Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajieving. This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavledo.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast. It's episode three forty five and let me take you on a musical journey for this episode. Think about the opening riff of acdc's Back in Black, or the first haunting notes of Metallica's and or Sandman, or the thunder of Queen's We Will Rock You before a single word is sung, just a few beats in and everyone's blood starts pumping, stadiums erupt, athletes lock in, and entire crowds
move is one. Why is that? Because sometimes one riff changes everything. And that's exactly what leaders need to understand. You aren't just a title. You're the tone setter. You're the riff. In music, a riff is a short repeating sequence that becomes the heartbeat of the song. It's what people remember. It's the hook, the swagger, the identity. Every legendary intro you've ever heard, it wasn't the lyrics, it was the riff. Now Here's where this matters to you
in leadership. Your tone, your energy, your approach. It's your riff. People walk into the workplace, onto the ambulance, into the meeting, and they take their cues from you. So I'll ask what's your intro? What are you putting out there? Before a word is even said? Are you chaos? Are you flat? Are you predictable? Or are you energy? Focus and precision. When a leader walks into the room, everyone's internal EQ
dials into them, whether they realize it or not. The team is listening for the beat they're supposed to follow, and if your rhythm is sharp, confident, and steady, others will step in line. But if your riff is off, the whole team falls apart. So let me give you a few tactical riffs. You can start using. One that
I call the pre shift pulse. Start each shift or day with a tone setting line, and it doesn't have to be cheesy, it doesn't have to be long, just consistent, something like let's make sure we end the shift with zero mistakes, or everyone walks out of here healthy and proud today. And another one I call the walk in energy. You can't show up dragging and expect others to be pumped,
whether you're tired, distracted, or overwhelmed. You've got ten seconds when you enter a room to establish your vibe, so make it count. In one called the reset riff when things go sideways, and they will have a signature phrase to bring everyone back to the center, something like let's get our heads right or this isn't how we end today, or reset before you roll. You can't always control the chaos, but you can rescore the moment. And one called the
leadership solo. Every so often, drop in and play that solo one on one feedback, a small act of appreciation, an unexpected gesture. Great rifts don't always come in full volume. Sometimes it's the subtle groove that people remember. And here's the big truth. You don't need to change the entire song, just be the three second intro that sets it up. That's what leadership is. It's being the thing that people feel before they understand. It's walking in with a presence
that makes people believe, all right, we've got this. So I want you to ask yourself, if I were a riff, what would I sound like? Would it be flat or fierce? Would people want to follow it? Because great leaders don't just lead with policies and pep talks. They lead with presence, energy, and a vibe. And just like those iconic songs, when you get it right, your people don't forget you. So today your challenge is this, develop your riff, practice it, live it, whether it's a look, a line, a mindset,
or a moment. Be the energy that others tune into. Be the riff. This has been the seven minute Leadership podcast and I thank you for listening.
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