The Look & Sound of Leadership

Essential Communications - Tom Henschel
  • 4.8 (103)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • EVERY TWO MONTHS

An ongoing series of Executive Coaching Tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way you want to be perceived.

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    Getting Your Voice Heard

    A brilliant but rather shy leader is challenged by her management to be bigger, more executive, speak up more. She is grateful to work with a coach. You can build muscle around getting your voice heard by creating homework for yourself. Think of it like going to the gym: working out regularly helps you build muscle.    When creating homework, ask yourself three questions: What am I going to pay attention to?What specific behavior am I going to start or stop?How will I measure success? (5% improvement) During the episode, Tom gave Neela four pieces of homework to help her get her voice heard: Count the number of times you have an idea and choose not to say it out loud;Listen for your self-limiting beliefs. Look for patterns that trigger them. Who are you with? What’s the setting?In meetings, speak in the first ten minutes;In meetings, get your name “on the record” with regularity. Curious about coaching? Reach out to Tom here. There are always more resources in our monthly email.  Related Library Categories: Developing New Behaviors Executive Presence For Women Related Episodes 211 - How to Show Up153 - Inhabiting Executive Presence 69 - Leadership and Self-Deception103 - Self-Awareness & Self-Management154 - Self-Limiting Beliefs A transcript of the episode is here.  Thanks for subscribing to the show. And thank you so much for your reviews. You’re the best! From all of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership, we are grateful for you!

    20 min

  2. 2 APR

    Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office

    Tom interviews Dr. Lois Frankel about women in the workplace and other ideas in the just-published third edition of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office.  Listen to the full, unedited conversation here. Get the “Nice Girls” book, here. If you’re curious about a chemistry call, pop Tom an email. There are always more resources in our monthly email.  COACHES! You are always welcome at the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group sponsored by ICF Los Angeles. Reach out to me if you want to know more. We’d love to have you. You’ll get CCE’s, too!  Related Library Categories: For WomenPerception – How You Perceive YourselfLeadership Related Episodes 246Coaching versus Therapy221Conflict241 Conquering People Pleasing222The Conflict Conversation237Leading with Political Savvy – Part One A transcript of the episode is here. Thanks again for subscribing. And your reviews. You’re the best! From all of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership, thanks for being such a great audience!

    26 min

  3. 5 MAR

    How to Conquer Nervousness

    Before testifying in a high-stakes case, a theorist and his coach swap horror stories about their nerves hijacking them and the lessons they learned. Tom’s top four idea for conquering nervousness: Write happy endingsCelebrate incremental improvementExternalize your nasty voiceIgnore your nervesApplying these techniques using our free PDF about mastering nerves.  The clip of Emma Stone battling her anxiety before a global audience is here. Each month, we share additional tools in our monthly email.  If you’d like to explore Private Coaching with Tom, reach out to him at: tom@essentialcomm.com. COACHES! Come join us at the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group sponsored by ICF Los Angeles. You’ll get CCE’s, too! Related Library Categories: Managing YourselfNervousnessSelf-TalkRelated Episodes: 71 - Act “As If”62 - Choosing Persistence147 - Conquering Fear178 - The Executive Impostor12 - Managing Nervousness Grab a free transcript of the episode here. We are so grateful for your reviews! From all of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership, thanks for being such a great audience!

    24 min

  4. 5 FEB

    Humility as Strength

    A leader is getting pressured to stop being so prickly and gain some humility. With her coach, she explores whether it’s even possible for humility to ever be a strength.  Core concepts in this episode: Humility is confidence without defensiveness.Assess yourself on the humility scale. “How do I respond to challenges?”Humble leaders are confident in their authority.Ask frequently: “How might I be wrong about this?”Humility requires active listening. Questions addressed in this episode: > Are humble leaders perceived as weak? Some people may see humble leaders as weak, but humble leaders are actually confident in their authority. > If humble leaders need confidence, will they be seen as arrogant? No, because humble leaders do not fight for dominance. They invite the opinions of others and are non-defensive when challenged. > How can I tell whether I am humble? Ask yourself, “When I am challenged, what feelings do I experience?” Leaders who respond non-defensively are high in humility. > What practices can I adopt to develop more humility? Ask yourself frequently: “How might I be wrong about this?" > What are the benefits to being a humble leader? Your team will experience psychological safety and move towards high performance. Resources mentioned in this episode: Humbitious: The Power of Low-Ego, High-Drive Leadership by Amer Kaissi explores how to be both ambitious and humble.  Links for coaches: Join Tom and a community of coaches at the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group. The Los Angeles Chapter of International Coach Federation offers countless opportunities for CCEs and community building. If you’re in the L.A. area, join the ICF-LA March Chapter meeting. And be sure to say ‘hi’ to Tom! Register here. Each month, we share additional tools in our monthly email.  If you’d like to explore Private Coaching with Tom, reach out to him at: tom@essentialcomm.com. This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library: Executive Presence Leadership Personal Growth & Self-Development Related Episodes: 122 - Achieving Authenticity 146 - Building Empathy 248 - Building Listening  260 - How to Guarantee Psychological Safety 232 - Unlocking Executive Presence through Emotional Intelligence Thank you so much for your reviews! From The Look & Sound of Leadership

    25 min

  5. 8 JAN

    Leading When Ego at the Top Is Unchecked

    A chief officer is infuriated by the behavior of his egomaniacal CEO. With his coach, he explores how to be a healthy leader while reporting to a boss he doesn’t respect. Core concepts in this episode: Egomaniacs rattle our sense of self.They will not change.Worrying does not help.Be accountable for how you show up. Manage yourself.Don’t take anything personally. They’re just a piece on a chess board.Ask yourself: “Am I seeing this person clearly?” Don’t allow emotions to drive your actions.Ask yourself: “How do I want to show up?” You have choice about what you prioritize and how you react in the workplace. Resources mentioned in this episode: Crucial Conversations provides scripts and thoughts that will help you manage yourself when dealing with difficult people.  Tom and host Dave Stachowiak discussed “How to Handle a Boss Who’s a Jerk” on this episode of Coaching for Leaders. Great tools if you have a challenging boss. Before sharing your reactions in the workplace, consider the politics around you. These two episodes will get you “Leading with Political Savvy” Parts 1 and 2.   Each month, there are additional tools in our monthly email.  If you’d like to explore Private Coaching, reach out to Tom. tom@essentialcomm.com. This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library: Managing Yourself Leadership Perception – How You Perceive Others RELATED EPISODES 239- 5 Strategies for Dealing with Narcissists 189 - “Don’t Take Anything Personally” 245- Giving Upward Feedback 114- Gravitas 133- The Narcissist Executive Thank you, thank you, thank you for your reviews! Wishing you a year of growth and development!  From The Look & Sound of Leadership team, thank you so much for listening.

    23 min

  6. 11/12/2025

    How to Grow Your People

    A senior vice-president worries that attention on his people’s development will get overwhelmed in the volume of work. He asks his coach for tools to make the process effective and efficient.  Download our free tool that maps the Three Conversations Development Plan. Core Concepts  Prioritizing professional development is hard. The 3-Conversation model makes development easy for the leader and meaningful for the person. The three conversations in summary:  Define ‘what,’ ‘why’ and give homework;The person reflects on the homework and how they plan to improve;Periodic check-ins about the homework. ‘What are you learning?’ The leader’s role in these conversations:  Clarify the ‘what’ and ‘why’ Listen and encourageAsk, ‘What are you learning?’ You can sign-up for more resources and tools in our monthly email.  If you’re thinking about coaching for yourself, or for someone on your team, let’s talk. tom@essentialcomm.com. This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library: Feedback Leadership Management Skills RELATED EPISODES 132  Coaching Your People 212  How to Coach Your People 258  How to Manage Defensive People 83  Leadership and Listening 206  Understanding Feedback Thanks, as always, for your reviews! Happy holidays.  Until next time, thanks so much for listening. From The Look & Sound of Leadership team

    23 min

  7. 06/11/2025

    How to Motivate and Inspire

    After a leader turns around the performance of one of his direct reports, he and his coach explore how it happened. And how to make it stick.   Core ideas in the episode: Workplaces improve when positive feedback is presentOur natural human negative bias is a barrier to giving positive feedback.Learn to notice when things go well.Tell people how they are helping solve the puzzle that is work.Research says the most effective feedback ratio is 4-to-1, positive to developmental. Positive Feedback might sound like this: Recognize what’s going well – and be specificAppreciate how it’s helping solve the puzzleExpress your thanks Developmental Feedback might sound like this: Describe what happened – and be specificExplain how it affects the puzzle solving effortExpress your hope for a different outcome You can Sign-up for more resources and tools in our monthly email.  If you’re thinking about coaching for yourself, or for someone on your team, let’s talk. tom@essentialcomm.com. This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library: Managing Yourself Perception – How You Perceive Others Relationship Building Related episodes to listen to are: 146 - Building Empathy 119 - Creating Devoted Followers 212 - How to Coach Your People 255 - How to Deepen Relationships at Work 260 - How to Guarantee Psychological Safety Thanks, as always, for your reviews! Until next time, thanks so much for listening. From The Look & Sound of Leadership team

    21 min

  8. 02/10/2025

    How to Guarantee Psychological Safety

    A toxic boss destroys psychological safety on her team. One of her direct reports talks to his coach about how to survive. And how to keep his own team safe.  Core ideas in the episode: Don’t take other people’s bad behavior personally.You are not a victim. You have choice.Document repeated bad behavior.Openly discussing mistakes without blame creates safety on a team.As the leader, be willing to admit your own mistakes.Ask people: “How do you think that went?” and “What could we do differently?” Then listen without debate or rebuttal. A free infographic supports this episode. Download it here.  The episode referred to about creating strong personal relationships is: #199 Personal Connections. Sign-up  for monthly resources and tools in our monthly email.  Curious about coaching for yourself or someone on your team? Let’s talk. tom@essentialcomm.com. COACHES! Want to see this year’s pricing survey results? Pop me an email at: tom@essentialcomm.com. And come join the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group. Check it out here.   Get additional tools for keeping yourself and your team psychologically safe in our podcast library in these three categories: Assertiveness Leadership Managing Yourself Additional episodes to listen to are: 187 - Agreeable Disagreement 70 - Assertion Versus Aggression "75 - Don’t Take Anything Personally” 222- The Conflict Conversation 181 - Inviting Dialogue Your reviews help the show stay ad-free.  Until next time, thanks! From The Look & Sound of Leadership team

    23 min
See All (271)

4.8
out of 5
103 Ratings

About

An ongoing series of Executive Coaching Tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way you want to be perceived.

Information

  • Creator
    Essential Communications - Tom Henschel
  • Years Active
    2008 - 2026
  • Episodes
    271
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Look & Sound of Leadership
  • Show Website
    The Look & Sound of Leadership

You Might Also Like