Welcome to Leadership Insights! Each week, we curate transformative leadership insights and add our own expertise to help you lead with purpose and impact. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, you’ll find actionable wisdom in every edition.
Hi, glad you’re here. I want to tell you about a moment I witnessed that changed how I think about something most of us take for granted.
A CEO told me he had an ‘open door policy’ and couldn’t understand why his team never came to him with problems. I sat in on one of his one-on-ones.
An employee said, ‘I’m concerned about the timeline.’ He immediately jumped in: ‘We’ve been over this. The timeline is fine.’
She nodded and changed the subject.
After the meeting, I asked him, ‘Did you hear what she didn’t say?’
He looked confused. ‘She said she was concerned about the timeline.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘She said she’s concerned. You heard timeline. You missed the real message.’
Here’s what I want you to think about: the last time someone on your team brought you a concern, what did you actually hear? The content? Or the person behind it?
Because the gap between those two is where trust either builds or quietly erodes.
And most of the time, you don’t know which one is happening until someone stops coming to your door altogether.
This Week’s Post We Love
LinkedIn Post by Charlie Lass
Struggling with a toxic company culture? You’re not alone. Leadership expert Charlie Lass shares 7 essential elements of a healthy, thriving culture – and why it’s crucial to uphold your values, even when it gets uncomfortable. Which element could you work on incorporating more, and which ones do you successfully implement? Would love to hear from you!
Podcast Spotlight
“Unlocking Peak Potential: Wisdom from Annika Sorenstam” from Mick Unplugged
Spring is starting to show up here in Pittsburgh, and the sunshine has finally returned—perfect weather for a walk with Pooch and a good podcast. While searching for something to listen to the other day, I came across this episode and immediately hit play. If you know me, you know I love golf, so hearing a strong female leader and professional golfer like Annika Sörenstam share her journey checked all the boxes for me. Take a listen and let me know—what insight from Annika resonated most with you?
Book of the Week
You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters by Kate Murphy
Murphy spent two years interviewing people about listening, from CIA interrogators to bartenders to top executives, and what she found challenges most of what we think we know. This book isn’t about techniques. It’s about what happens when people actually feel heard and what gets lost when they don’t. If this week’s newsletter on listening layers resonated, this goes much deeper into why it matters more than most leaders realize.
An Article We Think You’ll Love
“The Executive’s Guide to Better Listening” by Bernard T. Ferrari
This McKinsey piece caught my attention because Ferrari doesn’t treat listening as a soft skill. He treats it as a strategic discipline. What stood out is his argument that most leaders think they listen well when they actually listen just enough to confirm what they already believe. If this week’s newsletter on the four layers of listening resonated, this article takes it further into how the best executives use listening as a competitive advantage.
Whenever you’re ready, here are ways to take your leadership to the next level.
- Executive Triage: 90 minutes. One pattern named. You’ll get an 8-page intelligence brief that makes the thing running underneath your leadership impossible to ignore. Click here to find out more.
- Executive Mastery Coaching: I work privately with senior leaders on an annual, access-first basis. Bi-weekly strategy sessions plus unlimited access between sessions means you’re never leading alone. Hit reply to this email if you’d like details.
- CARE to Lead® for Teams: If your organization is ready for more innovative, future-focused conversations, let’s design a custom CARE to Lead® experience. This is where bigger questions become real results. Click here to schedule an exploratory call.
From the CARE to Lead® Archives
Breaking the Silence: Engaging in Difficult Conversations
Have you ever walked away from a conversation wishing you had said something—but stayed quiet to keep the peace? This week’s archives post is a reminder that avoiding hard conversations often creates more distance, not less. When we approach them with ownership of our feelings and a commitment to active listening, those moments can shift from confrontation to collaboration. Give it a read and think about it: what conversation might be worth leaning into this week?
Closing Thoughts
Your team is telling you what they need. The question is whether you’re hearing the words or the message.