THIS Leader Podcast

Claire Laughlin
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

The "THIS Leader" Podcast explores the transformational, high-impact secrets that turn ordinary people into extraordinary leaders! THIS Leader is hosted by Claire Laughlin, an organizational development consultant. She and her guests will explore: How individuals can enhance their leadership impact by showing up as their personal best; how teams can leverage connection and clarity to experience tremendous results; and how organizations can increase trust and engagement and improve outcomes by putting people and relationships at the center of business.

  1. 2d ago

    80. Rescuing Connection in a Virtual World With Scott Farmer

    What if the reason your hard conversations keep landing badly has less to do with you, and more to do with the format you're having them in? Scott Farmer had the same difficult conversation with two colleagues — same preparation, same general message, same care. One conversation in person, the other via video. He describes the difference like a textbook experiment, and the results were not even close. Scott spent fifteen years in nonprofit leadership and stepped back from his executive role when his organization went fully remote. At the same time, he and Natalia Rivera-España built GOAT Santa Cruz on exactly the opposite bet — that people are stronger, braver, and more creative when they're physically together doing something hard. In this conversation we get into what he's learned from living both models at once. YOU'LL HEAR… TWO Experiments  Run at The Same Time Scott left an executive role as his organization went fully remote, and simultaneously helped build a business founded on being physically together. He shares his lived experience about both models. Community as a Metric When he and Natalia started GOAT, they decided their measure of success would be community rather than revenue — how many people showed up, how many connections formed, how many friendships they watched begin. He describes finding more security in that than in the savings account he'd been chasing. What We Lose When We Can't Interrupt Each Other   Turns out interruption is very important. Scott makes the case that the best ideas come from people building on each other's half-finished thoughts — and that this kind of creative collision is nearly impossible on a video call, where interrupting feels rude. All Carrots No Sticks Having stepped back from his executive role, Scott has no authority to require anyone to come into the office. What he built instead started with him showing up on Thursdays, buying lunch, and promising conversations that had nothing to do with work. Levity As a Belonging Tool Naming project teams after nineties pop songs. Gremlins. Thundercats. It sounds trivial until you see the belonging it creates on a distributed team. Why Healthy Conflict  is Harder Through a Screen Both of us care a lot about healthy conflict as the doorway to real commitment. Scott is candid that he hasn't fully cracked the code on this one, but he shares what's helped: starting with people you already trust, preparing and then sharing your preparation with the person you disagree with, and modeling disagreement in front of your team. This Week's Challenge Think of one working relationship needs attention. One where you're still perfectly cordial on video, but you can't remember the last conversation that felt real. Now consider what it would take to be in the same room with that person. A coffee, a walk, a drive across town? Think about making that effort. Scott's point is that the format isn't neutral. It's doing something to the relationship whether we're tracking it or not. Noticing which relationships have quietly thinned is how you find the ones worth spending travel on. Resources Mentioned: Ep 49: Building your GOAT Mindset with Natalia Rivera-España  GOAT Santa Cruz — Group Open Air Training  Ecology Action Crucial Conversations — the framework Scott's organization trained on  "Pandemnesia" — Claire's blog post on what we've quietly forgotten since the pandemic Ready to go deeper? If you want to build real trust and cohesion into how your team operates — including when your people are working remotely— reach out for a free consultation. Visit ClaireLaughlin.com and click "Schedule a Consult" at the top of the page. Connect with me @Claire Laughlin Consulting on Instagram and LinkedIn. New episodes are released weekly—share with others who might benefit!

  2. Aug 10

    79. Leading in Turbulent Times

    Hard seasons don't ask permission. Budget cuts, a reorg, a client crisis — you don't get to choose whether they come. What you get to choose is how you show up when they do. In this episode, you'll hear about: Why turbulence is the wrong problem to solve. Hard times aren't a sign something's broken — they're just weather. The question isn't how to avoid them, it's what you do once you're in them. What pilots do differently. The worst thing a pilot can do in rough air is fight it. What they're trained to do is stay steady, look for the bigger picture, communicate specifically and often. Your leadership plan is the same. Why consistency matters more than your best days. It's rarely a single hard moment that breaks a team's trust. It's a leader who's calm most of the time but occasionally flies off the handle and calls it "just now and then."  The Three Moves  Steady your own hands. Before you say a word to your team, get your own reactivity in check. Your team can feel your state before they hear your words. Climb to the balcony. Get above the day-to-day and hold three things steady: where you're going, why it matters, and how you're going to treat each other along the way. Say it more than once. Chart the workable path. Skip the three-year plan. Tell your team what you're doing right now, and be honest that it's your best move with the information you have at the moment. This week's challenge Pick one hard season you're currently leading through — even a small one. Write down, in one sentence each, where you're headed, why it matters, and how you want your team treating each other while you get there. Then say all three out loud to your team this week, along with one honest sentence: "Here's what we're doing right now, and this is my best move with what I know." Saying it plainly, and saying it more than once, is what turns a vague sense of direction into something your team can actually hold onto — and it's usually the repetition, not the eloquence, that makes it land. Resources Mentioned Ep. #64 Stop Feeding the Beast — on stress, reactivity, and steadying your own hands before you show up for your team Ep. #36 Freedom from Being Emotionally Hijacked with Allison Livingston — on emotional awareness and emotional contagion  Ep. #58 The Brain Science of Leadership with Lisa Riegel — on how change lands in the brain Ready to go deeper? If you want steadier hands and a clearer next step the next time things get turbulent, reach out for a free consultation. Visit clairelaughlin.com and click "Book a Consult" at the top of the page. Subscribe & share: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs to hear it. It helps more than you know! To learn more about my services, subscribe to my newsletter, and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me @Claire Laughlin Consulting on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, so be sure to follow or subscribe. Until next time, go lead the way!

    79. Leading in Turbulent Times

  3. Aug 4

    78. Ask the Conflict Expert with Maryse Postlewaite

    Not all conflict is loud. Some of it is a colleague who quietly stops including you, or a decision you can see going wrong but can't seem to influence. This week is about that harder-to-name conflict — the kind we tend to carry around instead of address. I brought two real situations from listeners to Maryse Postlewaite, a conflict resolution educator with more than forty-five years of experience helping people handle hard conversations with heart. In this episode, you'll hear about: WHEN A PEER LEAVES YOU OFF THE EMAILS What to do when someone quietly stops including you — and why the instinct to mention it sideways to other coworkers usually makes things worse. ASSUMING THE BEST BEFORE YOU ASSUME THE WORST Maryse's practice of ruling out a simple misunderstanding first, and Claire's "Most Generous Interpretation" (a phrase she credits to Dr. Becky Kennedy). VENTING VS. SOLVING Why a trusted friend can help you either prepare for a conversation or realize you don't need to have one — and how that differs from gossiping at the water cooler. A GENTLE WAY IN: BRIDGE, "I" STATEMENT, REQUEST Maryse's pattern for opening a hard conversation — a genuine compliment, an honest feeling, and a clear request — plus why "maybe" and "perhaps" leave room for the other person. WHEN IT'S YOUR BOSS What changes when there's a power imbalance: checking your organization's protocols, approaching outside the heat of the moment, and asking questions that invite the other person in.  THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE Think of one thing at work that's been quietly bothering you — the invite that didn't come, the decision that didn't sit right — and before you do anything else, write down the most generous interpretation of it. Not because it's necessarily the true one, but because naming it changes how you walk into the conversation. When you assume a simple oversight instead of a slight, your tone softens, your questions get more curious, and the person across from you is far more likely to meet you where you are. Then decide what outcome you actually want, and let that shape your first sentence. Still feel stuck in a negative interpretation? Check out Episode 28: The Brave Choice that Transforms Relationships RESOURCES MENTIONED:  Episode 59: Claire's first conflict conversation with Maryse Postlewaite  Episode 13: Emotional Contagion  Episode 74: The Language of Trust Dr. Becky Kennedy — the "Most Generous Interpretation" Maryse's Conflict Resolution Fundamentals course (TLC Pathways, with Kidpower International/Safetypowers) Visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me @Claire Laughlin Consulting on Instagram and LinkedIn. Thanks for listening! New episodes are released weekly—share with others who might benefit! ABOUT MARYSE POSTLEWAITE Maryse Postlewaite is the founder of TLC Pathways, a platform for conflict resolution workshops. In collaboration with the Kidpower International/Safetypowers team, she created a self-paced online course — Conflict Resolution Fundamentals — that includes live sessions, teaching videos, role-plays, and more than thirty interactive activities. She has over forty-five years of experience as an internationally certified Montessori educator and has trained with Children's Creative Response to Conflict, Positive Discipline, Kidpower, Mindfulness, and Cultivating Authentic Communication. She believes in radical optimism and the extravagant power of gratitude.  ABOUT THE PODCAST THIS Leader is for leaders who are committed to building workplaces where people do their best work and actually want to show up. Each week, Claire brings you honest conversations with experts in leadership development, workplace culture, and the science of human performance — because great organizations don't happen by accident. Ready to go deeper? If you want to build real trust and cohesion into how your team handles conflict, reach out for a free consultation. Visit clairelaughlin.com and click "Schedule a Consult" at the top of the page. Until next time, go lead the way! Subscribe & share: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs to hear it. It helps more than you know.  To learn more about my services, subscribe to my newsletter, and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me @Claire Laughlin Consulting on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, so be sure to subscribe.

    78. Ask the Conflict Expert with Maryse Postlewaite

  4. Jul 28

    77. Revenue is shrinking. Now what?

    Imagine opening Slack on an ordinary Tuesday and watching your colleagues' names turn gray, one by one. You refresh. You assume it's a glitch. And then your own access drops, your laptop locks, and your badge stops working. No call. No meeting. No warning. That actually happened — and it's stories like this that might be haunting your team members right now. In this episode, I get into what organizational contraction does to the people you lead, and what you can do to lead the way with coherence, clarity and kindness. In this episode, you'll hear about: Why leading through contraction is a very different challenge than leading through expansion What's happening in a frightened brain, and how worst-case assumptions can impact trust.  The different faces of fear, and how disengagement, over-functioning and combativeness may all come from the same source.  How information scarcity may be fueling the rumor mill. Four moves for leading through times of contraction Anchor to your values — (and do this work before you need it!) Your values aren't wall art; they're your decision filters. They determine what you protect and how you make hard decisions. Apply your decision filters. Applying your values helps you make better decisions. It doesn't make hard calls easy, but it make them coherent — and coherence keeps trust alive when people are scared. Slow down, and communicate with extraordinary care. Your instinct in times of crisis may be to speed up. But leaders rushing decisions in times of contraction make worse decisions and break more trust — partly because leaders are having their own fear response, and none of us make our best decisions under stress. Be patient with people's fear responses. Patience isn't permissiveness — you still need the work done. But patience means factoring human biology into your leadership strategy. This week's challenge Begin to name your values and decision filters. They will help you make your best decisions. Write down the two or three questions every hard decision in your organization has to pass through. Having these filters clarified up front will make hard decisions a little easier. If you can't name them, or if your team members all have different ideas about which filters matter most, that's your work. Resources Mentioned: David Rock's SCARF model — status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, fairness Harris Poll for Bloomberg News, October 2025 — 55% of employed Americans concerned about losing their jobs Episode  66 with Lisa Alessi on fear based responses  Episodes  58 and 72 with Dr. Lisa Riegel on brain-based leadership  Ready to go deeper? If you want to build the kind of leadership foundation that holds in any season — clear values, real decision filters, and enough trust to get you through the hard parts — reach out for a free consultation. Visit ClaireLaughlin.com and click "Schedule a consultation" at the top of the page.  Until next time, lead the way! Subscribe & share: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs to hear it. It helps more than you know!  To learn more about my services, subscribe to my newsletter, and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting. Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, so be sure to subscribe.

  5. Jul 21

    76. The Illusion of Alignment

    Alignment doesn't happen because everyone nodded. It happens because people leave the room with a shared understanding of the decision, a genuine commitment to move it forward, and the confidence to communicate it consistently to everyone else. That's where many teams get stuck. We mistake compliance for alignment, assume silence means agreement, and only realize something was missing when the same decision resurfaces weeks later. In this episode, I explore what true alignment really looks like, why it's so easy to mistake it for compliance, and the simple process that helps teams make better, more aligned decisions together from the very beginning. I will also name the mental models that quietly sabotage alignment before the process even has a chance to work. In this episode, you'll hear about: Clarity vs. Compliance vs. Alignment: Why these three get confused — and why that confusion is costly for teams and momentum. The Four-Step Decision-Making Process: Get everyone in the same frame, invent and grapple with real options, step over the decision line, and communicate with intention. The Mental Model Traps: The four internal postures — like coming in to sell instead of explore, or protecting your turf instead of the outcome — that derail alignment even with a great process in place. The Self-Awareness Check: One question to ask yourself before every high-stakes decision conversation. This week's challenge Think about the last important decision your team made. Were people truly aligned or did everyone simply agree to move on? Choose one upcoming decision and intentionally slow the process down. Invite real discussion, make the decision explicit, and leave the room knowing everyone is committed, not just compliant. Resources Mentioned in the Episode: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencioni  Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work — Chip Heath and Dan Heath (Crown Business, 2013) Work with Claire: Ready to build a decision-making culture where alignment is the norm? Schedule a consultation Join the Conversation: Where are you consuming vs. truly learning right now? Share your thoughts with me on social media or through my website — I'd love to hear from you. To learn more about my services, subscribe to my newsletter, and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting. Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, so be sure to subscribe. Until next time — lead the way!

    76. The Illusion of Alignment

  6. Jul 14

    75. Learn Like a Leader

    We're surrounded by great leadership content. Podcasts. Books. Courses. Articles. It's never been easier to consume information. So why do we have to revisit the same struggles and content time and again? In this episode, I explore the difference between consuming information and structured learning and why our tendency toward consumption quietly keeps so many leaders from growing as quickly as they'd like. Through two personal stories, I share the mindset shift that changed how I approach my own development, and why having proven structure and an on-demand community have become essential parts of how I learn. In this episode, you'll hear about: Why consuming isn't the same as learning: The quiet belief that "I should already know this," and why it keeps so many leaders from building the foundation they actually need. What learning Spanish taught me about leadership: How moving from app-based practice to structured, step-by-step learning helped me build the right foundation and completely changed my feelings of progress, and why the same principle applies to leadership development. Why community changes everything: How joining a community of leaders reminded me that growth happens faster when you're learning alongside other people. The power of structure + community: Why information alone won't create lasting change, and how these two ingredients help turn ideas into habits that stick. The leadership ripple effect: How your willingness to keep learning gives your team permission to do the same, creating a culture where curiosity, feedback, and growth become the norm. This week's challenge  Ask yourself these simple questions: How do I want to grow as a leader?  What do I want to truly learn? What is the most effective path for me to get there? Then choose one area where you can move beyond collecting ideas and start creating lasting change. Resources Mentioned in the Episode: The AI Playbook, led by Rick Mulready EVOLVE Leadership Development Platform Schedule a Consult To learn more about my services, subscribe to my newsletter, and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting. Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, so be sure to subscribe.  Until next time, lead the way!

  7. Jul 7

    74. The Language of Trust

    Most of us think we're paying attention to the right things in those conversations. We prepare some points, choose our words carefully, and think about timing and delivery. We care about others and want to have healthy relationships. But even with the best intentions, our language can sometimes send messages we never meant to communicate. A confident, and self-assured opinion can quietly convey closed-mindedness. A quick, unilateral decision can tell others, "your perspective isn't needed here." A bold claim about "how they are," can make you feel like an expert, while closing the door to building a deeper understanding of any given person or situation. In this episode, I share a simple, time-tested framework that fundamentally changed the way I communicate. Drawing on the work of theorist Jack Gibb, we'll explore how small shifts in the words we choose can create either a defensive climate where people shut down, or a supportive climate where trust, openness, and honest conversations can flourish. In this episode, you'll hear about: The difference between defensive and supportive communication climates and how to recognize which one you're creating How to shift from evaluation to description when giving feedback, so the other person can actually hear you Why controlling communication erodes team engagement over time even when you think you're just being decisive The counterfeit version of empathy that can damage trust more than saying nothing at all How certainty as a default posture shuts down the thinking of everyone around you, and what to do instead Resources mentioned in this episode: The Advice Trap by Michael Bungay Stanier Try this: Pick one pattern from today's episode that resonates most. In your next difficult conversation, notice when it shows up and try just one small shift. Connect with Claire: Website & free resources: clairelaughlin.com EVOLVE Leadership Development Platform: clairelaughlin.com/evolve Until next time — lead the way! To learn more about my services, subscribe to my newsletter, and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.

    74. The Language of Trust

  8. Jun 30

    73. Driving For Clarity

    No leader wakes up in the morning hoping their team is confused, misaligned, or operating from different assumptions. And yet clarity has a way of slipping through our fingers. In this episode, I move beyond the idea that clarity is important and explore what it actually takes to create it. Because clarity isn't a destination. It's an ongoing leadership practice. It's a rhythm. It's a habit. Clarity tends to fade and expire quickly, and it requires far more attention than most of us realize. In this episode, you'll hear about: Why creating clarity is hard It's invisible when it's present, painfully obvious when it's absent, and surprisingly easy to assume we already have it. We'll explore why driving for clarity can feel like slowing down when it's actually one of the fastest ways to move the right work forward. How clarity gaps become people problems When expectations are unclear, trust starts to erode. Instead of questioning the clarity of the message, we begin questioning each other's competence, commitment, or intentions. Cohesion, clarity, and alignment How these three forces work together, and why true alignment is impossible when people aren't clear on what they're aligning around. Why clarity is a verb The mindset shift that changes everything, plus why a "good enough" plan everyone understands will outperform a perfect plan that exists only in your head.  Five places to drive for clarity Big-picture clarity: Use a thematic goal to answer the question: What matters most right now? Cultural clarity: Make expectations explicit and build behavioral standards with your team so people genuinely own them. Detail clarity: Get clear on who is doing what, by when, and eliminate ambiguity before it creates problems.  Cascading clarity: Create simple disciplines that help important messages travel through the organization intact. Commitment clarity: Make it safe for people to be honest so you get genuine commitment instead of polite agreement. This week's challenge Pick one meeting. Before anyone leaves the room, spend three to five minutes asking: What did we decide? Who's doing what, by when? What should NOT leave this room? What's the message we're carrying forward? Then pay attention to what changes. Resources Mentioned: Episode #2: Setting Your Leadership Standards Episode #26: Silent Culture Killers The work of Patrick Lencioni on team certainty and end-of-meeting discipline Ready to go deeper? If you want to build real clarity, trust, and cohesion into how your team operates, reach out for a free consultation. Visit clairelaughlin.com and click "Schedule a Consult" at the top of the page. Until next time, lead the way! Subscribe & share: If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs to hear it. It helps more than you know! To learn more about my services, subscribe to my newsletter, and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me @Claire Laughlin Consulting on Instagram and LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, so be sure to subscribe.

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About

The "THIS Leader" Podcast explores the transformational, high-impact secrets that turn ordinary people into extraordinary leaders! THIS Leader is hosted by Claire Laughlin, an organizational development consultant. She and her guests will explore: How individuals can enhance their leadership impact by showing up as their personal best; how teams can leverage connection and clarity to experience tremendous results; and how organizations can increase trust and engagement and improve outcomes by putting people and relationships at the center of business.

Information

  • Creator
    Claire Laughlin
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    81
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    THIS Leader Podcast

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