. It's not about status or money anymore; it's about who he is with his family and his relationships now. Windshield mentality, not rearview mirror. Tom can't change the past, but he can look forward instead of backward. A lot of people in their twenties do stupid stuff (maybe not to this degree), but now, in his forties, he can learn from it. Why not embrace it rather than try to scrub it off the internet? Eulogy virtues versus resume virtues. In his twenties, Tom only thought about resume virtues (how much money, the next job, the next stepping stone) and never about eulogy virtues (what people will say about his character when it's all over). What will people say at your eulogy? Will they still be talking about those four trades, or will they talk about who you became after? More Learning #226 - Steve Wojciechowski: How to Win Every Day #281 - George Raveling: Wisdom from MLK Jr to Michael Jordan #637 - Tom Ryan: Chosen Suffering: Become Elite in Life & Leadership Reflection Questions Tom's boss gave him an ambiguous message ("do whatever it takes"), and as a junior employee, he didn't ask clarifying questions. Think about the last ambiguous instruction you received from leadership. Did you ask clarifying questions, or did you fill in the blanks yourself? What's stopping you from creating psychological safety to ask next time? Tom argues that 80% of employees can be swayed either way by culture. Look at your organization right now. What behaviors are actually being rewarded? If someone asked your team "what gets you ahead here?" what would they honestly say? Tom asks: "Will people be talking about the resume virtues (money, titles, achievements) or the eulogy virtues (character, relationships, who you were) when you're gone?" What's one eulogy virtue you need to start prioritizing today, even if it means slowing down on resume building?

Summary In this episode, Andy talks with Joe Ferraro, host of the One Percent Better podcast and a coach who helps leaders have stronger conversations when the stakes are high. If you lead projects, you know how quickly a meeting, a status update, or a feedback moment can either build trust or quietly drain it. Joe shares small, practical moves that make conversations more memorable and more useful. You will hear why being "good at talking" is not the same as being good at conversation, and how preparation can be a generous act toward the other person. They also discuss how to avoid default, predictable questions, how to turn a one-way presentation into something more interactive, and how to keep your composure when you feel defensive. Joe even offers a simple technique for pressure testing ideas without starting a fight, plus a listening cue you can use the next time you feel tempted to jump in. If you're looking for insights on having better conversations that save projects and strengthen relationships, this episode is for you! Sound Bites "And you know what's a great barometer there is for people listening to ask themselves on a daily basis? How many questions do they ask?" "But the reality is a generous conversation is one where you're prepared." "And the easiest path, the simplest path is to ask more questions and then listen, like your life depends on it." "The human ear driving, or on the treadmill or in a board meeting doesn't want to hear the same length answer every time from Andy or Joe or Sheila." "If you feel like you're bursting at the seams and you need to share something, that's when you know to hold it in and to focus on them." "I teach people the technique of inserting devil's advocate, where you, you don't wanna necessarily become the villain, but you say, you know, Andy, you know, it's a great point." "But when I go back to, to Mitch Albom one time, he paused seven seconds before I asked him, before he answered the question." "If you have a recorded conversation, simply ask it to pull out every question that was asked." "My favorite question to ask is the one that I think will elicit the best response for what I'm interested in learning in this moment." Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:44 Start of Interview 02:04 When Conversation Became More Than Talking 04:32 Curiosity as a Practical Advantage 05:47 Sending Questions Ahead of Time 06:49 Why Most Real Conversations Feel Like Improv 07:40 A Recent Conversation Joe Still Thinks About 09:44 What Makes a Conversation Actually Memorable 11:14 How Joe's Background Shaped His Approach 12:47 Breaking the Habit of Predictable Answers 13:54 The Risk of Chasing "Standard" Questions 15:16 Using Recording as a Growth Tool 16:29 How to Build Better Listening Discipline 18:38 Turning a One-Way Presentation Into Conversation 20:12 What to Do When You Need Real Buy-In 21:44 The Listening Cue to Use When You Want to Jump In 23:34 Helping Others Feel Heard Without Hijacking the Moment 24:30 Staying Composed When You Feel Defensive 27:27 Using "Devil's Advocate" Without Becoming the Villain 30:15 When the Best Move Is to Pause 32:25 How to Ask Questions That Create Better Stories 33:43 The Question That Fits the Moment 36:19 What Joe Thinks People Get Wrong About "Small Talk" 39:12 Interviewers Joe Thinks More People Should Study 45:13 Using AI to Improve Your Conversations 49:20 What Joe Sees Changing in Communication Skills 50:00 Helping Kids Build Conversational Stamina 53:26 Where to Learn More About Joe 54:42 End of Interview 55:08 Andy Comments After the Interview 57:56 Outtakes Learn More You can learn more about Joe and his work here: OnePercentBetterProject.com Joe on X Joe on LinkedIn For more learning on this topic, check out: Episode 380 with Monica Guzman. It's about navigating stressful conversations with people you don't agree with. Episode 284 with Peter Boghossian. It's another episode on conversations that seem impossible. Think of difficult bosses and other stakeholders. Episode 195 with Celeste Headlee. She's an NPR anchor who first introduced me to the idea of conversational narcissism. Pass the PMP Exam This Year If you or someone you know is thinking about getting PMP certified, we've put together a helpful guide called The 5 Best Resources to Help You Pass the PMP Exam on Your First Try. We've helped thousands of people earn their certification, and we'd love to help you too. It's totally free, and it's a great way to get a head start. Just go to 5BestResources.PeopleAndProjectsPodcast.com to grab your copy. I'd love to help you get your PMP this year! Join Us for LEAD52 I know you want to be a more confident leader, that's why you listen to this podcast. LEAD52 is a global community of people like you who are committed to transforming their ability to lead and deliver. It's 52 weeks of leadership learning, delivered right to your inbox, taking less than 5 minutes a week. And it's all for free. Learn more and sign up at GetLEAD52.com. Thanks! Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills Topics: Communication, Difficult Conversations, Active Listening, Stakeholder Management, Leadership Presence, Psychological Safety, Meeting Facilitation, Coaching, Feedback, Influence, Conflict Management, Relationship Building The following music was used for this episode: Music: Summer Morning Full Version by MusicLFiles License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: Energetic Drive Indie Rock by WinnieTheMoog License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Jamie Stilwill and Joell Teal, faculty with Catalysis, share about the connections between psychological safety and continuous improvement in healthcare.

André, The Impulsive Thinker™, welcomes back registered psychotherapist Christina Crowe to dig deep into the real reasons ADHD Entrepreneurs struggle to open up in therapy. This episode tackles the concept of psychological safety, why traditional therapy methods can leave neurodivergent brains feeling stuck, and how adapting approaches can help. You'll hear how therapy isn't always supposed to feel good and why finding the right therapist—one who understands ADHD and neurodivergence—is key to meaningful change. If you've ever felt shut down or confused in therapy, this conversation offers honest insights and practical advice tailor-made for your entrepreneurial journey.  

Coach Your Brains Out: The Art and Science of Coaching VolleyballThe Inner Knight: Train and Compete Like a ChampionBecome a Patron to support the show.

As a former C-suite executive, Dr. Kasi Lacey know what it's like to be the only woman at the table. She has built departments, led strategic plans, secured millions in grants, and managed crisis after crisis—all while battling imposter syndrome behind closed doors. She felt the pressure to prove herself. To be polished. To not take up too much space. Today, she speaks and coaches so that other women don't have to carry that same pressure alone. Her keynote talks, workshops, and coaching programs are designed to help high-achieving students lead with clarity, confidence, and courage. She combines the science of psychology with real-world leadership experience to spark meaningful change—whether in a conference ballroom, a corporate boardroom, or a Zoom call with students who are ready for more. She has spoken to executives, educators, healthcare leaders, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, HR teams, students, and women in male-dominated fields—sharing tools to overcome burnout, build emotional intelligence, quiet the inner critic, and rise into roles they deserve. In episode 641 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out why Dr. Lacey chose Austin College for her undergraduate experience, how starting off life in survival mode helped to shape her view of confidence, what her experiences in higher education leadership taught her about confidence, power, and silence that psychology alone couldn't, what is the biggest misconception leaders have about confidence, what are some signs advisors or chapter leaders should watch for that signal confidence issues, how can Fraternity or Sorority leaders increase psychological safety in their organization, how student leaders can set boundaries without feeling like they're letting their chapter down, why leaders tend to isolate themselves as responsibility increases, what role fraternities and sororities play in either reinforcing—or closing—the confidence gap for students, and what mindset shift has to happen first for real culture change to stick. Enjoy!

Most leaders don't lose their integrity all at once. They lose it slowly, under pressure, through choices that feel reasonable in the moment. The uncomfortable truth is that the very things leaders use to protect their reputation often end up costing them trust. In this episode we examine the subtle ways integrity erodes, why good people justify small compromises, and how those decisions compound over time. If you've ever felt the tension between doing what's right and doing what works, this conversation is for you.

Lauren shares how clear boundaries serve as vital leadership infrastructure, helping regulate teams, reduce anxiety, and prevent burnout. She explains how predictable limits build psychological safety and support creativity and sustainable performance, while unclear boundaries lead to over-availability, resentment, and exhaustion.She also offers practical guidance on system-level boundaries like response times, recovery periods, escalation protocols, and shared agreements, encouraging leaders to start by tightening just one boundary to support long-term sustainability for both themselves and their organizations.Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited CourseLearn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the rootResources: Clockwork by Mike MichalowiczGino WickmanOther related resources from Five Ives: Blog Post: Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in CrisisWhat are the Five Ives?Podcast:Clarity as a Safety CueWhen Leaders Become the StressorEpisode 2: Authority Without FearEpisode 1: What Stress Does to Decision MakingThe Pause Between Now and NextLeading From a Regulated CoreDesigning Rhythms that RegulateWhen Culture DysregulatesGrowth & Feedback Without FearOnboarding as Co-RegulationPolicy as a Nervous SystemWhy Women in Leadership MicromanageThe Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated OrganizationOur Online Programs: Behavior BreakthroughPolicing Under PressureBoard Governance TrainingUniversity of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited CourseSubscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!Five Ives WebsiteThe Behavior Hub blogIf you're looking for support as you grow your organization's capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey. Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guideAs an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Send a textSometimes, just sometimes, the rules are there to be broken. Because when you dare to break them, miracles and moments of beautiful humanity could be waiting just on the other side.Standing with founders through the messy middle, founder & investor coach Rotem Kazir has witnessed the downturns, the $100M wins, the struggles, and the moments CEOs have had to admit defeat, in order to succeed. She invites us into the vulnerable, scrappy side of the start-up world, where professionalism wears a different guise: fail fast, break the rules, and put the company first.Join us as Rotem shares stories from her 20 year coaching career, and why she's learnt that Unprofessionalism means stepping into your humanity, speaking your truth, and asking your team What's hard?.Find out about:Rotem's experience as a starter coach, and what she gained when she chose to remove professional distanceWhy sharing struggles at the start of meetings creates a culture of honesty, free of professional performanceThe importance of choosing how to show up in meetings, from body language, to facial expressions, and tone of voice.Why building trust requires us to drop the professional mask to foster genuine connectionLinks:LinkedInSupport 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/

Rebuilding Psychological SafetyIf people feel unsafe, they do the minimum and pray no one notices. If the bar is too low, everyone's happy… until the customer sees the work. The sweet spot? High safety and high standards. People speak up, try things, and still hit the mark. Think: honest kitchen with a strict head chef, and nobody burns the risotto, but jokes are allowed.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] ⁠https://www.agiledad.com/⁠- [instagram] ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/⁠- [facebook] ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/⁠- [Linkedin] ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Lauren explores why clarity is one of the most powerful safety cues a leader can offer in high-pressure systems. Rather than micromanagement, clear expectations help regulate the nervous system by creating predictability, reducing rumination, and allowing people to think, decide, and perform more effectively.This episode also examines the cost of ambiguity, from burnout to disengagement, and offers guidance on providing clarity without over-detailing. Lauren invites leaders to reflect on where clearer structure could support greater psychological safety and sustainability at work. Sign up for the University of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited CourseLearn about the Staff Sustainability System a proven system to reduce burnout at the rootOther related resources from Five Ives: Blog Post: Why Traditional Employee Wellness Programs Fail (And What Works Instead)Survive Mode: Recognizing When Your Organization is in CrisisWhat are the Five Ives?Podcast:When Leaders Become the StressorEpisode 2: Authority Without FearEpisode 1: What Stress Does to Decision MakingThe Pause Between Now and NextLeading From a Regulated CoreDesigning Rhythms that RegulateWhen Culture DysregulatesGrowth & Feedback Without FearOnboarding as Co-RegulationPolicy as a Nervous SystemWhy Women in Leadership MicromanageThe Regulated Organization: What it Means to be a Regulated OrganizationRetain: Sustaining Staff, Culture, and CapacityReset: Moving from Relief to Real TransformationOur Online Programs: Behavior BreakthroughPolicing Under PressureBoard Governance TrainingUniversity of Pennsylvania Behavior Breakthrough Accredited CourseSubscribe to our mailing list and find out more about Stress, Trauma, Behavior and the Brain!Check out our Facebook Group – Five Ives!Five Ives Website websiteThe Behavior Hub blogIf you're looking for support as you grow your organization's capacity for caring for staff and the community, we would love to be part of that journey. Schedule a free discovery call and let us be your guideAs an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

How Leaders Build Cultures That Actually Work w/Lachandra “La” BakerLachandra “La” Baker is a workforce optimization strategist, speaker, and author of Your Own Biggest Cheerleader. She helps leaders and organizations create lasting change from the inside out by aligning mindset, behavior, and systems — so people feel valued, teams perform better, and cultures actually work.A three-time TEDx speaker and two-time TEDx performer, she is a Gold, Silver and Bronze Quill Award winner and was recognized as one of Columbus's Future 50 leaders.Links:https://www.lbbedutainment.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/lachandrabbaker/Tags:Emotional Intelligence,Employee Experience,Leadership,Psychological Safety,Thought Leader,Workplace Culture,How Leaders Build Cultures That Actually Work w/Lachandra “La” Baker,Live Video Podcast Interview,Podcast,Phantom Electric Ghost Podcast,InterviewSupport PEG by checking out our Sponsors:Download and use Newsly for free now from www.newsly.me or from the link in the description, and use promo code “GHOST” and receive a 1-month free premium subscription.The best tool for getting podcast guests:https://podmatch.com/signup/phantomelectricghostSubscribe to our Instagram for exclusive content:https://www.instagram.com/expansive_sound_experiments/Subscribe to our YouTube https://youtube.com/@phantomelectricghost?si=rEyT56WQvDsAoRprRSShttps://anchor.fm/s/3b31908/podcast/rssSubstackhttps://substack.com/@phantomelectricghost?utm_source=edit-profile-page

What can medicine learn from wilderness accidents?Andrew sits down with Ashley Saupe, host of The Sharp End Podcast, to explore how storytelling, transparency, and shared mistakes can build cultures of psychological safety. They discuss near misses, debriefing after critical incidents, and why learning why things go right is just as important as analyzing failures.From heuristic traps to morbidity & mortality parallels, this conversation challenges clinicians and trainees to rethink how we process error, trauma, and growth—both in medicine and beyond. Listen to Ashley's podcast, The Sharp End Podcast, here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7FkXUXRArsfnCUq29aMnep?si=c9aaa5b845414cbfSend us a text

What if silence in your team meetings isn't just about shyness or lack of ideas, but something everyone's been taught—often unconsciously—to protect themselves or others? In this episode, I sit down with Elaine Lin Hering, a top facilitator, global educator, and author of “Unlearning Silence,” to dig into the roots of silence and how leaders can transform it into true engagement.As the conversation kicks off, we tackle a fundamental leadership dilemma: despite constant encouragement to “speak up,” people often hold back. Why? Elaine reveals it's not just about courage or confidence. Silence is a learned survival strategy, which is often shaped by culture, hierarchy, and even unconscious organizational habits. Her own story, growing up as the youngest daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, shows how silence sneaks in early and sticks.Throughout the episode, we explore questions relating to real-world challenges such as how can you create a safe space for candor when your “resting face” or demeanour sets the wrong tone? Or, why do team members only give feedback after a decision is finalized. Elaine offers evidence-informed and practical answers to these situations.The takeaway is clear: Strong leadership means recognizing that silence is not always golden—and that by unlearning it, we unlock deeper connection, better decisions, and a future not bound by the past. What You'll Learn- Silence is learned… and it's often unintentional.- Unlearning silence is an ongoing process.- Explicit clarity is critical for leaders.- How to reframe your view of your voice.- The mode and medium of communication matter.- What is obvious to you may be the insight someone else is looking for.Podcast Timestamps(00:03) - The Origins of Unlearning Silence(05:46) - The Process of Unlearning Silence(09:10) - Agency and the Value of Voice(15:59) - The RACI Framework(19:16) - How Communication Mode and Process Influence Voice(24:10) - Surfacing Feedback and Pre-Empting Silence(32:08) - Imposter Syndrome or Imposter Treatment?(41:47) - When Is Silence Golden?(46:52) - Explicitly Creating Psychological SafetyKEYWORDSPositive Leadership, Self-Awareness, Feedback, Personal Growth, Leading with Intention, Unlearning silence, Employee Voice, Power Dynamics, Decision-Making Frameworks, RACI Model, Team Communication, Self-Silencing, Imposter Syndrome, Psychological Safety, Personal Growth, CEO Success

I had to get this urgent episode to you sooner rather than later, given the climate of fear in the U.S. in current times.For many employees right now, work doesn't feel like a safe place. It feels uncertain, frightening, and deeply personal. In moments like this, how leaders respond matters more than ever. Michelle Feferman has spent decades helping organizations navigate complex DEI and workplace culture challenges in ways that protect people and strengthen the business. We talk directly about what leaders can do to support employees in the face of ICE raids and immigration-related fear, how to create real psychological safety at work, and why most DEI efforts are still entirely legal if you're focused on risk mitigation, clarity, and care.We also unpack how retention, engagement, and productivity are tightly tied to DEI and empathy work, and the key elements leaders need to think through right now to support their people while capturing the full business benefit.This is a practical, compassionate conversation for leaders who want to do the right thing without panicking, posturing, or staying silent.To access the episode transcript, go to www.TheEmpathyEdge.com, search by episode title.Listen in for…Creating a diverse team that goes beyond old-fashioned quotas.Key benefits of having a wide pool of differing viewpoints within your organization.Actions to put in place to keep your employees safe and informed about handling ICE raids that could be used as a template for other crises. Tips to create an FAQ that matters "If you can take the time now to get these things in place, the majority of people will relax, to some extent, and feel like they can come to work and just focus on work. People will relax more and be much more productive at work." — Michelle Feferman Episode References: Michelle's article: It is Imperative to Create Psychological Safety at Work Amidst ICE Raids: https://mfeferman.substack.com/p/12868206_ice-raids-and-psychological-safetyBook: DO DEI Right: Cut Through the Noise and Drive Lasting ResultsAbout Michelle Feferman, Founder and CEO, Equity at Work, Author of Do DEI RightMichelle is passionate about helping organizations have a profound impact on their employees, businesses, and communities through their diversity, equity, and inclusion work. She is the Founder and CEO of Equity At Work, known for creating innovative, customized solutions for even the most complex DEI and workplace culture challenges. Her clients outperform their peers in revenue and margin growth, productivity, engagement, and retention.Michelle is the author of Do DEI Right, co-host of the podcast Your DEI Minute, and on the Investment Committee of RevTech Venture Capital. Before this, she spent 25 years working at Accenture, Kurt Salmon, Macy's Inc., and The Walt Disney Company.From Our Sponsor:Keynote Speakers and Conference Trainers: Get your free Talkadot trial and enjoy this game-changer for your speaking business! www.share.talkadot.com/mariarossConnect with Michelle:Equity At Work: https://www.equity-at-work.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleebogan/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093183559876Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equity_at_workSubstack: https://mfeferman.substack.com/ Connect with Maria:Get Maria's books: Red-Slice.com/booksHire Maria to speak: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossTake the LinkedIn Learning Courses! Leading with Empathy and Balancing Empathy, Accountability, and Results as a Leader LinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaFacebook: Red SliceGet your copy of The Empathy Dilemma here- www.theempathydilemma.comSign up for Optionality now! Go to optKeynote Speakers and Conference Trainers: Get your free Talkadot trial and enjoy this game changer for your speaking business! www.share.talkadot.com/mariaross

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Colin Stevens to talk about the difference between communicating and actually connecting. They unpack why teams can look successful on the outside but be disconnected on the inside, how adversity reveals character, and why connection always carries risk. You'll also learn the two types of respect, the quiet trust-killers that damage teams over time, and the three controllables—effort, attitude, and energy—that determine whether connection grows or dies. www.YourHealth.Org

There is a difference between being safe and thinking you are safe, and the bridge between those two things is built on trust. In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, Dr. Bob Duke, and Rebecca McInroy talk about the difference between psychological safety and the psychology of safety and how […] The post Psychological Safety, Safety, and Trust appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

How “spaciousness” helps teams move beyond busywork — and build the conditions for honest conversation.“We're just so busy right now” is one of the most common reasons cultures don't change — and it's exactly what Megan Reitz set out to understand. In her research, she describes two modes of attention at work: doing mode, where focus narrows to tasks, control, and quick progress, and spacious mode, where attention expands, insight emerges, and real connection becomes possible.Reitz is a leadership researcher whose work explores how people speak up, listen well, and create environments where others can be heard — because, as she puts it, “how you show up affects the voices of the people around you.” When teams are anxious or rushed, attention tightens and listening gets shallow; when there's more safety and space, people can pause, widen their perspective, and make better choices together.In this Quick Thinks episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Reitz and host Matt Abrahams discuss why organizations get stuck in doing mode and what it takes to build spacious agility. They share practical ways to name spaciousness, strengthen psychological safety, introduce healthy dissonance (even through assigned roles like devil's advocate), and respond in ways that keep people speaking up — not shutting down.Episode Reference Links:Megan ReitzMegan's Book: Speak Out, Listen UpEp.132 Lean Into Failure: How to Make Mistakes That WorkEp.148 Conviction and Compassion: How to Have Hard Conversations 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 (02:10) - Doing Mode vs. Spacious Mode (02:13) - Building Agility Between Modes (12:56) - Creating Psychological Safety (19:14) - 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.This episode is brought to you by Babbel. Think Fast Talk Smart listeners can get started on your language learning journey today- visit Babbel.com/Thinkfast and get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription.Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be. 

Why it's critical to say what needs to be said — and listen when others do the same.Speak out, listen up — these are Megan Reitz's core pillars of workplace communication. According to her, healthy organizations are only possible when everyone can say what they think, and they know they'll be heard.Reitz is an academic and author whose work focuses on creating workplaces where all voices are heard and valued. Her latest book, Speak Out, Listen Up, explores the power dynamics that shape our communication at work and beyond. “Conversational habits define organizational success and our capacity to flourish,” she says. “Ethical conduct depends on what we're able to say and what we aren't, and whether we're heard or not. Innovation depends on our capacity to speak up, challenge, and disrupt, and whether that is heard or not. And of course, our engagement and our ability to perform depends on a feeling that our opinion is valued and that we're respected.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Reitz and host Matt Abrahams discuss how to create workplaces where every voice is heard. From her T.R.U.T.H. framework (trust, risk, understanding, titles, and how-to) to the pitfalls of communicational power dynamics, Reitz's insights reveal why healthy organizations are only possible when we all speak out and listen up.Episode Reference Links:Megan ReitzMegan's Book: Speak Out, Listen UpEp.132 Lean Into Failure: How to Make Mistakes That Work Ep.148 Conviction and Compassion: How to Have Hard Conversations 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 (02:21) - The TRUTH Framework (05:32) - Status, Titles, and Voice (09:21) - Power Traps For Leaders (14:06) - Mindful Leadership = Habit Change (18:35) - The Final Three Questions (25:46) - 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.Strawberry.me. Get 50% off your first coaching session today at Strawberry.me/smartJoin our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.