Why do you need to have difficult conversations? Many people shy away from challenging or difficult conversations. They avoid them or make excuses as to why they don’t need to have that difficult conversation. Instead, they may try to leave “clues” in the hope the other person will pick up on those clues and change their behaviour. This rarely works. Difficult conversations are a necessary part of your personal and professional life. As a leader, rather than avoiding them, you need to tackle the...
May 09, 2021•16 min•Season 2Ep. 63
How can you use LinkedIn to become known as a go-to expert in your field? LinkedIn is a powerful platform where you can grow your personal brand and have more impact and influence as an emerging leader. I have used LinkedIn strategically since 2020 to develop my reputation as a go-to expert in the area of leadership development for emerging leaders. I’ve learned a lot of techniques about how to use LinkedIn when growing your professional reputation and I share those techniques with you in this w...
May 02, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 62
How to become known as a go-to expert. Becoming known as a go-to expert in your field or industry is incredibly important for emerging leaders and high-achieving professionals. You want to become known in your area of expertise. You want to build your brand and reputation. You want to rise higher than the rest. You want to have everyone know who you are, what you do, what you’re an expert in, and how you can help them. Becoming known as a go-to expert is helpful whether you’re an employee or an ...
Apr 25, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Why do you need to become known as a go-to expert? Why is it important for your career? Becoming known as a go-to expert in your field or industry has so many positive knock-on effects for you as a professional. It helps people listen to you more in meetings because they know what you have to say is intelligent. It helps you build trust with others leading to stronger business relationships. And it helps you grow your network significantly, compounding your leadership brand and reputation. There...
Apr 18, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 60
What are the top soft skills for 2021? What soft skills are important for the future of work? Given the rapid change we have experienced in the world of work throughout 2020 and 2021, some soft skills have become more important than others. The typical soft skills that we think of such as communication or creativity are still necessary for the future of work. However other soft skills such as decision making, productivity and change agility are becoming more important for leaders to equip themse...
Apr 11, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 59
What words make you sound weak in the workplace? If you’re an emerging leader, it’s likely you’ve asked yourself this question at some stage in your career. Communication is an incredibly important part of your leadership presence. Sometimes a simple change in the words that you use can have a dramatic impact on the way you are perceived in the office. There are a number of commonly used words that easily make leaders sound weak. These words can make you sound uncertain, hesitant and unsure of y...
Apr 04, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 58
How to speak like a leader at work. As you advance into leadership, you’ll be required to use a different style of communication in the workplace. You will need to move away from the style of communication you used early on in your career and adopt a more assertive and confident style of communication. Speaking like a leader and sounding like a leader in workplace conversations is critical if you want to advance into a leadership position. You must know how to delegate to your team confidently a...
Mar 28, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 57
How to end a conversation at a networking event. Ending conversations at networking events is challenging for many emerging leaders. You don’t want to sound impolite. You don’t want to be rude or offend your conversation partner. But at the same time, you don’t want to be stuck with a rambler or in a pointless, boring conversation. Ending conversations is challenging but it’s not impossible. For leaders, it’s incredibly important that you’re able to end conversations when you need to. Your time ...
Mar 21, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 56
How to stop procrastinating and get work done! If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How can I stop procrastinating”, you’re not alone. Procrastination happens to all of us whether you’re an employee or an entrepreneur. I’ve dealt with procrastination as a content creator and entrepreneur. I’ve learned how to beat procrastination and stop procrastinating so I can get the work done. And in this week’s podcast episode and YouTube video, I share with you ten techniques I use to stop procrastinating. Thes...
Mar 14, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 55
In the current business environment, many professionals are asking themselves, “How can I lead virtually in 2021”, or “how can I be successful at virtual leadership”. If you’re an emerging leader and you’ve asked yourself these questions while you’ve been working from home, this week’s podcast episode and YouTube video are for you. Virtual leadership requires a shift in your leadership skillset. You don’t have regular in-person contact with your team which makes communication, and other essentia...
Mar 07, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Do you want to learn the top business etiquette tips for the workplace in 2021? Business etiquette is an integral part of a well-functioning office. Since Covid-19 and the related events of 2020, many of the traditional “rules” of business etiquette have changed. As many businesses return to the office in 2021, there will be a lot of confusion around the etiquette of interacting with your colleagues and coworkers. You may be unsure whether you can or should shake hands. You may find that people ...
Feb 21, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Can you stop people communicating aggressively with you? This was a question I received from one of my video course students. You may have come across this situation yourself. Perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “how to deal with aggressive communicators” or “how to stop people communicating aggressively”. Dealing with people who communicate aggressively with you is challenging, especially if you’re coming from a passive style of communication. Rather than changing the other person’s communication st...
Feb 14, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 52
A common question when people start to set boundaries is: what happens when you set boundaries? How will other people react? Will they become aggressive with you? How should I respond? All of these questions are normal when you start to set boundaries. There are two difficulties you’re up against when you set boundaries. First, you have to work up the courage to set boundaries with the other person. Second, you have to be prepared to protect those boundaries once you’ve set them. It’s the “prote...
Feb 07, 2021•13 min•Season 2Ep. 51
How do you start a conversation at a networking event? This is a common question many emerging leaders and young professionals ask. Networking events can be intimidating. However, they are incredibly important for you to meet important decision makers in your industry which can lead to promotions or new client opportunities. Starting conversations with new people at networking events is an incredibly important skill for emerging leaders to have. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “how can I start a ...
Jan 31, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 50
How to talk to anyone in business is the topic of this week’s podcast episode. Many young professionals, emerging leaders and introverts hold back from talking to new people in business. They don’t know how to start a conversation with somebody new. They don’t know what to say or what questions to ask. In business, it’s really important to develop relationships with people. If you can’t start conversations with new people then you won’t be able to develop relationships. In order to develop new r...
Jan 24, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 49
How can you make a soft voice sound confident? This is a question I commonly receive from emerging leaders. Many people have a soft voice. And this can prevent you from sounding confident and assertive in business. This is a situation that I’ve faced in my life, particularly in my early 20s. Since then I’ve learned how to incorporate communication strategies so that I sound more confident and assertive. In this episode, I delve into the question of “How can you make a soft voice sound confident”...
Jan 17, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 48
How do you define your leadership brand? How do you build a strong personal brand as a leader? These are crucial questions all aspiring leaders should ask themselves in 2021. The events of 2020 have made employment and business a lot more competitive. In times of great competition, everyone is vying for the best job or the higher paying client. If you want to succeed, you have to stand out. You have to be distinct from your competition in order to get noticed for promotions or client opportuniti...
Jan 10, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 47
What is the value you bring to your team or company? What is your value contribution to your organisation? This is something all emerging leaders need to be very clear on in order to create their leadership brand. Getting clear on the value you bring isn’t something we think about. Many of the coaching clients I work with don’t know how to answer the question, “What value do you bring your company?”. As you will learn in this podcast episode, when you’re clear on your value, you’re one step clos...
Jan 03, 2021•15 min•Season 2Ep. 46
How to get your ideas across in meetings is a common question for emerging leaders. Many of my clients ask me, “How can I get people to listen to my ideas?” or “How can I get my point across in meetings?”. These are common obstacles all emerging leaders need to overcome. If you can relate to the above questions, I want you to know that you’re not alone. Getting your ideas across effectively and confidently in meetings is possible. However most people don’t succeed with this because they get thei...
Dec 20, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 45
How to sound smart and confident at work is an issue for many emerging leaders. You want your coworkers and boss to see you as intelligent and credible. You also want them to see you as a confident leader. Discovering how to sound smart and confident at work will absolutely help you achieve this. In my coaching sessions and workshops, I’ve helped many emerging leaders adapt their communication style so they can sound smart and confident at work. Many of these clients have struggled with issues s...
Dec 13, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 44
What are the top soft skills you need in a post-pandemic world? This year has certainly caused a lot of disruption in the business world and in our professional lives. This disruption has led to the rise of certain soft skills that are becoming more important in the workplace. As an emerging leader, you need to be on top of the current soft skills that you need to survive and thrive in the world of work. Because of the change we’ve experienced this year, there are new soft skills that you need t...
Dec 06, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 43
How can you get promoted in 2020 during the pandemic? This year has certainly brought about many challenges for emerging leaders. Many employees have lost their jobs. Some have been forced to work from home. And a number of professionals who were expecting to get promoted this year have had their promotions put on hold. If you were waiting to get promoted in 2020 and it didn’t happen, you might be wondering what you can do to keep yourself top of mind for the next promotion when business starts ...
Nov 29, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Most people at one stage or another in their career want to know how to build strong relationships in business. How do you get people to know you, like you and trust you in business? You may have been overlooked for promotions. Or perhaps you’ve seen high-level projects being awarded to people who are less skilled than you. In both these cases, I guarantee that the person who won the promotion or high-level project did so because of relationships they’ve built in their company or industry. For y...
Nov 22, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 41
How to maintain a professional image when you work from home. This is a question many emerging leaders are asking themselves in 2020. When you work from home, it’s tempting to opt for comfortable clothing such as activewear, loungewear or pyjamas. However, these outfit choices can have an impact on your level of productivity and confidence when you work from home. A 2020 study by CouponFollow with 1,000 remote workers found that 80% of people who dress more formally felt more productive througho...
Nov 15, 2020•25 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Why is your professional image important in the workplace? Why should people care what you wear to work? Your professional image and your appearance play an important role in your leadership brand and reputation. They send a message to your coworkers, boss and clients and also impact how you feel about yourself. As you advance into leadership, it’s important you understand the image you’re putting across through your outfit. Certain outfits can help you convey credibility and authority. Others m...
Nov 08, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 39
In the workplace, you might come across a situation where you and a coworker have a difference of opinion. This is a situation where you and your colleague cannot agree on an issue. You’re in a disagreement deadlock. Disagreement deadlocks are difficult situations to be in. They can quickly lead to tension. They erode productivity in the workplace. They can also damage relationships. As an emerging leader, it’s critical that you have the skills and a strategy to overcome a disagreement deadlock....
Nov 01, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Learning how to disagree assertively with someone at work is a key skill that emerging leaders need to master. As you climb higher in the corporate world, you need to make your opinion known. You need to look like an independent thinker if you want to establish the reputation as a leader. And disagreeing with people at work when you need to or want to is a great way to do this. However, disagreeing doesn’t come naturally to many people. If you’re more of a passive communicator, you’re likely to ...
Oct 25, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 37
What are the benefits of disagreeing? Why do you need to disagree as a leader? Many people avoid disagreeing. It can be daunting, especially if you’re disagreeing with somebody more powerful than you. However, in leadership, it’s critical that you develop the skill to disagree when you need to and want to. Holding back from disagreeing can lead to many negative repercussions in leadership. The main one being, you can let bad ideas stay in the conversation, driving your team’s growth in the wrong...
Oct 18, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 36
How to become more visible at work is a question many emerging leaders ask. As you progress in your career and step up to leadership positions, it’s critical that you become more visible in the workplace. However many emerging leaders are apprehensive about doing this because they don’t want to be self-promotional. Becoming visible in the workplace does not mean you have to be self-promotional. The best way of promoting yourself in the workplace is to focus on your accomplishments and the value ...
Oct 11, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Many emerging leaders, job seekers and entrepreneurs want to be more visible on LinkedIn. It’s an incredibly important part of building your personal brand and online presence. When you build a strong personal brand online, it can lead to new job opportunities and clients. There are many ways you can increase your visibility on LinkedIn to strengthen your personal brand. In Episode 033 of The Leadership Pod, I talked about how you can strategically comment and like LinkedIn posts of your ideal t...
Oct 04, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 34
