Leadership Huddle with Geoff Welch

Geoff Welch
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Management
  • Weekly

Leadership Huddle is a resource for developmental leaders who value communicating clearly, helping others smash limiting beliefs, and drawing the best work from themselves and those they lead.  Covering topics related to personal and developmental leadership, self-management,  delegation, and healthy mindsets, Geoff Welch uses each episode to help leaders like you enrich their people and build winning teams.

  1. 13h ago

    Clear Expectations Win with Amy Cooper

    Amy Cooper once adamantly told her parents she would never teach. Years later, that prediction hasn’t aged particularly well.Amy is an Associate Professor of Accounting and Faculty Athletic Representative at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Before academia, she spent more than a decade in public accounting, including time with Arthur Andersen.Our conversation explored how Amy discovered a career she never expected, why she’s so passionate about accounting, and what she’s learned about helping people succeed.One theme kept surfacing: high expectations work best when paired with genuine support. Amy works hard to make her expectations clear, give students the tools they need, and then allow them to take ownership of the outcome.We also talked about mentorship, creating opportunities for people, the importance of effort over perfection, and why good leaders remove unnecessary barriers.Amy’s enthusiasm for her students and her profession is infectious. Even if accounting isn’t your thing, her approach to developing people might be.Connect with Amy on LinkedInMy free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets

  2. 3d ago

    No one cares about what you want

    Here’s a really paradoxical way to get more of what you want.Stop focusing on what you want. Okay, not completely, but when it comes to a negotiation or when you are trying to elicit the help you need to get where you want to go, you are probably too focused on yourself.Remember, you are the hero of your story, but you're just a supporting cast member in theirs.Your goals and desires are central to your story, but they could literally be a distraction in their story.Here’s a simple change in thinking that will fundamentally improve how you negotiate and how you ask for help: ask yourself WHAT DO THEY WANT?We are so concerned with our own hopes and dreams that we focus more on trying to convince someone to want what we want or love what we love and we fail to consider that our goals are a side quest for them.When you take even just a few minutes to consider what is important to THEM, what they care about, you will be able to craft an ask (or an argument) that is far more likely to make sense to them.The goal is not to manipulate, but to find alignment. The goal is to find the area of your Venn diagrams that overlap.OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION: The next time you need help or need to make a compelling argument, pause for a moment to reflect on what the other party wants. What are they trying to accomplish? What matters to them? Every ask or argument will improve when you focus less on YOUR desired outcome and more on their interests.My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets

  3. Oct 28

    Why Your Expectations Matter with Andrea Benner

    What if the greatest gift a leader could give someone is the confidence to see potential they haven't yet recognized in themselves? Andrea Benner believes that kind of confidence can change everything.Andrea started her career at GCI Communications as a customer service representative in 2007. Today, she's the Director of Training and Professional Development, helping leaders develop the skills to bring out the best in their people.In this episode of Leadership Huddle, Andrea and I explore the powerful idea that belief is transferable. When leaders genuinely believe in someone's potential, that confidence can inspire courage, growth, and extraordinary performance.We discuss why leadership is a skill that requires daily practice, how trust and belief work together, and why holding people accountable doesn't mean giving up on their potential. Andrea also challenges us to reconsider the stories we've told ourselves about employees who aren't meeting expectations.This conversation is a reminder that leadership isn't simply about what we accomplish. It's about what we help others believe they can accomplish.Connect with Andrea on LinkedInMy free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets

  4. Oct 25

    This bad news is actually good news

    No one is coming to save you.And that’s actually really good news.Because now you can stop waiting and start taking action.There are few things more sinister than the misplaced hope that if you wait just a little bit longer all your problems will be solved by someone else.It’s not going to happen.No one is coming to save you. TRY THIS: That thing that you’ve been hoping will simply magically resolve? Yeah, you know the one. Stop sitting on your hands. Take the car out of neutral. Drive. If no one is coming to save you, what must YOU do to make things better?My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets

  5. Oct 21

    The Wrong Place at the Right Time with Lydie Gutfeld

    A teenage mistake sentenced Lydie Gutfeld to 75 hours of community service. She had no idea those hours would launch a 35-year career devoted to serving communities.Lydie is the Community Services Director for the City of Placentia, California, and has spent her career working in parks and recreation for communities including Beverly Hills, Irvine, Mission Viejo, and San Bernardino.In this conversation, we talk about that unlikely beginning, why leadership and title are two very different things, and how she’s learned to lead with transparency, humor, energy, and absolutely no interest in pretending to be someone she isn’t.Lydie also shares why great leaders adapt to the communities and people they serve, how her mistakes have become some of her best teaching material, and why speaking from difficult experiences has become an important part of her leadership.Lydie brings an infectious combination of candor, humor, experience, and genuine love for people to this conversation. I think you’re going to enjoy meeting her.Connect with Lydie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydiegutfeld/My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets

  6. Oct 18

    The secret to success is simple

    Success means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but there is one simple practice that will increase the likelihood of success no matter how you define it.Do what you say you will do.Not what you promise to do. Not what you swear on the lives of your children you will do. Not what you make a solemn oath to do.Just do what you say you will do.When you tell someone you’ll be there at 9:00, be there at 9:00.When you tell someone you’ll finish the report this week, finish the report this week.When you tell someone you want to meet for coffee, meet for coffee.When you tell your boss you’ll hit the sales goal, hit the sales goal.When you tell your people you’ll find a solution to a problem that drives them crazy, find a solution.And when you tell yourself you’ll hit the gym, take the trip, or enroll in the class, do it.(Truly, breaking commitments to yourself opens the door to failure in every aspect of your life.)Does this mean you can’t renegotiate terms when circumstances change? Of course not.It means that you will proactively renegotiate those terms instead of just letting things slide.This isn’t just a matter of “virtue” or “goodness,” it’s a matter of trust.Trust with others and trust with yourself.When you do what you say you will do you become a person who others believe in…and most importantly…who you believe in. You don’t necessarily have to be better, smarter, and faster to win.But you do have to do what you say you will do.TRY THIS: Become impeccable with your word. Hold yourself accountable to your agreements, even when others won’t. Proactively renegotiate terms when things change. Watch what happens.My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets

  7. Oct 14

    How Do We Get to Yes? with Kati Capozzi

    Kati Capozzi likes to ask a deceptively simple question: How do we get to yes? It’s an approach that has shaped a career built around finding a way forward—even when the obvious path is blocked.Kati is President and CEO of the Alaska Chamber, where she represents hundreds of businesses and works alongside a remarkably diverse group of leaders and subject-matter experts.In this conversation, we talk about her journey from military kid to committed Alaskan, the lessons she learned running a statewide campaign, and why leading well sometimes means accepting that you won’t be the expert in the room.We also explore Kati’s belief that listening may be more important than talking, the importance of protecting your organization from mission creep, why “never been busier” isn’t necessarily something to celebrate, and one of leadership’s hardest disciplines: letting your people struggle long enough to grow.Kati’s philosophy? Give people the tools, trust them to use them, and let them fail forward.Connect with Kati on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kati-capozzi/My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets

  8. Oct 11

    You aren’t prepared for what comes next

    This one is a little bit embarrassing.I started playing the drums when I was 12. The son of a drummer and pianist, I suppose it was only a matter of time.38 years later I am a competent drummer who is very comfortable with what I can (and can’t) do with the instrument.It feels good to be good at something but, if I’m really honest with myself, I haven’t actually improved as a drummer in about 20 years.That feels astonishing to me.Being a drummer is an important part of who I am and the idea that 20 years could pass while simply treading water seems crazy.But it’s really just a matter of priorities, and growing as a drummer felt less important once I achieved a certain level of proficiency.That might sound cocky, or woefully shortsighted, but there it is.I did some quick math last night and if I had spent 1 hour per day for 38 years focused on developing as a drummer I would have logged nearly 14,000 hours of growth.I’m fully convinced that the gap between me (and anyone, really) and being a truly great drummer, is that 14,000 hours of development. Well, not 14,000 specifically, but doing a little focused work over and over for years and decades. Doing 14,000 hours of work seems like a crazy commitment looking forward.But looking back, an hour a day doesn’t seem like a whole lot relative to the progress it would unlock.For you, dear reader, this is a reminder that there will be moments when being “good enough” or “better than most” as a leader feels like an opportunity to rest.But there is always something new to learn and there will always be a new challenge around the corner ready to test your abilities.This is not a call to “grind” or otherwise develop a relentless obsession for more.This is a call to never expect today’s skills to carry you through tomorrow’s problems and to invest in consistent growth that compounds over time.You don’t need to acquire 14,000 hours of growth this year or even this decade.But don’t discount what a few hours of learning and development each week can become over the course of a career.TRY THIS: What is a skill you’d like to improve or something you want to learn more about? Could you take a class at a local university? Find an online course? Engage with a coach? Learn more on YouTube?Ask yourself every single week: What did I learn this week? What should I be learning next week?Consistency over intensity…My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets

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Leadership Huddle is a resource for developmental leaders who value communicating clearly, helping others smash limiting beliefs, and drawing the best work from themselves and those they lead.  Covering topics related to personal and developmental leadership, self-management,  delegation, and healthy mindsets, Geoff Welch uses each episode to help leaders like you enrich their people and build winning teams.

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