Sebastian Wernicke: Data Inspired

For over 20 years, Sebastian Wernicke has guided organizations around the world to harness the power of data and AI to achieve breakthrough transformation. His three acclaimed TED Talks have reached over 5 million viewers. He is the author of Data Inspired: Building an Organizational Culture of Inquiry for Lasting Transformation (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

We all have more access to data than ever. That means we should be making better decisions than we ever have before, yes? If only it were that simple. In this conversation, Sebastian and I explore who you can actually use all that data to make better decisions.

Key Points

• Data initiatives don’t necessarily fail, but often do something worse: make your organization stay the same.
• Better data does not automatically result in better decisions. An organization also needs the cultural maturity to be swayed by the data.
• Nobody makes decisions that look like the logical decision-making processes we see in books. In addition, the emotions we put into decisions are actually critically helpful.
• During uncertainty, more data tends to make us more uncertain. Once we’ve decided something, we tend to discount contrary data.
• Decisions are rarely made entirely by one person and heavily influenced by the team or organization’s culture.
• Leaders can help integrate helpful data by saying things like, “I’m looking for data to tell me where I am wrong.”
• Bringing in structure such as written notes or memos before or at the start of meetings can help data be considered before we discount it.

Resources Mentioned

• Data Inspired: Building an Organizational Culture of Inquiry for Lasting Transformation (Amazon, Bookshop)*

Interview Notes

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Related Episodes

• How to Involve Stakeholders in Decisions, with Eric Pliner (episode 586)
• How to Change People’s Minds, with Michael McQueen (episode 676) – contradictory data not swaying people
• How to Lead Engaging Meetings, with Jess Britt (episode 721)

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Stephanie Evergreen: Build a Data Culture

Stephanie Evergreen is a data visualization and design expert. She has trained future data nerds worldwide through keynotes and workshops, for Fortune 500 clients like MasterCard and Facebook and mission-aligned clients like the United Nations, the Boys and Girls Club, AARP, and The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. She has three books and a popular blog on data visualization.

Data: we’ve all got tons of access to it these days. But perhaps almost too much – how do we actually make sense of it and then communicate clearly with it? In this conversation, Stephanie and I explore how a leader can best use data to make their message land.

Key Points

• Many of us are overwhelmed by access to data, but lots of leaders find that much of the data isn’t actionable for increasing performance.
• Because dashboards attempt to answer many questions, they often result in doing a poor job of highlighting a key message or insight.
• Instead of showing every data point you’ve ever collected, use smart formatting to highlight the single thing your team needs to know.
• Decide in advance what the key message of a slide, chart, or presentation should be. Then, design for that clear message.
• Answer the burning question that your audience is likely asking.
• Leaders set the tone for transparency with data that isn’t good news. Encourage and reward hearing the honest story to establish a culture where truth is shared and addressed.

Resources Mentioned

• Build a Data Culture by Stephanie Evergreen
• Why Data-Packed Meetings Miss the Mark (And What to Do About It) by Stephanie Evergreen

Related Episodes

• Performance Measurement That Gets Results, with Stacey Barr (episode 419)
• The Way to Influence Executives, with Nancy Duarte (episode 450)
• How to Respond When You Don’t Have Resources, with Laura West (episode 699)

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Today is the FINAL day to apply for the Coaching for Leaders Academy.

Are you at an inflection point? Apply to the Academy by the of the day today, Friday, September 11th.

Dave shares four words that detail what’s different about leaders who consistently get better – and even THRIVE – and those who don’t.

Are you at an inflection point? Apply to the Coaching for Leaders Academy by Friday, September 11th.

Aiko Bethea: Anchored, Aligned, Accountable

Aiko Bethea is the Founder and CEO of RARE Coaching & Consulting, a leadership development firm that partners with Fortune 100 companies, nonprofits, and global organizations to build accountable, values-driven cultures. She is listed as #3 on the list of Top Executive Coaches of 2026 by the Industry Leader and has spent over a decade coaching C-suite leaders across industries, and served previously as deputy director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She is the author of Anchored, Aligned, Accountable: A Framework for Transcending BS and Transforming Our Lives and Work (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

I have seen so many activities over the years to help leaders clarify their values. I have built some of them myself. And most of them, including the ones I’ve built, miss a big question: what do those values actually mean? In this conversation, Aiko and I explore that question in detail to help us all do a better job of staying grounded.

Key Points

• In an era of information everywhere, it’s more challenging than ever to engage our inner awareness.
• An anchor keeps a ship in place during the storm. Our values do the same for us as leaders.
• Values aren’t just decorative. Simply naming a value doesn’t tell us much about what it means.
• Explore the behaviors that come out of labels we use for values. Those behaviors help us better align with others – and ourselves.
• A value label may mean one thing to one person and something entirely different to someone else. Curiosity will help you uncover what really matters to people.
• Beware naming values that are simply aspirational. Instead, zero in on what is actually true for you.

Resources Mentioned

• Anchored, Aligned, Accountable: A Framework for Transcending BS and Transforming Our Lives and Work by Aiko Bethea (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

• Leadership in the Midst of Chaos, with Jim Mattis (episode 440)
• How to Discover What Others Value, with Joe Hart (episode 616)
• The Way to Build Collective Power, with Ruchika T. Malhotra (episode 759)

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Academy alum Jen Quammen joins Dave to share how she prioritized showing up at her best when taking on a major leadership role.

Are you at an inflection point? Apply to the Coaching for Leaders Academy by Friday, September 11th.

Pam Manfredo Curtis: The Origin of a Leader

Pam Manfredo Curtis is an executive coach and Founder and President of Manfredo Curtis Associates. Her coaching approach involves mining the hearts and souls and childhoods of her CEO clients so they can reach their full potential—to lead authentically, to achieve extraordinary results, and to forge deep, emotional connections, both professionally and personally. She hosted SiriusXM’s Corner Office Confidential and is the author of The Origin of a Leader: Transforming Family Patterns into Leadership Power (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

All of us get blocked, and when we do, our tendency is to set aside or sometimes to run away from our emotions. Today’s guest invites us to do the exact opposite so we can actually tap into our leadership power. In this conversation, Pam and I explore how to learn more about yourself and to use that insight for good.

Key Points

• A significant predictor of how you show up as a leader is your childhood.
• As you learn about yourself, you realize that everyone else already knows these things about you.
• Create an emotional timeline by drawing a line from birth to today and highlighting the highs and lows of your life’s events.
• It’s significant what shows up on your timeline – and also how the length of the highs and lows relate to each other.
• When you understand how childhood impacts your leadership and who you are as a human being, you see how it affects an essential need as a leader: power.
• By creating a timeline, you will be motivated to change in positive ways, see connections you’ve never seen before, and have more empathy for yourself and others.

Resources Mentioned

• The Origin of a Leader: Transforming Family Patterns into Leadership Power by Pam Manfredo Curtis (Amazon, Bookshop)*

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

• The Way to Be More Self-Aware, with Tasha Eurich (episode 442)
• Discover Who You Are, with Hortense le Gentil (episode 459)
• How to Discover Self-Awareness Through Enneagram, with Ian Morgan Cron (episode 605)

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Olivia Fox Cabane: The Charisma Myth

Olivia Fox Cabane is one of the world’s leading authorities on the science of charisma and the bestselling author of The Charisma Myth, which has been translated into 27 languages. Previously Director of Innovative Leadership for Stanford StartX, Olivia has lectured on charisma, leadership, and innovation at Harvard, Yale, MIT, the Marine War College and the United Nations. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal and has recently released the revised version of The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

Charisma. We all notice leaders who’ve got it. Many of us wish we had more of it. Good news though – like so many leadership skills we talk about on this podcast, you can get better at it. In this conversation, Olivia and I explore how almost anyone can improve their charisma.

Key Points

• Charisma is a skill that you can learn and practice.
• While some people have natural strengths for charisma more so than others, people are not simply born charismatic. Many just start young.
• You don’t have to be naturally outgoing. You can be a very charismatic introvert.
• Presence + Power + Warmth = Charisma
• Power is the “Can you move mountains for me?” question. Warmth is the “Would you want to move them for me?” question. Presence is the “Are you aware of which mountains I need moved?” question.
• A small amount of improvement can make a big difference on how you are perceived.

Three quick tips to improve your charisma:

• Lower the intonation of your voice at the end of your sentences.
• Reduce how quickly and how often you nod.
• Pause for two full seconds before you speak.

Resources Mentioned

• The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism by Olivia Fox Cabane (Amazon, Bookshop)*

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

• Six Ways to Recover From a Bad First Impression, with John Corcoran (episode 169)
• The Way to Make Sense to Others, with Tom Henschel (episode 518)
• How to Make a Better Impression on Camera, with Mark Bowden (episode 643)

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Academy alum Dev Baldwin joins Dave to share how he leveraged the power of learning from peers.

Are you at an inflection point? Apply to the Coaching for Leaders Academy by Friday, September 11th.

Simone Stolzoff: How to Not Know

Simone Stolzoff is an author and journalist who explores big questions about work, meaning, and identity. A former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO, his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and on the TED stage. He is the author of How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

I’m not sure about you, but I very much dislike uncertainty. And yet, basically the job of leadership is to not only deal with it but to help others thrive in the midst of it. In this conversation, Simone and I explore how to build your tolerance for uncertainty so you can lead much more effectively.

Key Points

• We love certainty and our tolerance for uncertainty is decreasing due to the internet, smartphones, and AI access.
• Organizations with higher uncertainty tolerance tend to be more innovative and adaptable.
• We assume unwavering confidence breeds credibility, when in fact, research shows that those who admit what they don’t know are perceived as more credible.
• Professional athletes have the same threshold for pain but a higher pain tolerance. We can develop a similar tolerance for uncertainty.
• Find your anchor points. By knowing the key boulders you can hang onto in a storm, you are vastly better able to weather uncertain times.
• Build to learn. Progress depends on uncertainty.
• Row through the fog. Maintain faith that you will discover the next step by continuing to row.
• Sometimes what we feel is most uncertain is actually more certain than we realize.

Resources Mentioned

• How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers by Simone Stolzoff (Amazon, Bookshop)*

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

• How to Lead Better Through Complexity, with Jennifer Garvey Berger (episode 613)
• Notice Disruption and Innovate Through It, with Steve Blank (episode 761)
• The Counterintuitive Secret to Creativity and Focus, with David Epstein (episode 789)

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Neal Schore: The 25th Hour Neal Schore is the founder and CEO of 25th Hour Group, an executive coaching and leadership events firm. Previously, he served as the founder, president, and CEO of Triton Digital, a global technology, data, and services leader in the digital audio and podcast industry. He is the author of The 25th Hour: How to Thrive (And Gain Ridiculous Amounts of Time) By Getting Out of Your Own Way (Amazon, Bookshop)*. No productivity approach can negotiate with physics. How we manage time is really how we manage ourselves. In this conversation, Neal and I explore a key question to help us shift from ordinary to exceptional. Key Points Swirling shows up for all of us when we ruminate on an interaction in a way that’s not helpful. Most people don’t think to ask about others’ intent. The key question to shift our thinking: “What’s the intent?” Ordinary thinking goes with the flow. Exceptional thinking pauses and allows us to consider the intent behind the interaction. To free time each day, pause before responding in a complex situation and ask yourself, “What’s the intent?” This question becomes powerful when you can ask and answer yourself without needing to say it out loud. Resources Mentioned The 25th Hour: How to Thrive (And Gain Ridiculous Amounts of Time) By Getting Out of Your Own Way by Neal Schore (Amazon, Bookshop)* Interview Notes Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes How to Genuinely Show Up for Others, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 590) How to Help Difficult Conversations Go Better, with Sheila Heen (episode 655) How to Take Back Your Evenings, with Guy Winch (episode 783) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.