Leveraging Leadership

Emily Sander
  • 5.0 (27)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

Are you ready to up your leadership game? Tune in to Leveraging Leadership, where Chiefs of Staff, executives, and business professionals find the tools, strategies, and insights they need to excel. Hosted by Emily Sander, a C-suite executive turned leadership coach, this podcast delivers practical and tactical takeaways every week.Whether you're tackling tough conversations, fine-tuning your KPIs, or mastering delegation, this show offers new perspectives and actionable advice to help you feel confident and thrive in your role.Each Monday, enjoy interviews with leaders from diverse fields—primarily business, but also from military, politics, and higher education. Every Wednesday, catch a solo episode where Emily shares concise, actionable insights on a specific topic you can apply immediately.If you appreciate relatable, informal conversations that pack a punch with no fluff, you’re in the right place. While especially valuable for Chiefs of Staff and their Principals, the insights are useful for any leader aiming to grow.Don’t miss your chance to advance as a leader.

  1. 1d ago

    Driving Fast-Paced Change from Private Sector to Public Innovation

    Emily Sander talks with Lindsay McCleary about her journey from project management to Chief of Staff roles in both the private sector at Binc and the public sector for the City of Charlotte. Lindsay McCleary shares how she created her own job description, built trust with leaders, and tackled challenges like internal communication and supporting a fast-growing city. She offers practical advice for Chiefs of Staff, like moving from note-taker to strategic leader and building strong relationships with principals. Link Mentioned: Connect with Lindsay McCleary on LinkedIn Get in touch with Emily: Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.   Free Leadership Resources   LinkedIn Website Newsletter Who Am I? If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

    38 min

  2. 6d ago

    Optimizing Knowledge Management: Ensuring Information Flows Freely Through Your Organization

    Knowledge management is explained as making sure important information flows up, down, and across an organization, using direct examples like leadership decisions being shared with teams, or customer feedback reaching the right people. The episode covers how the Chief of Staff can spot communication breakdowns and keep everyone in the loop, including situations where leaders fail to pass on updates or overreact to minor issues. Tips are offered for testing if messages actually reach people and are understood as intended. Get in touch with Emily: Want help improving communication flow across your organization? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.   Free Leadership Resources   LinkedIn Website Newsletter   Who Am I? If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.   Time Stamps: 00:25 Why Knowledge Management 01:45 Top Down Communication 02:37 Bottom Up Feedback Loops 03:54 Cross Org Information Flow 06:11 Leadership Message Breakdowns 08:09 Accuracy Checks Upward 09:39 Transparency Sharing Philosophy 13:48 Build Systems Stress Test Wrap

    17 min

  3. May 25

    Practical Strategies for Post-Crisis Recovery and Team Performance

    Savio P. Clemente, a two-time cancer survivor, shares how his experiences shaped his adaptive resilience leadership framework and gives practical advice for avoiding burnout and decision fatigue. The discussion covers high-pressure healthcare leadership, the importance of paying attention to your body, and why intentional silence and rest matter for Chief of Staff roles. Clemente also explains his "Aloha reboot" reset method and talks about his interviews with CEOs and CMOs on post-crisis leadership. Links Mentioned: Savio P. Clemente’s Website [TEDx talk and book by Savio P. Clemente] (available via his website) Savio P. Clemente’s Substack Savio P. Clemente on social media: Instagram Tiktok Twitter LinkedIn Get in touch with Emily: Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.   Free Leadership Resources   LinkedIn Website Newsletter   Who Am I? If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.   Time Stamps: 01:09 Reconnecting and Lessons on Failure 04:06 Cancer Survival and Body Awareness 07:00 Decision Fatigue Under Pressure 16:41 Post Crisis Recalibration and Aloha Reboot 18:28 Reframe and Aloha Method 23:21 Metacognition and Identity Traps 24:29 Intentional Silence Practice 33:36 Post Crisis Leadership Wrap

    38 min

  4. May 20

    Making Progress in Interim Periods: Focusing on What Has to Happen Anyway

    This episode shares practical ways to handle uncertain times at work by focusing on the tasks that need to get done no matter what. Emily Sander gives real examples, like mapping and merging data systems during a leadership shakeup, a Chief of Staff streamlining VP workflows after an acquisition, and helping two clashing teams start working better together while waiting for a new role to be filled. The main advice: find useful tasks that must happen anyway to keep progress moving and give teams direction. Get in touch with Emily: Need help finding strategic priorities during uncertain times? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.   Free Leadership Resources   LinkedIn Website Newsletter   Who Am I? If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.   Time Stamps: 00:25 Interim Period Question 00:39 Do What Matters Anyway 01:12 Example One Data Integration 02:55 Testing and Iterating Fast 03:21 Example Two Post Acquisition Chaos 04:43 Reorg Focus for VPs 06:43 Example Three Awkward Promotion Limbo 07:48 Fixing Two Teams Conflict 12:07 Wrap Up Keep Momentum

    15 min

  5. May 18

    Exploring Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, and Disability Rights from a Chief of Staff at the State Department

    Andrea Cilliers shares her journey from joining the Department of Defense through a disability internship to becoming Chief of Staff for the U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Rights. She talks about working on diversity and inclusion at the State Department, influencing global policy, and meeting leaders like Pope Francis. The episode covers how she built relationships across government, advocated for disability rights, and offers advice on leadership and hiring people with disabilities. Link Mentioned: Job Accommodation Network Get in touch with Emily: Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.   Free Leadership Resources   LinkedIn Website Newsletter   Who Am I? If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.   Time Stamps: 00:58 Andrea Career Origins 02:54 State Department Explained 06:33 EEO Work at State 08:52 Serendipity to Chief of Staff 11:12 Vatican and G7 Diplomacy 14:57 Inside Vatican Meetings 21:46 Chief of Staff Playbook 34:22 Blinken Team Lessons 49:29 Advice and Disability Inclusion

    1 hr

  6. May 13

    How to Use Skill-Based Assessments for Effective Hiring Decisions

    The episode breaks down how skill-based assessments can help make better hiring decisions, whether you’re hiring for an entry-level analyst, a digital marketing specialist, or a software engineer. Emily Sander shares real-life examples like using SEO quizzes, press release writing tasks, and real client scenarios to test candidates’ technical abilities. The advice is to create assessments that match the actual job and adjust them for the level of the role, especially if you’re a Chief of Staff leading the process. Get in touch with Emily: Want help designing skill-based hiring assessments? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.   Free Leadership Resources   LinkedIn Website Newsletter   Who Am I? If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.   Time Stamps: 00:25 Why Skill Assessments Matter 01:04 Hiring as Chief of Staff 01:31 Two Assessment Principles 02:45 Digital Marketing Hiring Story 04:12 Quizzes Plus Real Scenarios 07:02 Comms Tests and AI Concerns 08:41 Engineering Whiteboard Pressure 10:40 Assessing Senior Leaders 14:00 Be Selective and Trust Process

    16 min

  7. May 11

    Chief of Staff Careers: Launching Pad, Capstone, or Both?

    Emily Sander talks with Keosha Lucas about whether the Chief of Staff role is a career destination or a stepping stone. Keosha shares her path from Lyft, where she did Chief of Staff work under different titles, to startups and eventually becoming a Senior Vice President and co-founding a fintech company. She gives practical advice on gaining experience, handling imposter syndrome, and how Chief of Staff skills prepared her to run a business. Get in touch with Emily: Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here.   Free Leadership Resources   LinkedIn Website Newsletter   Who Am I? If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.   Time Stamps: 00:28 Meet Keosha Lucas 02:05 Doing CoS Work Without Title 06:05 Growing Pains and Processes 08:57 Discovering the CoS Title 16:04 Confidence and Imposter Syndrome 19:12 Career Arc to SVP and Founder 25:46 CoS as Destination and Advice

    35 min

  8. May 6

    Handling Unfamiliar Acronyms Without Feeling Embarrassed

    The episode looks at jargon and acronyms in the workplace, using examples like ARR (annual rate of return) and CPA (cost per acquisition or certified public accountant), and talks about ways to learn or clarify business lingo. It emphasizes that asking questions doesn’t make you look stupid and highlights the Chief of Staff’s role in creating a shared language across teams, especially during mergers or integrations. Tips include using tools like Google or ChatGPT, paying attention to context, and not overcomplicating things with unnecessary jargon. Get in touch with Emily: Confused by business jargon? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here.   Free Leadership Resources   LinkedIn Website Newsletter   Who Am I? If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.   Time Stamps: 00:25 The Acronym Anxiety 01:34 Step Back and Normalize Jargon 04:05 Learn by Context and Quick Lookups 06:45 Ask Anyway You're Not Dumb 09:45 Why Clarifying Helps Everyone 12:12 Chief of Staff Shared Language 17:38 Communicate Clearly Avoid Buzzwords 21:47 Key Takeaways and Wrap Up

    23 min
See All (285)

5
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

Are you ready to up your leadership game? Tune in to Leveraging Leadership, where Chiefs of Staff, executives, and business professionals find the tools, strategies, and insights they need to excel. Hosted by Emily Sander, a C-suite executive turned leadership coach, this podcast delivers practical and tactical takeaways every week.Whether you're tackling tough conversations, fine-tuning your KPIs, or mastering delegation, this show offers new perspectives and actionable advice to help you feel confident and thrive in your role.Each Monday, enjoy interviews with leaders from diverse fields—primarily business, but also from military, politics, and higher education. Every Wednesday, catch a solo episode where Emily shares concise, actionable insights on a specific topic you can apply immediately.If you appreciate relatable, informal conversations that pack a punch with no fluff, you’re in the right place. While especially valuable for Chiefs of Staff and their Principals, the insights are useful for any leader aiming to grow.Don’t miss your chance to advance as a leader.

Information

  • Creator
    Emily Sander
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    285
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Leveraging Leadership
  • Show Website
    Leveraging Leadership

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