Dave speaks with Brooks Bradford, an alum of the Coaching for Leaders Academy, on how he got intentional about motivating people – and himself – towards an important vision. Applications to the Coaching for Leaders Academy will close on Friday, March 14, 2025. Visit the Academy page for details and to apply.

Donna Hicks: Leading with Dignity

Donna Hicks is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and the former Deputy Director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution (PICAR). She has facilitated dialogues in numerous unofficial diplomatic efforts and was a consultant to the BBC in Northern Ireland, where she co-facilitated a television series, Facing the Truth, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She is the author of Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict and Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People*.

Everyone wants to be treated in a way that shows they matter. We may differ in status, but we are all equal in dignity. In this episode, Donna and I explore how appreciating dignity can help us bring out the best in people.

Key Points

• Everyone wants to be treated in a way that shows they matter.
• Dignity is different from respect. Everyone has dignity, but not everyone deserves respect.
• A major misconception of dignity is that we receive our worth from external sources.
• We’re at our best when connected to our own dignity, connected to the dignity of others, and connected to the dignity of something bigger.
• Start with vulnerability and empathy. These open the doors to connecting with your own dignity and the dignity of others.
• We may differ in status, but we are all equal in dignity.

Resources Mentioned

• Dignity: It’s Essential Role in Resolving Conflict* by Donna Hicks
• Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People* by Donna Hicks

Interview Notes

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

Related Episodes

• How to Get Way Better at Accepting Feedback, with Sheila Heen (episode 143)
• Use Power for Good and Not Evil, with Dacher Keltner (episode 254)
• Help People Show Up as Themselves, with Frederic Laloux (episode 580)

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.

Dave speaks with Nanette Metzger, an alum of the Coaching for Leaders Academy, on how she helped her team start bringing solutions to new problems. Applications to the Coaching for Leaders Academy will close on March 14, 2025. Visit the Academy page for details and to apply.

Dave speaks with Hayley Park, an alum of the Coaching for Leaders Academy, on how she got to altitude for better perspective on what’s happening in the organization. Applications to the Coaching for Leaders Academy will close on March 14, 2025. Visit the Academy page for details and to apply.

Melody Wilding: Managing Up

Melody Wilding is an executive and leadership coach for smart, sensitive high-achievers who are tired of getting in their own way. She teaches human behavior at Hunter College and is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Business Insider, who named her one of the “most innovative coaches.” She is the author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge*.

Good work speaks for itself. It’s a lie many of us have wished was true, but found that there’s actually much more work involved. In this conversation, Melody and I discuss what really helps in creating more visibility.

Key Points

• Good work does not speak for itself.
• Our fear of appearing self-promotional can hinder the visibility conversations that our leaders and team need from us.
• A story will be told about your work. By having stories that you are ready to tell, you get to shape the narrative.
• Instead of listing what you’ve done, highlight what you want to be known for.
• Give visibility to work that is important to your team, puts you in contact with stakeholders, and impacts that bottom line.
• Always have a 3-step pocket update at the ready. Share a (1) project, (2) detail, and (3) result.
• Capitalize on casual conversation. Say yes to the right invitations and be the person that keeps the relationship going.

Resources Mentioned

• Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge* by Melody Wilding

Interview Notes

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

Related Episodes

• Get Noticed Without Selling Out, with Laura Huang (episode 480)
• How to Start Finding Useful Stories, with David Hutchens (episode 593)
• Getting Better at Internal Communication, with Roy Schwartz (episode 687)

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.

Dave speaks with Raj Bawa, an alum of the Coaching for Leaders Academy, on how he focused his attention on creating better relationships with peer executives.

Applications to the Coaching for Leaders Academy will close on March 14, 2025. Visit the Academy page for details and to apply.

Rebecca Homkes: Survive, Reset, Thrive

Rebecca Homkes is a high-growth strategy specialist and CEO and executive advisor. She is a Lecturer at the London Business School, Faculty at Duke Corporate Executive Education, and Advisor and Faculty at the Boston Consulting Group focused on AI and Climate and Sustainability. She is the author of Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times*.

Uncertainty seems to be more and more the norm. Sometimes, that leads an organization into survival mode. If that’s where you are now, this conversation is the roadmap for what to do next.

Key Points

• We default to the assumption that uncertainty is unequivocally bad.
• Executives are often overconfident in their ability to predict the future and get tied into patterns that reward following the plan.
• We tend to adopt the first explanation we hear that makes sense instead of examining our beliefs.
• Make good decisions even when you cannot make good predictions.
• Avoid attempting to predict the end state. Stop planning and start preparing.
• People are often most honest when in survival mode, opening up opportunity for learning and growth.
• Ask these two questions: What could break us? What could make us?

Resources Mentioned

• Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times* by Rebecca Homkes

Interview Notes

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

Related Episodes

• The Way to Make Better Decisions, with Annie Duke (episode 499)
• Help Your Team Embrace Growth Mindset, with Eduardo Briceño (episode 644)
• How to Handle High-Pressure Situations, with Dan Dworkis (episode 701)

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.

Jess Britt

Jess Britt is an experienced executive and nonprofit board chair. Today as a coach and consultant, she uses a facilitative leadership approach to empower leaders and teams to build collaborative, high-performing, data-driven workplace cultures. She’s an alum of our Academy and for the past two years, has taken a leadership role inside our community as a Coaching for Leaders fellow, providing coaching and facilitation to our members.

While some leaders love to hate meetings, a well-designed meeting can open huge opportunities to connect, engage, and build culture on a team. In this conversation, Jess and I zero in on simple tactics that will help you engage attendees and lead meetings that people actually enjoy. We explore how objectives, facilitation tactics, and adult learning principles can help and invite you to start with one.

Key Points

• Identifying both shared and non-shared objectives helps you design meetings, informs how you show up, makes meetings less frustrating, and helps you pivot.
• Invite discussion and engagement at the start with a warm-up question. If possible, connect the question to an objective of the meeting.
• Check-out questions are a quick indicator of what worked and what didn’t. Use emojis, voting, or a quick question to assess, and follow up if something didn’t land.
• Adults learn best by drawing on past experiences and taking action. Bring in role plays, think-pair-share, and gallery walks to help engage people.
• Simple debrief questions will open up insights. Consider prompts like: “What came out of this?” “What did you hear?” and “I heard you discussing an idea. Tell us more.”

Reach out to Jess at [email protected] and tell her one thing you tried from this conversation and what happened. She’ll respond by sharing her full guide of meeting facilitation ideas we weren’t able to entirely cover in this episode.

Resources Mentioned

• Jess Britt’s website
• Coaching for Leaders Academy

Related Episodes

• How to Lead Meetings That Get Results, with Mamie Kanfer Stewart (episode 358)
• Moving Towards Meetings of Significance, with Seth Godin (episode 632)
• Bringing Your Strengths to a Big Job, with General CQ Brown, Jr. (episode 691)

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.

Margie Warrell: The Courage Gap

Margie Warrell is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, leadership coach, and Forbes columnist. With twenty-five years of experience living and working around the world, she has dedicated her life to helping others overcome fear and unlock their potential. She is the author of The Courage Gap: 5 Steps to Braver Action*.

Whether it’s painting a vision of the future or giving feedback on something that didn’t work yesterday, courage is a necessity for leaders. In this episode, Margie and I highlight the way towards just a bit more of it.

Key Points

• Leaders may rise in the ranks because of what they do, but cap themselves because of who they are.
• The smarter we are, the more our fears work in the background.
• Beware discounting the future. Fear causes us to value the future less than the present.
• Reel in fearcasting worst-case scenarios. These can prevent us from seeing the benefits of action.
• Stop rationalizing inaction and excess caution. An excuse is always there to prevent you from doing what’s right and true.
• Avoid betraying yourself to secure status with others.

Resources Mentioned

• The Courage Gap: 5 Steps to Braver Action* by Margie Warrell

Interview Notes

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

Related Episodes

• How to Protect Your Confidence, with Nate Zinsser (episode 573)
• How to Help People Engage in Growth, with Whitney Johnson (episode 576)
• How to Grow From Feedback, with Jennifer Garvey Berger (episode 713)

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.

Dave speaks with Irma Tragesser, an alum of the Coaching for Leaders Academy, on how she shifted her approach to get more and better insights from her team.

Applications to the Coaching for Leaders Academy will close on March 14, 2025. Visit the Academy page for details and to apply.