The Look & Sound of Leadership – Details, episodes & analysis

After a leader turns around the performance of one of his direct reports, he and his coach explore how it happened. And how to make it stick.  

Core ideas in the episode:

• Workplaces improve when positive feedback is present
• Our natural human negative bias is a barrier to giving positive feedback.
• Learn to notice when things go well.
• Tell people how they are helping solve the puzzle that is work.
• Research says the most effective feedback ratio is 4-to-1, positive to developmental.

Positive Feedback might sound like this:

1. Recognize what’s going well – and be specific
2. Appreciate how it’s helping solve the puzzle
3. Express your thanks

Developmental Feedback might sound like this:

1. Describe what happened – and be specific
2. Explain how it affects the puzzle solving effort
3. Express your hope for a different outcome

You can Sign-up for more resources and tools in our monthly email. 

If you’re thinking about coaching for yourself, or for someone on your team, let’s talk. tom@essentialcomm.com.

This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library:

Managing Yourself

Perception – How You Perceive Others

Relationship Building

Related episodes to listen to are:

146 - Building Empathy

119 - Creating Devoted Followers

212 - How to Coach Your People

255 - How to Deepen Relationships at Work

260 - How to Guarantee Psychological Safety

Thanks, as always, for your reviews!

Until next time, thanks so much for listening.

From The Look & Sound of Leadership team 

A toxic boss destroys psychological safety on her team. One of her direct reports talks to his coach about how to survive. And how to keep his own team safe. 

Core ideas in the episode:

• Don’t take other people’s bad behavior personally.
• You are not a victim. You have choice.
• Document repeated bad behavior.
• Openly discussing mistakes without blame creates safety on a team.
• As the leader, be willing to admit your own mistakes.
• Ask people: “How do you think that went?” and “What could we do differently?” Then listen without debate or rebuttal.

A free infographic supports this episode. Download it here. 

The episode referred to about creating strong personal relationships is:

#199 Personal Connections.

Sign-up  for monthly resources and tools in our monthly email. 

Curious about coaching for yourself or someone on your team? Let’s talk. tom@essentialcomm.com.

COACHES! Want to see this year’s pricing survey results? Pop me an email at: tom@essentialcomm.com.

And come join the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group. Check it out here.

Get additional tools for keeping yourself and your team psychologically safe in our podcast library in these three categories:

Assertiveness

Leadership

Managing Yourself

Additional episodes to listen to are:

187 - Agreeable Disagreement

70 - Assertion Versus Aggression

"75 - Don’t Take Anything Personally”

222- The Conflict Conversation

181 - Inviting Dialogue

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Until next time, thanks!

From The Look & Sound of Leadership team 

A coaching client wonders what elements need to be present for someone to appear ‘executive.’ Two executive coaches ponder this question and come up with five elements they deem essential.

Categories in the archive to explore:

Developing New Behaviors

Executive Presence

Perception – How You’re Perceived

Six episodes to dive into:

189 - Don’t Take Anything Personally

178 - Executive Presence – Three Pillars

168 - Influence

108 - Shouldering the Burden of Leadership

23 - Speed of Thought

Download the Six Books for Growth here.

Listen to “The Show Must Go On” episode, about a real-life on-stage catastrophe.

Curious about coaching? Reach out to Tom here.

Free transcripts of this and every episode are available here. 

More resources are available in our monthly Essential News email. Sign up here.

FOR COACHES:

Michael Lewis’s podcast, “Against the Rules,” devotes its second season (2020) to all different types of coaching. 

Join us at the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group. We meet six times a year. Our first meeting in 2025 is Friday, February 14th, 9:00 am Pacific.

2025 Meeting Dates

Fridays, 9:00 – 10:30am Pacific

February 14

April 11

June 13

August 8

September 12 

November 14

Sponsored by ICF-LA

Wishing us all compassion and grace in 2025.

From The Look & Sound of Leadership team 

This month's episode introduces "Acting on the Corporate Stage." That phrase was Tom's original branding phrase, before "The Look & Sound of Leadership" became his branding phrase.

"Acting on the Corporate Stage" aims at helping you be perceived in the workplace the way you want to be perceived, which, of course, is the reason d'etre of every episode.

Also this month, Tom shares reflections on attending his first-ever podcaster's convention. And his reflections are all about YOU!

He also points you to two very different interviews on other podcasts:

The Everyday Innovator with Chad McAllister, episode 137. He and Chad deconstruct the "Sorting & Labeling" tool. Very helpful!

Fatherhood 360 with David Wissore, episode 11. While exploring how parenthood influences leadership, Tom reveals some very personal stories.

The four related episodes this month are:
Act “As If”
Creating New Behaviors
Self-Awareness and Self-Management
The Mindful Executive

The archive of Executive Coaching Tips is at:
http://essentialcomm.com/podcast

Delivering a top-notch presentation requires you to master your ideas. Of course! But even more, you need to master yourself. Your audience won’t be able to lock onto you unless you are “in focus.” This month’s coaching conversation shows you how to get “in focus.”

Related episodes are:
Prepping Like a TED Talker
http://essentialcomm.com/podcast/prepping-like-ted-talker/

Talking Like a TED Talker
http://essentialcomm.com/podcast/talking-like-ted-talker/

All Presentation Skills Tips are available at:
http://essentialcomm.com/tag/presentation-skills/

A PDF summary of Chris Anderson's book, "TED Talks" is
available to you. Just pop Tom an email and ask for it. He's at:
info@essentialcomm.com

Preparing a presentation raises many questions. How much are you going to rehearse? What will you actually do during your rehearsal? Are you going to memorize your talk? This month’s coaching conversation covers all that and more.

Four core concepts this month:

• Rehearsal is obligatory.
• Manage your self-talk.
• Find your throughline.
• Rehearsal means “out loud.”

In the archive is a whole set of Tips about “self talk.” It’s at:
http://essentialcomm.com/tag/self-talk/

There’s another set about “presentation skills.” That’s at:
http://essentialcomm.com/tag/presentation-skills/

Many different Executive Coaching Tips are referenced in this episode. Four related episodes are:
Captivate Your Audience
I Talk Too Fast!
The Power of Rehearsal
What Compelling Speakers Share

The entire archive of Tips is at:
http://essentialcomm.com/podcast

Holding each other’s attention is a constant challenge. But you can’t achieve The Look & Sound of Leadership if you can’t keep people listening to you.

This month’s coaching conversation emphasizes three little slogans to make sure you aren’t driving your listeners away from you. All three slogans are just three words long: “Short sounds confident.” And “Communication takes effort.” And “Stop talking sooner.”

There are so many reasons why embodying those slogans is hard. And, in truth, it’s easier for some people than for others. But everyone can get at least a little better at this. This month’s podcast will give you lots of practical tips – and some metaphors!—to help get you there.

Past Tips are available at:
essentialcomm.com

Be in touch with us at:
info@essentialcomm.com

We love hearing from you.

Tom exchanges emails with two listeners. One exchange addresses issues of personal boundaries in the workplace; the other addresses scarcity and abundance.

This Bonus Episode is only the second one in the 9-year history of "The Look & Sound of Leadership." If you like this and want more, tell us. Contact us through the homepage at:
 essentialcomm.com

Or by email at:
 info@essentialcomm.com

The prior bonus episode -- with two other email exchanges -- is titled "Readers' Letters." It was posted in May, 2016. Find it in your feed. It’s not available on our website. (We’re working on that!)

TED Talkers turn us into engrossed detectives, absorbed in solving the mysteries unfolding before us. But TED Talking doesn’t have to be saved for special events. This month’s coaching conversation explores ways to turn everyday presentations into compelling content that will hold people's interest ... like a TED Talk.

If you're crafting an actual TED Talk, use Chris Anderson's terrific book: "TED Talks."

I have a nifty 3-page reduction of Anderson's book. Reach out to me at info@essentialcomm.com and I'll send it along.

Working to improve yourself as a presenter? The Coaching Tips archive are full of related episodes. Go to: essentialcomm.com/podcast and search the topic: "Presentation Skills."

Authority. It’s a slip-sliding sort of thing, isn’t it? Do we get it automatically along with a title? Sometimes. But sometimes not. This month’s coaching conversation examines both the thoughts and the words that give us authority.

The ideas in this month's episode echo motifs embedded in many other episodes. Just a few related Executive Coaching Tips are:

• Assertion vs Aggression
• Choosing Persistence
• Don’t Take it Personally
• Getting Unstuck
• The Look & Sound of Self-Esteem
• Speaking For Yourself
• Showing Teeth
• Status

Every episode is available at:
http://essentialcomm.com/podcast/

Be in touch with us at:
info@essentialcomm.com