The "THIS Leader" Podcast explores the transformational, high-impact secrets that turn ordinary people into extraordinary leaders! THIS Leader is hosted by Claire Laughlin, an organizational development consultant. She and her guests will explore: How individuals can enhance their leadership impact by showing up as their personal best; how teams can leverage connection and clarity to experience tremendous results; and how organizations can increase trust and engagement and improve outcomes by putting people and relationships at the center of business.
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In this conversation with Stefka Anderson, HR Director for Global R&D at Driscoll's, we dive into how Driscoll's Global R&D is training leaders to increase change agility. Together, they designed and delivered a comprehensive 10-month "Change Agility" program, that transformed how their entire function (which includes hundreds of employees and spans multiple disciplines and time zones) engages in decision-making and the change process.
The Challenge: Speed vs. Engagement
Driscoll's faced a classic leadership dilemma: how to move quickly in a rapidly changing world while still engaging their brilliant, passionate workforce in meaningful ways. With everything from climate change to AI impacting their industry, they needed a framework that honored both agility and their core values of passion, humility, and trustworthiness.
The Solution: The WIDGET Framework
They implemented the Working Genius model, using what's called the "WIDGET" process that maps how all work gets done:
Wonder: Asking the right questions
Invention: Generating ideas and solutions
Discernment: Evaluating and refining options and clearly crossing the decision line
Galvanizing: Rallying people around decisions
Enablement: Providing support and resources
Tenacity: Pushing through to completion
Above or Below the Decision Line
One of the most powerful concepts was helping people understand whether they're "above the decision line" (in ideation mode) or "below the decision line" (in activation or implementation mode). This clarity helped everyone understand how to contribute their genius at the right time.
The SCARF Model for Improving Emotional Intelligence
They also introduced the SCARF framework to help people understand their emotional responses to change: Status • Certainty • Autonomy • Relatedness • Fairness
Keys to Success
The program succeeded because of several critical factors: leadership commitment, where leaders learned the content first and modeled the behaviors, integration with performance goals so participants are actively applying their learning to their 2025 goals, ongoing reinforcement through regular team meetings, and connection to business strategy rather than just being an HR initiative.
Real-World Application
Post-program, teams are using the language naturally: "I'm in my wonder wheel right now" or "Who holds the D on this decision?" The framework has become a common language that reduces friction and depersonalises conflict while accelerating problem-solving.
Program Design Brief available to newsletter subscribers at clairelaughlin.com. Sign up here and submit your request for the brief to support@clairelaughlin.com.
Ready to create your own change agility? Start by identifying whether you need more speed, more engagement, or a better framework for bringing both together.
To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.
Ep 24: Growth by Design - Making Professional Development Intentional
Episode 24
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 • Duration 23:12
In this inspiring episode, I challenge leaders to shift from "accidental learning" to intentional development that accelerates career growth and impact. Most leaders treat professional development like a luxury, squeezing it between priorities or leaving it to chance. This reactive approach keeps you scattered and at risk of becoming irrelevant as leadership demands evolve.
In this episode, you'll hear:
The Problem with Accidental Learning: I share the story of a brilliant new director who felt stuck despite being hardworking and respected. When asked about her development plan, she laughed—she was consuming leadership content but had no structured approach. Without intention, we become consumers of development rather than architects of our growth.
Why This Matters
Research from the Center for Creative Leadership shows 75% of careers are derailed not by lack of technical expertise, but by lack of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. The world changes fast—the skills that got you here won't automatically take you where you want to go.
My Five-Strategy Framework for Intentional Development
Strategy1: Start with Clarity. Write down your current role, then your desired future role in 2-3 years. The gap reveals what skills you need to develop.
Strategy 2: Focus on Core Competencies for Your Level
Leads/supervisors: Add coaching, delegation, feedback skills, and conflict navigation
Function managers: Add strategic thinking, team culture development, and leading change
Strategy 3: Create a Learning Portfolio. Choose 1-3 skill areas for the year. For each, create a multi-modal approach:
Ep 23 The Hidden Cost of Artificial Harmony
Episode 23
Tuesday, July 15, 2025 • Duration 20:32
In this episode, Claire explores the dangerous middle ground between unhealthy conflict and artificial harmony, and why smart teams sometimes hold themselves back by avoiding necessary strategic disagreements.
The Hidden Costs of Artificial Harmony
Most conflict avoidance comes from a good place—leaders trying to maintain relationships and avoid hurting feelings. But we've gotten really good at telling ourselves stories that justify our silence. Sound familiar?
"This isn't the hill I'm going to die on."
"She's already made up her mind."
"I don't have time to fight this right now."
"If I argue for my approach, this will all end up on my plate."
When people consistently choose these narratives over honest engagement, teams make decisions without the benefit of everyone's full thinking. Smart leaders start disengaging, bringing only 70% of their passion to work while holding back the other 30% to maintain harmony. The result? They agree publicly but resist privately, creating underground conflict that's much harder to address.
The Personal Cost of Chronic Accommodation
When you consistently accommodate and avoid, something insidious happens to you as a leader:
You stop investing fully in your role
Your career stalls because you're not developing critical leadership muscles
You start feeling hopeless and disempowered
The very relationships you're trying to protect actually begin to erode.
Building Trust Through Productive Conflict
Trust isn't built through constant agreement—it's built through moments of sharing, listening, and offering new perspectives while being respectful of others. People can't really get to know you when you're constantly withholding your real thoughts and opinions.
Four Practical Tools for Productive Disagreement:
Ep 22 Project Management for The Rest of Us
Episode 22
Thursday, July 10, 2025 • Duration 25:17
In this episode, I share a collaborative approach to project management that actually works, without overwhelming complexity. Fresh from facilitating a 3-hour session where 50 managers successfully drafted project plans, I reveal why traditional project management training fails and what works instead. The secret? You're not managing projects—you're managing people.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
The Problem with Traditional Project Management
I share the story of "Fred," an expensive consultant who delivered 40 hours of training that nobody used because it was too complicated. This pattern repeats everywhere: brilliant PMOs can't get teams to adopt complex methodologies, resulting in missed deadlines and frustrated stakeholders.
The Five-Step Process
Step 1: Get Crystal Clear on WHO and WHY
Conduct sponsor interviews: "What does success look like?"
Identify customers and what they actually want
This step alone prevents most project failures
Step 2: Define Boundaries and Anticipate Risks
Determine what's IN and OUT of scope as a team
Ask "What could go wrong?" to identify risks upfront
When teams set boundaries together, they own staying within them
Step 3: Map Your Stakeholders
Use a 2x2 matrix comparing influence with favorability:
High-influence, supportive = Champions
High-influence, resistant = Risks needing specific plans
Create communication plans for different stakeholder needs
Step 4: Action Planning with "Swim Lanes and Sticky Notes"
Organize work visually into categories (swim lanes)
Identify deliverables and assign lane leaders
Ep 21: Freedom, Conflict & The Path to Self-Awareness with Roxanne Harrison
Episode 21
Monday, June 30, 2025 • Duration 49:50
In this conversation with Roxanne Harrison, we explore how ancient wisdom meets modern leadership through the powerful combination of the Enneagram and Qigong practices.
From Resistance to Choice
Roxanne's journey began with a neck injury that forced her to slow down and discover a pattern of constant resistance—always saying "no before yes." This resistance was actually a protective mechanism covering up her natural gifts.
The Golden Buddha Metaphor
Like the famous Thai Buddha statue covered in clay for protection during wartime, we often cover our natural gifts with protective strategies. The invitation isn't to fix ourselves but to gently chisel away the clay and rediscover the gold within.
Three-Centered Awareness
The three treasures in Qigong offer us three centers of intelligence:
Head center: Where we think and process
Heart center: Where we feel and connect
Belly center: Where we sense and act
Understanding Your Stress Response
The Enneagram reveals how different types respond to stress:
Belly types: Fight response, motivated by autonomy
Heart types: Freeze response, motivated by connection
Head types: Flight response, motivated by security
The Five A's Framework for Growth
Dr. David Daniels' framework offers a practical path through reactivity:
Awareness: Recognizing what's happening
Acceptance: Allowing without needing to fix
Finding value in the experience
Ep 20 Taming the Chaos (Special Episode)
Episode 20
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 • Duration 29:46
In this special AMA episode, I tackle two real leadership scenarios that feel like herding cats: uniting a fractured team and creating unified execution from scattered individuals.
Both situations share the same fundamental challenge: bringing people together to create order out of chaos, whether that involves building a shared team culture or driving collective results toward a strategic vision.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
Scenario 1: "How do I unite a fractured team after leadership turmoil?"
Meet "Julie," who inherited a 12-person team that has undergone multiple leadership changes. There's an employee who didn't get her job, showing resistance, people work in silos, and despite surface-level niceness, there's underlying dysfunction and disconnection.
Why This Happens: Research shows 40-70% of leadership transitions fail within 18 months because new leaders underestimate inherited team dynamics. Teams experiencing leadership instability develop "learned helplessness" and become stuck in a perpetual "storming" phase, never reaching the trust necessary for high performance.
The 90-Day Roadmap:
Phase 1 (Days 1-30): Listen and Observe - Schedule one-on-ones with each team member, asking: "What's working well? What could be better? What are your strengths?" For resistant employees, approach with curiosity: "I know you were interested in this role. How can I make sure your talents are recognized?"
Phase 2 (Month 2): Co-Create Team Direction - Facilitate a 3-hour team session to establish operating principles. Ask powerful questions like: "Think about a high-functioning team you were part of—what did they DO and NOT DO?" and "What would make THIS the team you're proud to be part of?"
Phase 3 (Month 3): Establish New Patterns - Measure, reinforce, and implement the co-created norms. Keep promises, communicate transparently, catch people doing things right, and prove your leadership isn't going anywhere.
Ep 19 You Have the Right to Love Your Job
Episode 19
Tuesday, June 17, 2025 • Duration 28:41
In this episode, I challenge the idea that workplace misery is normal. You have a right to fairness, respect, psychological safety, and meaningful work—but rights without responsibility are just complaints.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
The Three Essential Roles: Everyone plays these roles in creating workplace culture, regardless of job title
Owner Role - Orienting energy toward both happiness and productivity
Manager/Leader Role - Establishing expectations and protecting culture
Producer Role - Bringing your best self to work daily
I share how a director transformed her team's energy by simply asking: "What's one thing you accomplished this past week, and what's one thing you're excited to work on next week?"
The Happiness-Productivity Matrix: A simple way to assess your workplace with four quadrants:
Top Right (Sweet Spot): High happiness + High productivity
Top Left (Unsustainable): High happiness + Low productivity
Bottom Left (Danger Zone): Low happiness + Low productivity (toxic)
Bottom Right (Burnout Zone): Low happiness + High productivity
Seven Strategies for Positive Change: Before considering an exit strategy, try these for 6-9 months:
Build relationships with change-minded colleagues
Focus on solutions, not complaints
Support claims with data, not emotions
Make small, specific proposals
Find allies in leadership
Document your efforts
Model desired behavior.
Warning Signs of Toxic Workplaces: Watch for information hoarding, blame culture, inconsistent messaging, chronic overwhelm, gossip as a form of communication, a lack of psychological safety, and high turnover rates.
Ep 18 Keys for Connection with Jared Fujishin
Episode 18
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 • Duration 44:54
In this inspiring conversation with communication expert Jared Fujishin, we explore his powerful "connection's key is less of me" framework that transforms how leaders build trust, influence, and loyalty.
The Foundation: Less of Me, More Connection
The most effective leaders aren't focused on themselves—they're genuinely invested in others. When leaders operate from a "me, me, me" mentality, people comply but don't commit. They'll leave for slightly better opportunities because there's no real connection holding them there.
Moving from Authority to Influence
There's a huge difference between authority ("do it because I'm the boss") and leadership ("follow me, here's where we're going"). When people feel genuinely cared for, they give discretionary effort—the energy that transforms organizations.
Practical Connection Strategies:
10-minute check-ins: Weekly conversations asking "How are you and what do I need to know?" and "What can I do for you this week?"
Present-moment awareness: Being fully where you are with who you're with
Building Trust Through Authenticity
Trust grows when leaders create safe spaces for real conversations—both positive and difficult ones. This means having hard conversations with care, checking in when performance dips, and modeling that it's safe to be authentic.
Your North Star Exercise
Visualize the culture you want in five years. What do you want people to feel when they leave your office? Use that vision to guide daily actions that build toward that future.
Resources Mentioned:
Jared Fujishin's TED Talk:
Ep 17-The Power of Mentoring with Kara Reddig & Femi Omotesho
Episode 17
Tuesday, June 3, 2025 • Duration 35:20
In this episode, I explore how to build and sustain a successful mentoring program with Kara Reddig, Deputy City Manager, and Femi Omotesho, Management Analyst from the City of Elk Grove.
Why Mentoring Matters More Than Ever
Mentoring isn't just a nice-to-have, it's foundational to developing confident, capable leaders. The City of Elk Grove's program grew organically from a 2019 staff meeting on gender equity, proving that the best development initiatives come directly from your team's expressed needs.
The Secret Sauce: How to Structure a Mentoring Program That Actually Works
Cross-departmental pairing process: Bring 10 people together to collaboratively match mentors and mentees—no behind-closed-doors decisions
Balanced approach: Combine one-on-one mentor-mentee meetings with group training sessions every two months
Clear framework: Provide working agreements, conversation guides, and ongoing support without micromanaging
Breaking bread together: Include shared meals to build authentic relationships across departments
What Makes a Great Mentor vs. Manager
A mentor relationship focuses on you as a person, not just job performance.
Key differences:
Goals are co-created, not assigned
The relationship is voluntary and the power dynamic is more balanced
Mentors often get as much from the relationship as mentees
It's about long-term growth beyond daily tasks
Being an Effective Mentee: Your Role in the Relationship
Take ownership: You're accountable for your own progress, mentors guide, but you drive
Be proactive: Make it clear you're available and ready to absorb their experience
Ep 16 Leaders Shape Culture with Jonathan Bissell
Episode 16
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 • Duration 40:04
In this inspiring conversation with leadership expert Jonathan Bissell, we explore how to transform your leadership from reactive to intentional and create the kind of culture where people thrive.
The Foundation: Belief Creates Transformation
Everything starts with a powerful belief: investing in your people pays incredible dividends. When you truly embrace development as a core strategy, you'll create the kind of culture that attracts talent and drives results naturally.
The Upstream vs. Downstream Framework
Imagine spending your days building and developing instead of constantly fixing problems. Jonathan shares a game-changing approach:
Upstream time: Proactively developing people and creating clarity
Downstream time: Reacting to avoidable problems
Try this: track your time for one week and see the ratio. This simple awareness can transform how you lead.
The 70:20:10 Learning Model
You don't need endless budgets to develop amazing teams. The 70:20:10 learning model developed by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) suggests that learning happens through:
70% real, on-the-job work experiences and stretch assignments
20% socially through conversations with peers and mentors
10% formal training
The magic happens when you intentionally connect all three.
Creating Clarity That Empowers
Get clear upfront to create freedom for everyone. Share not just what you need, but why it matters and what success looks like. Provide context, set clear parameters, and give room for autonomy within those boundaries.
Something to read or study
Something to implement
Someone to learn from
Some way to get feedback
Strategy 4: Schedule It Like You Mean It. Block 2-4 hours per month for development during peak energy time, not when you're exhausted.
Strategy 5: Make It Social. Find a development buddy, involve your manager, and join learning communities. Growth happens faster with others.
The Payoff: Leaders who commit to intentional development experience better results with less effort, renewed passion for work, and new opportunities as they become people others want to promote and collaborate with.
Complete the first two sections: where you are and where you want to go
Schedule your first development block
Share your goals with someone
Growth doesn't happen by accident—it happens by design, and you get to be the architect.
To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting. Until next time, lead the way!
Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share with others, and give us a rave review!
"Confront Reality" Questions - Create regular opportunities to ask "What are we not talking about?" or rate agreement levels from 1-5
Formal Devil's Advocate Role - Assign someone to find risks and poke holes in plans, rotating this responsibility to make disagreement safe.
GEDI Decision-Making Framework - Gather, Evaluate, Decide, Implement, with the magic happening when you establish decision criteria before debating options
Risk-Mitigation Planning - Build "What could go wrong?" discussions into every significant decision to reward people for surfacing concerns.
The Key Message: The goal isn't to eliminate conflict—it's to make conflict productive. When you give smart people a process for productive disagreement, they stop avoiding hard conversations and start leaning into them.
To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting. Until next time, lead the way!
Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share them with others who might benefit.
When people see the whole project, they understand their role
Step 5: Resource Reality Check
Discuss what the project costs in time, money, and political capital. Better to adjust plans now than run out of resources halfway through.
The Results:
Teams experience faster execution, on-time completion, and higher engagement because everyone understands the plan and feels invested in success.
When you create understanding through collaborative planning, execution, problem-solving, and effective communication, everything flows more smoothly.
If you're ready to stop managing projects and start leading people through transformational work, let's talk. I'd love to explore how we can bring this approach to your team. Visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.
Until next time, lead the way!
Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share them with others who might benefit.
Appreciation:
Action: Choosing conscious response
Adherence: Committing to the practice
Simple Grounding Practices
When reactive, try: feeling your feet on the ground, taking three breaths, asking "Where's my heart?" and creating a pause before responding.
The Inside-Out Principle
What happens internally reflects externally. The more peace you cultivate within yourself, the more naturally you bring that energy to your leadership.
Ready to move from reactive patterns to conscious leadership? Remember: you're not broken and don't need fixing. You're a mystery to be explored, with gifts waiting to be uncovered.
Scenario 2: "How do I move from managing individuals to leading unified execution?"
Meet "David," a city manager whose strategic plan gets executed in silos with different directors owning isolated parts. He seeks collaborative execution with reduced rework and increased interdependence.
Why This Happens: Up to 90% of organizations fail to execute strategies successfully due to "strategy-to-execution gaps." Without a clear focus and unified direction, teams often default to managing individual tasks rather than driving collective outcomes, as the human brain craves clarity.
The Path Forward:
Create Brutal Clarity on Priorities - Limit focus to 3 major initiatives (not 13) that would make the strategic plan successful
Implement Short Execution Cycles - Use 90-day challenges supported by 30-day sprints to maintain urgency and focus
Build Collective Accountability - Weekly team check-ins where everyone reports on shared goal progress, not individual performance
Celebrate Collective Wins - Acknowledge what you accomplished together at the end of each cycle.
Key Insights:
Both scenarios require moving from managing chaos to creating intentional order. The breakthrough comes from recognizing that successful leaders don't wait for perfect conditions—they create them through consistent, intentional actions that build momentum over time.
Whether you're building trust and shared ownership or shifting from individual management to collective leadership, the path forward exists and is more achievable than you think.
Do you have a leadership challenge you'd like me to address? Visit clairelaughlin.com/podcast to submit your question!
To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.
The Key Message: When we collectively raise standards and take responsibility for our contribution, workplaces transform. Your life energy deserves better than dysfunction.
To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.
(Correction: Please note - during the podcast I mentioned Randy Fujishin's book, The Natural Speaker, by the incorrect title. The correct title is "The Natural Speaker." The link to the book is provided above).
Ready to lead through authentic connection? Start by shifting from "me, me, me" to genuinely putting others first.
To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.
Practice radical openness: Share your real goals and be receptive to honest feedback
Act like a sponge: Tap into their experience and try new approaches they suggest
Finding a Mentor When You Don't Have a Program
Look within your existing professional networks and associations
Consider LinkedIn connections who align with your career goals
Remember: people are honored to be asked, don't hesitate to reach out
Create informal mentoring relationships by identifying someone whose path you admire
Results That Matter
Elk Grove's mentees consistently report increased confidence, personal growth, and job satisfaction. Many mentees have become mentors themselves, creating a sustainable cycle of development.
Resources Mentioned:
Download the "Launching a Successful Mentorship Program Tip Sheet" here
To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.
The Game-Changer:Consistency
Intentionality plus consistency equals transformation. Build simple, sustainable rhythms for development conversations and feedback.
You Are a Culture Creator
You're not just managing within your culture—you're actively shaping it every day. Embrace your role as a culture steward and watch your intentional leadership ripple throughout your organization.
To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.
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