Explore every episode of the podcast The Presence Lab | Executive Communication Under Pressure
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why You Get Nervous When You Know the Material Cold | 14 sept. 2026 | 00:19:40 | |
You know the material. You’ve done the work. You may even be the most knowledgeable person in the room. So why do you suddenly get nervous when the stakes go up? Sometimes it isn’t a preparation problem. It’s because you quietly took on a second job. The real job is to communicate clearly, answer the question and help the room make a good decision. The second job is managing what everyone thinks about you: Make sure I look smart. Don’t get caught without an answer. Don’t let them see me struggle. Dale calls that second job The Grade. In this episode of The Presence Lab, Dale examines the psychology behind why capable leaders can become more anxious, defensive and self-conscious when they feel evaluated. You’ll learn why wanting to perform well is different from trying not to look bad, how self-evaluation steals attention from the room, and why a five-word answer like “I don’t know. I’ll find out” can become surprisingly difficult under pressure. Dale also examines two recent real-world examples, including Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley’s response to questions about misuse of the company’s license-plate-reader network and Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key’s response after a difficult loss, to show the difference between defending your reputation and defending the work. You’ll leave with three practical moves:
Plus, Dale gives you a simple test for your own high-pressure answers: What did that sentence defend, the mechanism, the recommendation, or me? Get the free two-page The Grade Field Guide at daledixonmedia.com/grade. Join The Presence Lab community at daledixonmedia.com/community. If this episode gives you language for something you’ve experienced, follow The Presence Lab and send it to someone who does high-stakes work. | |||
| The Read - How to Tell What a Room Actually Means | 09 sept. 2026 | 00:26:03 | |
You notice the folded arms. The silence. The lack of questions. The person looking down at the table. You read the room. Then you make the dangerous leap: you decide what all of it means. In this episode of The Presence Lab, Dale Dixon shares a university classroom experience where he was paying close attention to the audience, adapting in real time, and still getting the read wrong. The problem wasn’t that he failed to notice the signals. The problem was the meaning he attached to them. That same mistake shows up in boardrooms, presentations, team meetings, sales conversations, and difficult one-on-ones. Experience gives leaders useful pattern recognition, but it can also cause us to complete the story before we have enough evidence. You’ll learn how to:
The three practical moves are Split the Sentence, Count to Three, and Test the Read. The goal isn’t to become better at guessing what everyone is thinking. It’s to become better at noticing when the room in front of you is different from the one in your head. That is the central distinction the final episode builds toward. Free Field Guide: Join The Presence Lab community: | |||
| When Your Company Screws Up: Own It, Fix It, Prevent It | 31 août 2026 | 00:20:31 | |
How does a bad decision survive the idea, production, internal review and final approval before somebody finally says, “We shouldn’t do this”? That’s the leadership question behind the Good Good Golf and Callaway controversy. A co-branded ad drew widespread backlash after depicting Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoving fellow creator Alexis Miestowski to the ground. Callaway later acknowledged that it had reviewed and approved the ad before it was posted. The consequences went well beyond social media criticism. Callaway ended its relationship with Good Good, retailers pulled merchandise, Golf Channel canceled the current season of Big Break x Good Good, and Good Good stepped away as title sponsor of the PGA Tour event in Austin. Those details reflect the updated reporting reviewed for this package. The more useful question for a leader is what happened before the public ever saw the mistake. In this episode of The Presence Lab, I use the Good Good and Callaway case, along with Meta’s proposed settlement of up to $18 billion over state claims concerning child safety on Facebook and Instagram, to examine what happens when organizational judgment fails. I’ll walk through the crisis framework I’ve taught for years: Own it. Get clear about what happened and take responsibility for what actually belongs to you. Fix it. Go beyond the apology and find the conditions that allowed the problem to happen. Prevent it. Build the judgment, systems and lived values that help people make better decisions before the next crisis arrives. The prevention piece is where this gets personal. I’ll share a values exercise my family worked through over several dinners and how five very simple values became something we could actually use when making decisions. That experience changed the way I think about corporate values. Values on a wall don't do much. Values that are identified, discussed, modeled and deliberately used in real decisions can become part of an organization's protection system. There’s a practical test you can run with your own leadership team: Take one difficult decision from the past 30 days and put your company values beside it. Which value actually influenced the decision? What did honoring it cost? Your answers may tell you whether you have values your organization lives by or simply values your organization publishes. In this episode:
Learn more about executive communication coaching and The Presence Lab at Dale Dixon Media. https://www.daledixonmedia.com/ Join the free Presence Lab community https://www.daledixonmedia.com/community | |||
| The Scorecard - How to Prove Your Communication Changed | 24 août 2026 | 00:17:10 | |
You can work hard on your communication and still leave the people around you experiencing the same behavior. That’s the uncomfortable problem with self-awareness: knowing what you want to change doesn’t prove that you changed it. In this episode of The Presence Lab, Dale Dixon explores how senior leaders can tell whether communication improvement is actually showing up where it counts, especially when pressure makes old habits easier to reach. You’ll meet three practical tools: The Retell, The Replacement, and The Outside Score. Together, they create a better standard than good intentions, one successful meeting, or your own assessment of how you’re doing. The real question is simpler: Can the people who experience you see the difference? Get The Scorecard Field Guide and put the framework into practice at daledixonmedia.com/scorecard. #ExecutiveCommunication #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutivePresence | |||
| The Hedge - How to Sound Confident When You're Challenged | 17 août 2026 | 00:22:16 | |
You didn't lose your point. You watched yourself soften it. One skeptical look, and "we should do this" turns into "I think maybe we could look at this." For executives, founders, and senior leaders who already know their material, that reflex quietly costs you the room. So how do you sound confident when someone challenges you? Not by faking certainty. You own what you know, and you hedge only the unknown. There's a hedge that protects the truth, and a hedge that only protects you. One is honest. The other is a leak. The line to carry into the next hard room: hedge the unknown, own what you know. Dale went looking for a CEO who got this wrong. Instead, on live TV under real pressure, a Target CEO did the opposite of what Dale expected, and became the clearest lesson in the episode. In this episode: Grab the Field Guide and practice it live inside The Presence Lab community: daledixonmedia.com/community If this names something you've felt, follow the show, and send it to a leader who softens their best ideas the second they get pushback. Hosted by Dale Dixon: 15 years in broadcast news, two decades coaching leaders on camera, and author of Sweating Bullets. Sources: Brian Cornell, CNBC Evolve Global Summit, November 2, 2023. Research on hedging language and perceived credibility: Hosman (1989); Erickson, Lind, Johnson & O'Barr (1978). Full citations in the Field Guide. | |||
| The Open - Fix the First 30 Seconds of Your Next Talk | 09 août 2026 | 00:17:34 | |
The opening of a talk isn't a scripting problem. It's a state problem. Here's what happens in the first thirty seconds, and three moves that keep your best material in reach when the pressure hits. Most speakers treat the opening of a talk as a writing problem. But you can have the perfect opening sitting on slide six and still walk on stage and reach for "I'm so excited to be here." | |||
| Why Leaders Go Blank Under Pressure, and How to Recover | 03 août 2026 | 00:24:07 | |
You know the material. Then someone asks a difficult question, the room turns toward you, and your mind goes completely blank. Why does your mind go blank under pressure? More importantly, how do you recover without bluffing, rambling, or filling the silence with an answer you immediately regret? In this episode of The Presence Lab, Dale Dixon tells the story of freezing during a live television report on his first day at an NBC affiliate. The experience revealed an important distinction: knowing the answer, accessing the answer, and producing it quickly are three different skills. You’ll learn why stress and social evaluation can crowd working memory, why the room sees far less panic than you feel, and how preparation creates the retrieval paths that make strong live answers possible. Dale shares three practical tools: Own the Gap Build the Handle Build the Index You’ll also learn how to say “I don’t know” without weakening your authority, how to answer hostile questions without getting pulled into a private argument, and why thinking on your feet rarely begins on your feet. This episode is for executives, emerging leaders, public speakers, spokespersons, and anyone who needs to think clearly and answer questions under pressure. Download The Blank Field Guide, including the three recovery tools, a question war-game, a Message Map prompt, and a story-index template: https://www.daledixonmedia.com/blankJoin the free Sphere Presence Lab for early episode access, Field Guides, live Q&A, and practical training for communicating under pressure: https://www.daledixonmedia.com/communitySupport The Presence Lab Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/11786/supportYou don’t lose your intelligence when the room gets hard. You lose access. Build the index, and the words find their way home. | |||
| The Grip - Why Letting Go Is the Skill Leaders Never Train | 27 juil. 2026 | 00:20:01 | |
Every leader believes the same thing under pressure: prepare hard enough, control enough of it, and you will finally be safe. It is exactly backwards. The tighter you grip the plan, the less you can do the moment the plan gets taken - and it always gets taken. This episode takes apart the belief that you can control your way to safety. It opens on a stage in front of a thousand kids, a building-sized screen, and a computer that dies on slide two. From there it looks at why the elite operators trained to control every variable are the ones who struggle most at the toughest survival school in the world, while an unassuming middle school principal quietly crushes it. Underneath the story is the actual science of it, why a rigid, control-based strategy works beautifully right up until control disappears, and what the research calls the flexible capacity that takes over when it does. You will leave with three tools: fix the goal and flex the route, name the problem and move on, and build one simple floor so you can let go of everything else. Dale Dixon has spent nearly 40 years in and around broadcast news and more than two decades coaching leaders through the moments that decide how they are remembered. He is the author of Sweating Bullets and the host of The Presence Lab, where the work starts with the nervous system, because the steadiest presence in the room is a trained one, not a lucky one. The Grip Field Guide holds all three tools plus the training drill, in one page you can keep on your desk. It is free at daledixon.me/grip The conversation keeps going inside The Presence Lab community, where Dale actually hangs out. It is free to join at daledixon.me/community If this episode put a name to something you have felt on a stage, in a boardroom, or in the moment the plan fell apart, follow the show and share it with the leader you know who is white-knuckling a plan right now. SOURCES AND FURTHER READING Field Guide: https://www.daledixonmedia.com/grip | |||
| The Dial - How Strong Leaders Turn Nerves Into Fuel | 20 juil. 2026 | 00:17:04 | |
Everyone tells you to calm down before the big moment. The research says that's the wrong instruction, and it's quietly costing you the edge you need. SOURCES | |||
| The Pause: How Three Seconds Of Silence Builds Authority | 13 juil. 2026 | 00:27:33 | |
Get The Pause Field Guide, a free two-page companion with all three pauses, the training wheels line, and a seven-day tracker: https://www.daledixonmedia.com/pause Someone asks you a hard question and you start answering before they finish asking it. You make your salary ask, then keep talking until you've discounted it. You ask your team a question, the room goes quiet for four seconds, and you answer it yourself. The fill-the-air reflex runs the room, and it runs most of us. | |||
| The Flinch: Why Leaders Soften Bad News and Lose Trust Anyway | 06 juil. 2026 | 00:20:37 | |
Every leader knows the moment. The reorg announcement, the roadmap cut, the budget town hall. And right before the hard sentence lands, something in us reaches for a sweetener. "But nobody's job is at risk." "It's really an opportunity." We soften the cost so we don't have to watch someone's face fall. That half-second move is the flinch. And it costs more than the bad news ever would. This episode started with a text from my friend Brice Sloan: the hardest thing for leaders to communicate is a strategy trade-off. The nervous system says highlight the positive. Reality demands something much more. So we go inside that gap, starting with a confession from my own shop involving a golf simulator, a launch monitor, and a purchase I didn't tell my wife about. In this episode: The real reason smart leaders sweeten hard news (it isn't a messaging problem, it's a nervous system problem) Why the body reads someone else's disappointment as a threat, and how that reading can flip mid-conversation What the yips teach us about pressure hijacking a skill we know cold Three tools you can use this week: Name the Cost First, Let the Air Leave the Room, and Go First Why the best hospital teams reported MORE errors, not fewer, and what a 90-second surgical checklist reveals about whether truth travels in your organization The one cue to carry with you: the next time you reach for the easy part before the true part, pay attention. That's the flinch. FREE FIELD GUIDE Get The Flinch Field Guide: a one-page self-audit, all three drills, and a 7-day tracker. Free at https://www.daledixonmedia.com/flinch
Mentioned in this episode: The Switch (the full breakdown of the stress response), and my book Sweating Bullets. Research referenced on air and worth your time: Jim Blascovich's challenge and threat model (the biopsychosocial model of arousal) Amy Edmondson's psychological safety research on hospital teams (Edmondson, 1999) Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto, and the WHO Safe Surgery checklist study (Haynes et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2009) Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine research on the yips Related reading: the reluctance to deliver bad news is documented as the MUM effect (Rosen and Tesser, 1970); on catching each other's emotions, see Hatfield, Cacioppo, and Rapson's work on emotional contagion If this episode helped you, a five-star review is the single biggest way you help another leader find it. And if someone in your world is carrying a hard conversation this week, send them this episode. Not for me. For them. More at https://www.daledixonmedia.com | |||
| The Communication Mistake Confident Leaders Don't Know They're Making | 29 juin 2026 | 00:27:28 | |
Download the field guide:https://www.daledixonmedia.com/gap Experienced leaders rarely have a clarity problem they can feel. They have one they can't. Learn why your message stops landing once you leave the room, the body language that kills honest feedback, and three drills that turn confidence into evidence. You explained it clearly. People nodded. A few said "makes sense." And four months later, they are asking you a question you already answered. That is not incompetence. It is the gap: the quiet distance between what you think you communicated and what people actually understood. It hides in capable, experienced, confident leaders, and the people most likely to have a wide one are the least likely to go looking for it. In this episode, Dale Dixon breaks down why fluency fools experienced leaders, why your nervous system decides how open you are before your conscious mind gets a vote, and how to make your confidence produce evidence instead of just feeling like proof. You will learn:
Get the free field guide for this episode, with the self-audit, all three drills, and a 7-day tracker: https://www.daledixonmedia.com/gap If a specific leader came to mind while you listened, send this to them. That is how the right people find this show. Subscribe for a new episode every week. The Presence Lab is where we work on the skill underneath the skill. Sources mentioned: Rozenblit and Keil on the illusion of explanatory depth; Galinsky and colleagues on power and perspective-taking; Marcus Aurelius, Meditations; Ryan Holiday, Ego Is the Enemy. #ExecutivePresence #LeadershipCommunication #ThePresenceLab | |||
| The Mirror: Why Your Body Language Undermines Your Leadership | 22 juin 2026 | 00:23:26 | |
There is a version of you that walks into the room, and a version of you that everyone else actually experiences. The gap between them is usually something small. A sigh you didn't know you let out. An eye roll that fired off while you were thinking about a call you forgot to return. A glance at your phone the second someone junior starts talking. You almost never mean any of it. But people read it as dismissive, disrespectful, already decided. And it quietly costs you trust you don't even know you're losing. Here's the hard part. You can't see your own tells, the same way you can't watch your own golf swing. I learned that one literally, on a driving range, when a friend filmed mine in slow motion and the swing I felt and the swing on the screen turned out to be two different events. The fix was simple and humbling. I had to say yes, show me the tape. Most leaders never get that tape. And it gets worse the higher you climb, because the more authority you gain, the fewer people are willing to hand you the truth, right when you need it most. In this episode we get into: The research that explains why "just be more self-aware" is almost useless advice. Where these tells actually come from, which is your nervous system, not your character. And three concrete moves to invite honest feedback, choose the right people to give it, and reset your state before you walk into the room. This one is personal. I share the work I'm still doing on my own feedback, including the 360 I commissioned and why people hesitate to tell me the truth even after I've asked for it. 📄 Free Field Guide: Grab The Mirror, the two-page companion for this episode. It includes a non-verbal self-audit, the three-move drill with the exact words to say, and a 7-day tracker. Get it at daledixon.me/mirror Know a leader with a tell they can't see? Send them this episode, and offer to be their loving critic. It's the one angle they'll never get on their own. I'm Dale Dixon, host of The Presence Lab and author of Sweating Bullets. Every week I help serious leaders perform when the room gets harder. Body first. Message second. Sources and further reading Tasha Eurich, Insight (2017), and "What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It)," Harvard Business Review (2018). Her research finds that about 95 percent of people believe they are self-aware while only 10 to 15 percent actually are, and that self-awareness tends to get less accurate as leaders gain experience and power. Jim Collins, Good to Great (2001). On Level 5 leadership, creating a climate where the truth is heard, confronting the brutal facts, and how a strong personality can lead people to filter the hard truths away from you. Kim Scott, Radical Candor (2017). On caring personally while challenging directly, the trap of Ruinous Empathy, and soliciting feedback before you give it. Ron Price and Randy Lisk, The Complete Leader (2014). On letting others be your mirror, the blame-defend-deny reflex, and being measured by impact rather than intention. On the physiological sigh: researchers in the labs of Jack Feldman (UCLA) and Mark Krasnow (Stanford) identified the brainstem circuit that triggers sighing (Nature, 2016). On cyclic sighing and mood: Balban and colleagues, with Andrew Huberman and David Spiegel, in Cell Reports Medicine (2023). Dale Dixon, Sweating Bullets, on state-first communication under pressure. Links Field Guide: https://www.daledixonmedia.com/mirror | |||
| How to Change Your Stress Response Under Pressure | 15 juin 2026 | 00:23:47 | |
You don't have six personalities under pressure. You have one switch, challenge or threat, and your body flips it before you get a vote. | |||
| The Expert’s Curse: Why Smart Leaders Lose the Room | 07 juin 2026 | 00:20:52 | |
The smartest person in the room is often the one most likely to lose it. Not because they lack expertise. Because they have so much knowledge in their head that they forget the audience cannot hear the full song playing in their mind. They only hear the taps on the table. In this episode of The Presence Lab, Dale Dixon breaks down what he calls “the expert’s curse,” the communication trap that causes smart leaders, founders, doctors, engineers, executives, and specialists to overwhelm the very people they are trying to reach. Using the story of a developer facing a skeptical city council, Dale explains why technical precision can become a form of armor under pressure, and why the nervous system often pulls experts toward more detail at the exact moment the room needs more clarity. You’ll learn: Why “dumbing it down” is the wrong goal How expertise makes it harder to remember what beginners need Why pressure drives smart people toward jargon, numbers, and over-explaining How Elizabeth Newton’s “tapper and listener” experiment explains why audiences get lost Three practical tools to help your message land: Coach the One, Word Pictures, and the Regulated Pause This episode is for leaders who need to communicate complex ideas clearly in board meetings, public hearings, sales conversations, media interviews, investor pitches, team meetings, and high-stakes presentations. The goal is not to know less. The goal is to build the door your audience can walk through. Download the free one-page field guide, The Translation Test, at https://www.daledixonmedia.com/podcast. | |||
| The Borrowed Voice | 31 mai 2026 | 00:24:06 | |
Download the free resource guide: https://www.daledixonmedia.com/podcast I tell the story of the night my “authoritative” anchor voice turned into a Peter Jennings impression and made a normal studio feel like a cliff. Then I break down the research and the practical moves that help leaders stop performing, read the room honestly, and speak with more power using less effort. | |||
| Why Leaders Speak Too Fast Under Pressure | 24 mai 2026 | 00:20:54 | |
Download the free companion guide at: https://presencelab.sphereapp.com/login/ Find the free The moment a meeting gets tense, a strange thing happens to a lot of smart leaders: our pace speeds up, our breathing climbs into our chest, and we start trying to win the moment by outrunning it. It can sound like confidence for a few seconds, then it turns into something else entirely: defensiveness, a data spill, or a listener quietly thinking, “I’m working too hard to follow this.” | |||
| Why Smart Leaders Lose the Room | 17 mai 2026 | 00:29:37 | |
Download the free Audience Load Map with a free membership to The Presence Lab: https://presencelab.sphereapp.com/ In this episode of The Presence Lab, Dale Dixon explains a common mistake among capable leaders: preparing to prove what they know instead of preparing for what the audience is already carrying. He describes the idea of audience load as emotional, cognitive, and decision pressure, and says communication can fail when leaders add weight instead of reducing it. Smart leaders often over-explain under pressure. Learn how to use the Audience Load Map to reduce emotional, cognitive, and decision load so your message is easier to receive, remember, and act on. Chapters 0:06 Audience First Mistake 5:02 Losing the Room 11:50 Three Audience Loads 17:07 The Decision Question 19:07 Better Openings 23:32 Try the Three Prompts 26:31 The Clarity Test Long Summary In this episode of The Presence Lab, Dale Dixon focuses on a mistake he sees smart leaders make: preparing to prove what they know instead of preparing for what the audience is already carrying. | |||
| Why Rehearsal Makes Some Leaders Worse | 11 mai 2026 | 00:19:32 | |
Most public speaking advice focuses on content, rehearsal, and confidence. That helps, but it misses the real problem many senior leaders face in high-stakes moments: the nervous system gets first vote. In this episode of The Presence Lab Podcast, Dale Dixon explains why smart, prepared leaders can still lose clarity, rush their delivery, or feel like a lesser version of themselves when the pressure rises. You’ll learn why the issue often is not your message, but the system delivering it. This episode breaks down a practical framework for high-stakes communication, executive presence, and nervous system regulation so you can speak with more clarity, steadiness, and trust when the room matters most. If you lead presentations, board meetings, investor conversations, media interviews, or difficult internal conversations, this episode is for you. In this episode:
Follow The Presence Lab Podcast for weekly episodes on executive communication, public speaking, media presence, and performing under pressure. Learn more about The Presence Lab, Dale Dixon’s training for leaders who need to communicate clearly when the stakes are high. | |||
| How to Communicate Under Pressure | Why The Game Changers Became The Presence Lab | 03 mai 2026 | 00:18:10 | |
In this first episode of The Presence Lab, Dale Dixon explains why The Game Changers is evolving into a podcast focused on executive presence, leadership communication, and what really happens when pressure hits. This episode is about more than a new name. It is about a sharper mission: helping leaders communicate with clarity, calm, and authority in high-stakes moments. Dale unpacks why smart, capable people often lose their edge in board meetings, presentations, interviews, and difficult conversations, and why the problem usually starts before the words do. You’ll learn why communication breakdowns under pressure are often state problems before they are message problems, why over-preparation can make leaders brittle, and how to prepare for presence instead of control. You’ll also walk away with a practical three-step framework you can use before your next important conversation: If you lead people, speak often, or need to show up strong when the stakes are high, this episode will help you do it better. | |||
| Sweating Bullets from AI | 28 sept. 2024 | 00:10:05 | |
My mind is a bit blown. I read about Google's newly released NotebookLM in Tim Ferriss' 5-Bullet Friday. Tim pitched it this way: "I know everyone is sick of hearing about AI, but if you haven’t heard this sample podcast, which was generated from a simple article, it will blow your mind. Those are not real humans. NotebookLM is an AI-powered research and writing assistant that works best with the sources you upload." | |||
| Mastering the Game of Life: Strategic Personal Planning | 04 déc. 2023 | 00:34:58 | |
We unpack the power of having a Personal Game Plan. Discover the transformational impact of pinpointing your 'lead domino' goal to ignite momentum across all areas of your life. Let Eric's insights motivate you to streamline your focus, conquer distractions, and charge towards your breakthrough objectives with newfound resilience and confidence. Tune in for a game-changing conversation that could redefine your approach to goals and inspire your next big win! 04:29 Reflect on past year before planning ahead. 08:53 Focus on significant goals for greater impact. 09:51 Clear focus on goals eliminates resource conflicts. 15:04 Identify fear of failure, take actionable steps. 18:28 State goals as if they've already happened. 20:03 Refine goals by asking specific questions. 23:06 Affirming small actions lead to reaching goals. 26:33 Visualizing better behavior leads to increased sensitivity. 30:04 Personal gain plan ensures purpose and direction. 32:50 Explore book "Moving to Great" by Eric Bowles. | |||
| Unleash Your Best: Strategies to Increase Employee Engagement and Boost Workplace Satisfaction | 30 nov. 2023 | 00:29:30 | |
In this episode, Dale and Eric discuss the Gallup 2023 workplace report on employee engagement. They highlight the concerning statistics that show a majority of employees are angry, stressed, and disengaged. They emphasize the importance of clarity in leadership and the need for recognition, approachable leadership, clear goals, and strong guidance. By addressing these areas, leaders can create a more engaged and productive workforce. Takeaways
Chapters 00:00 00:36 03:32 08:50 14:41 23:55 | |||
| Reflection and Growth: Self-Evaluation Practices to Unlock Your Leadership Potential | 20 nov. 2023 | 00:25:50 | |
As leaders, we are constantly evaluating our teams, performance, and the external factors that affect our organizations. But how often do we take the time to evaluate ourselves? In this episode, we dive into the importance of self-evaluation for leaders and how it can unleash our true potential. Eric shares his favorite questions to ask leaders for self-reflection and highlights the value of rigorous reflection, not just blame or self-criticism. We also discuss the power of asking better questions and how it can lead to significant personal and professional growth. So get ready to dive deep into the realm of self-evaluation and discover how it can be a game-changer in your leadership journey. | |||
| Winning the Game: The Importance of Starting Strong | 06 nov. 2023 | 00:25:36 | |
Eric and Dale explore the importance of starting strong in order to finish well in any endeavor. Eric shares his insights on what it means to truly start strong, emphasizing the value of being fully present and attentive in the moment. Using the concept of WIN as an acronym for "What's Important Now," he reveals how prioritizing the initial conditions of a project or goal can significantly impact its overall success. From personal routines to business strategies, the idea of a strong start proves to be a game-changing mindset that can drive results in various areas of life. Stay tuned as Dale and Eric dive deeper into this concept and explore its applications in customer acquisition and building trust with clients. Get ready to discover the power of starting strong on this episode of the Game Changers Podcast. [00:06:23] Prayer, meditation, reading, journaling, planning ensure successful day. [00:09:29] Retain clients, invest in employee retention. [00:12:05] Relying on energy for engaging speeches. [00:14:40] Repeated scripted plays breed offensive team confidence. [00:17:39] Align plan, action, and reporting for success. [00:22:09] Focus, not competency, determines success. Game changer. [00:23:28] Strategic planning leads to desired results. | |||
| Unleashing Strategic Thinking: Allow the Future to Influence the Present | 31 oct. 2023 | 00:27:57 | |
In this episode, we dive deep into the topic of strategic thinking. We explore the concept of allowing the future to have a bigger influence on the present and how this mindset can lead to greater success. Eric shares his expertise on how to cultivate a culture of strategic thinking within organizations, starting with clear goals and effective communication. We also discuss the difference between tactics and strategy and how leaders can empower their teams to think more strategically. Get ready to elevate your thinking and make a game-changing impact. | |||
| Embracing AI Disruption: The Power of Change Management in the Age of Artificial Intelligence | 24 oct. 2023 | 00:30:17 | |
In this episode, we explore the disruptive forces shaping our world and how leaders can navigate them. Eric Boles and Dale Dixon unpack the key principles of change management and the role of AI in transforming businesses. From embracing transparency and addressing resistance to the power of a growth mindset, they provide valuable insights to help leaders navigate the ever-evolving landscape of disruption. They also discuss the fears and concerns surrounding AI, the importance of clear communication and setting boundaries, and the potential for AI to free up employees to focus on high-value work. Join us as we uncover the strategies and mindset needed to thrive amidst disruption and harness the power of AI as a game-changer. | |||
| Your Circle of Control | 17 oct. 2023 | 00:32:49 | |
Welcome to another episode of Game Changers, where we explore the strategies, mindsets, and actions that can truly transform our lives. In this episode, Dale and Eric Boles dive deep into the concept of focusing on what we can control to achieve our goals, particularly when it comes to relationships and personal development. [00:04:50] Contributing factors not determining. Powerful question influence, ignore obstacles. [00:08:35] Identify trust obstacles, behaviors blocking goal. [00:12:04] Focus on areas of control, increase empowerment. [00:17:11] Discipline, date nights, vacations: Control your involvement. [00:20:17] Focus on what you can control. [00:22:14] Focus on what you can control. [00:26:25] Control, leverage, focus, question, debate, factor, determine. [00:29:23] Focus on what you can control. | |||
| Finish Strong | 09 oct. 2023 | 00:27:07 | |
We dive into the concept of maximizing your potential in those critical moments when the game is on the line. Eric shares an unconventional perspective on finishing strong, urging us to focus on the smaller details rather than solely relying on increased intensity. Drawing on examples from sports and business, we explore the practical steps to prepare ourselves mentally and make winning decisions when the pressure is high. So get ready to discover the secrets to finishing strong and unleashing your full potential. Let's dive in! | |||
| Staying Calm, Cool & Collected Under Pressure | 18 sept. 2023 | 00:41:06 | |
In a captivating episode of "The Game Changers Podcast," Dale Dixon and Eric Boles explore the profound facets of sports psychology and its applications beyond just sports. The discussion underscores the importance of implementing psychological strategies at home, work, and various recreational pursuits, offering listeners actionable insights to elevate their daily performance. Eric, with his deep expertise, shares transformative techniques which Dale reinforces with real-world applications. | |||
| The Importance of Fitness To Unleash Your Best | 11 sept. 2023 | 00:30:36 | |
The Game Changers Podcast with Eric Boles and Dale Dixon returns after a hiatus, and in this latest episode, they delve into the topic of fitness. Eric Boles, who coaches leaders to unlock their potential, shares his personal fitness routine, emphasizing the importance of conquering self-doubt and pushing through discomfort. He stresses that winning the morning by starting with exercise sets the tone for the rest of the day, building willpower and resilience. Dale Dixon, the host, discusses the mental clarity and longevity benefits of exercise, citing scientific research. They highlight how physical fitness isn't just about looking good but also about feeling good, gaining confidence, and being in control of one's body. They encourage listeners to start small with a 15-minute daily workout routine, incorporating push-ups, sit-ups, air squats, and cold showers to build consistency and discipline. The episode emphasizes the significance of dominating oneself to thrive in the face of external challenges and the long-term rewards of prioritizing physical well-being. | |||
| Three Questions Every Leader Must Ask | 31 juil. 2023 | 00:29:37 | |
Explore three fundamental questions every leader must ask. Discover how to overcome internal biases, challenge yourself to grow, and learn to create a winning environment in this thought-provoking and inspiring podcast. Subscribe, rate, review, and share with your team to unleash your best potential. "The Game Changers" podcast: Unleashing greatness in life and work. | |||
| Possibility and Probability | 24 juil. 2023 | 00:31:45 | |
In this episode, learn how embracing possibilities and turning them into probabilities can propel you to achieve greatness. From the inspiring journey of Arnold Schwarzenegger to the vital importance of daily reps and small actions, this podcast will reshape your perspective and equip you with the mindset to conquer challenges and reach your full potential. Don't miss out on this extraordinary opportunity to elevate your life and leadership. Subscribe now and unlock a world of possibilities. | |||
| Feedback: The Right Words at the Right Time | 10 juil. 2023 | 00:25:35 | |
Unleash your best in life and work with the Game Changers Podcast! Join Eric Boles and Dale Dixon as they explore the power of feedback and the importance of timing. Discover how the right words at the right time can transform your leadership and personal growth. From positive feedback to constructive criticism, learn how to make your feedback more meaningful and impactful. Dive into the nuances of giving and receiving feedback and gain actionable insights to become a more effective leader. Don't miss out on this podcast that will revolutionize the way you approach feedback and unleash your potential. Subscribe now and become a game changer in your own life and work! | |||
| Seeing is Believing | 26 juin 2023 | 00:32:37 | |
In the latest episode, Eric Boles and Dale Dixon explore the transformative concept of "seeing is believing," and how it impacts our attitudes and actions. Through an engaging anecdote about a flight experience, they highlight the importance of perception and how it shapes our behavior. The episode emphasizes the need for leaders to cultivate the ability to see things from multiple perspectives, fostering humility and creating a learning environment. Tune in to the "Game Changers" podcast to gain valuable insights on leadership, perception, and personal growth. | |||
| The Power of Rest | 20 juin 2023 | 00:35:50 | |
Rest is a game-changer in life and work. In this episode of The Game Changers podcast featuring Eric Boles and Dale Dixon, Eric discusses the challenges of practicing rest and the importance of recovery. The conversation highlights how busyness can hinder productivity and decision-making, leading to short-term focus rather than long-term perspective. Lack of rest can diminish energy, resulting in compromised choices. Rest is defined as individualized and can take various forms, such as reading or engaging in activities that recharge one's energy. The episode encourages listeners to prioritize rest and create rituals around it to become better leaders. | |||
| Mindset Reset | 12 juin 2023 | 00:29:37 | |
A mindset reset means getting into the weeds of how we define growth. Everything outside of us is pushing us to go faster, to move quicker. Slowing down and taking the time to actually think is how to start the reset. Eric and Dale dive into the details. | |||
| The Courage to Fight for Clarity | 15 mai 2023 | 00:30:50 | |
If you've ever caught yourself saying, "I thought we talked about this and all agreed...," when working through a misunderstanding, this episode is for you. Eric and Dale real-world examples of how the lack of clarity is impacting so many organizations and what you, as a leader, can do to fight for clarity. | |||
| Hard Work | 24 avr. 2023 | 00:34:25 | |
This episode may rock your thinking about what hard work really is ... and isn't. Eric Boles and Dale Dixon talk through the concept that hard work is not long hours... it's about impact and getting things done. | |||
| Be Ready | 10 avr. 2023 | 00:26:57 | |
Be ready, so you don't have to get ready. How do we prepare to grab opportunities when presented. You can't be preparing for the opportunity when it arrives. Anticipate movement. Anticipate. Be quick, but not in a hurry. Eric Boles lays out a game plan to keep your team prepared to take advantage of the right opportunities. | |||
| Human Becoming | 20 mars 2023 | 00:32:17 | |
How does productivity and true teamwork get better in light of buzzwords and the good intentions of diversity and inclusivity? In this game changing approach, Eric Boles and Dale Dixon dive into the courage to show up, understanding we're all individuals with rich experiences ... not only human 'beings,' but humans 'becoming.' | |||
| Connecting Head and Heart for High Performance | 13 mars 2023 | 00:33:02 | |
The higher the esteem level, the higher performing the team. In this episode, Eric and Dale detail five ways a leader can inspire those around them to higher levels of success by building esteem. | |||
| The Most Powerful Psychological Tool | 27 févr. 2023 | 00:30:59 | |
Have you noticed the ability to be objective and critically think through topics and issues is rapidly disappearing from society, especially in the U.S.? Screaming heads on TV. All or nothing politics. The work being done to trigger emotion, segment people into all-or-nothing groups does not help leaders make better decisions and organizations to reach full potential. In this episode, Eric and Dale tackle the challenge and provide game changing approaches to make critical thinking your most powerful psychological tool. Break through the cultural noise to seriously evaluate the present and prepare for the future. | |||
| Get Stuff Done | 20 févr. 2023 | 00:27:02 | |
In this episode of "The Game Changers" podcast, Eric Boles and Dale Dixon dive deep into the topic of productivity and getting things done. As successful business leaders, Eric and Dale have learned the power of productivity and how it can transform your business and personal life. In this conversation, they share practical tips and insights to help you boost your productivity and accomplish your goals. Eric and Dale provide actionable advice to help you maximize your time and focus on what matters most. They also discuss the importance of overcoming procrastination and building momentum, sharing personal stories and experiences to illustrate the power of taking action and staying focused. Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or simply looking to level up your productivity, this episode is packed with valuable insights and strategies to help you achieve success. Don't miss out on the power of productivity - tune in to "The Game Changers" podcast today! | |||
| Run Through The Doorway of Fear | 13 févr. 2023 | 00:32:50 | |
Fear is a doorway you walk through, not a house you live in. How do you break through the doorway to get past the fears of failure and rejection? The answer is in this podcast through a powerful story of a mentor, key questions and the courage to take the first step. | |||
| Do Hard Things | 06 févr. 2023 | 00:26:25 | |
Does seeking the convenient and easy keep us from true success? In this episode, Eric and Dale lay out a game plan for embracing seeking out and embracing challenges to build resiliency and create a game changing life. | |||
| Requires No Talent | 30 janv. 2023 | 00:26:19 | |
Supercharge your team with an approach that requires no talent. Clarity is the powerful tool to create success in your leadership. Clarity takes no talent. But, it takes tremendous skill. In this episode, learn how to develop the clarity skill with a set of specific tools to use with your team to create new levels of clarity. | |||
| Build Trust | 23 janv. 2023 | 00:27:20 | |
A game changing strategy to build trust with your team. Decisions are made faster and more is accomplished when team members trust one another. Leaders can build trust by living the game changing ideas presented in this week's episode. | |||
| Define Your Win | 16 janv. 2023 | 00:23:12 | |
If you're setting a goal, that goal is leading to a "win." How do you define that win? In this episode, Eric and Dale discuss a unique way to approach goal setting by clearly defining the win. | |||
| Coach Yourself | 09 janv. 2023 | 00:19:26 | |
We all have room for improvement. A question as we start 2023: Are you coachable? A great coach makes all the difference. What if that coach is inside of you? In this episode, Eric and Dale discuss how to unleash the coach within to propel you to the life you want. | |||