The Look & Sound of Leadership

A chief officer had known for years he was an over talker. His CEO, desperate for improvement, gave him a coach. This episode highlights their first coaching conversation. Two mindsets from this episode:When you speak, have a destination in mind. Ask yourself: “What is my point exactly?” and “Why is this something they need to know?”Pay attention to your listeners. Respond to their interests.Ask yourself: “Does what I’m talking about right now help us get to the destination?” If not, skip it.It doesn’t matter why you overtalk. Overtalking is limiting. Build your awareness of when you do it.Learn to ‘hear’ the communications you have.Who talked how long? What were the smaller conversations within the larger communication?More tools to build your self-awareness and communication skills can be found in the Essential Communications bin and in the archive of all 16 years of the show.Build awareness browsing these categories:Self-ManagementPerception – How You Perceive YourselfDevelop your communication skills in this category:Communication SkillsFive Episodes to help your skills are:53 - Answer What’s Asked65 - Sorting & Labeling20 - Staying on Track11 - Sounding Executive16 - Sounding Well-Spoken“Think Fast Talk Smart” podcast with Matt Abrahams. Great tools to help you be a better communicator.Curious about coaching? Reach out to Tom here. Free transcripts of this and every episode are available here. More resources are available in our monthly Essential News email. Sign up here.Coaches!Download the results of ICF-LA’s pricing survey here.Be safe, everyone! The Look & Sound of Leadership team 

A vice-president gets kudos for likability but knocks for her inability to listen. With her coach, she talks about listening repeatedly. This episode features one of those conversations. The 3 listening mindsets:Listen to learnFeelings are naturalStay separateDownload the free multi-page learning tool about listening here. This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast archive:Communication SkillsManaging YourselfRelationship BuildingFive episodes you might listen to are:136 -  A Breakdown of Listening83 - Leadership and Listening10 - Listen Without An Agenda229 - The Sound of Leadership & Management - 2023232 - Unlocking Executive Presence through Emotional IntelligenceCoaches!Download the pricing survey here.Join us at the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group. We welcome coaches at every stage of development. Check us out here:If you’re curious about coaching, reach out to Tom here. Free transcripts of this and every episode are available here. More resources are available in our monthly Essential News email. Sign up here.To all of you, from all of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership, much gratitude! 

Battling perfectionism and anxiety, a leader asks her coach for help and learns a tool that helps her tame her terrors. This episode dovetails with many ideas in last month’s episode about Coaching versus Therapy.Tom talks about his own bout with anxiety and a near career-ending attack of nervousness in this episode from April. https://essentialcomm.com/podcast/mastering-nerves/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 has a powerful depiction of a 13-year-old girl suffering a full-blown anxiety attack. The experience and its aftermath is moving.MindShift CBT is a free app designed to help you take charge of your anxiety and develop more effective ways of thinking.  Watch the introductory videoDr. Steven Melemis, a mood disorder expert, wrote I Want to Change My Life, filled with practical exercises and a one-month step-by-step plan to start you on a road to transformation.In under two minutes, Tom shared a “golden nugget” on the “How to Survive and Thrive Podcast.” You can hear it here.This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast archive:For WomenPersonal Growth & Self-DevelopmentSelf-TalkFive episodes with more tools to help you master anxiety are:#52 Coaching v Therapy #152 Combating Emotional Hijacks#147 Conquering Fear#96 The Many Parts of you#78 Unmasking a Stand-InCurious about coaching? Reach out to Tom here. Want a free transcript of this episode? You can download it here. Every month we share more resources in our Essential News email. Sign up here.To all of you, from all of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership, thanks! 

Tired of feeling like a fraud, a leader searches for help down different paths. She and her coach talk about how coaching is, and is not, like therapy.The leader in this episode wrestles with feelings of being a fraud. Tom talks about three resources to help manage that feeling:“The Executive Impostor”  Episode #176 of “The Look & Sound of Leadership”Self-Esteem at Work by Nathaniel Branden & Warren BennisThe Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire ShipmanAdditional tools to support your professional development are these free PDFs from our Essential Tools bin:Johari WindowReadiness in CoachingYou can listen to Tom’s conversations on these two shows:“I Need at Coach” with Adam Packard “Take Five” with Paul ButlerThis episode is tagged in four categories in our podcast archive:For WomenManaging YourselfPersonal Growth & Self-DevelopmentSelf-TalkFour episodes, in addition to “The Executive Impostor” listed above, that will help you dive deeper into the ideas in this episode are:52 - Coaching v Therapy 191 - Coaching Under Attack78 - Unmasking a Stand In171 - Taming the Wild ChildBe in touch with Tom here.Grab a free transcript of this episode here.We share more resources in our monthly Essential News email. Sign up here.To all of you, from all of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership, thanks!