Get the Elephant Out of the Room: Outsmart Difficult People at Work

Chris Webber

In this practical and powerful podcast series, Christopher Webber talks to a variety of people about their experiences with difficult people and shares insights you can use to overcome the challenges they pose and the negativity they create. He reveals the lessons he has learned through a varied and illustrious career: success at work isn’t about what you say—it’s about how you say it.  More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work.  He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches.  Ways to Stay Informed Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

  1. Jun 3

    How to Exceed Your Own Expectations

    If you are passionate about developing people to their full potential this is an essential listen. Amazon through their culture, processes and programmes force out ego and politics and develop people. In this episode we hear one of their success stories.  Jenny Schumacher is a Director at Amazon after starting 14 years ago as an Executive Assistant. She did not believe her manager who kept telling her to take on more. But with support and courage she developed into a respected leader.  In this episode she shares her inspiring journey and tells us about how she coped with disrespectful leaders and how Amazon deals with that type of behaviour to stamp it out.  More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work.  He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches.  Ways to Stay Informed Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

    48 min
  2. Apr 22

    Delivering an Impossible Vision

    If you have ever wanted to deliver a strategy that would truly change the performance of your business but were unsure how to start, this episode is for you. Andy Gibson tells us about how he completely transformed a business in Australia. He expanded the category, stopped selling units, started selling fridges and turned a ready-to-drink spirit into a phenomenon.  He challenged perception, built alliances, set a vision and was courageous in execution . He tells us about the 'fierce' conversations that helped and how building momentum through 'wins' really matters when the vision is HUGE. Andy Gibson is a business and marketing consultant who transforms global businesses and brands with world class brand-building tools and processes honed from 25+ years of global experience.  He has worked with some of the worlds biggest brands leading their marketing teams and today is a consultant in demand around the world from businesses seeking to get an edge in performance.  More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work.  He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches.  Ways to Stay Informed Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

    55 min
  3. Mar 25

    Solving an Unsolvable Customer Problem

    Great salespeople turn doubters into advocates. In this episode, we learn how it can be done under incredibly challenging circumstances. How can you build trust with a customer who thinks you are exploiting them over price because they have no other options?  That is what Anthony Carter was able to do, despite being unable to cut the price.  He was faced with an angry customer, desperate to get a better deal and who's ego and status was threatened.  He was patient, empathetic and demonstrated vulnerability to turn this angry customer into a long term partner who delivered sustained value to the business.  Listen to find out how. Anthony Carter is an established sales leader currently building a team ahead of an exciting launch. His vision is a team of commercial people who can unlock difficult markets and solve customer problems. He joins us to talk about his experience of creating strong relationships and how deeper understanding and empathy can deliver opportunities for everyone.  More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work.  He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches.  Ways to Stay Informed Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

    50 min
  4. Feb 16

    Surviving a Parental v Adult Onslaught

    How to cope when a colleague shouts at you and becomes parental!  In this episode I talk to Mary Gregory who shares her experience from the past.  The lesson is that timing matters, but also that you need to respond with intention, not emotionally.  The patience to allow them to vent and to allow them to exhaust the emotion is a great start. It is important to let them feel heard, but not to allow them to win.  We discuss the mechanism of Transactional Analysis and how power can affect culture, with some very interesting currency!  Mary talks about how meeting rooms can be used as a power lever. Mary Gregory is an award winning Executive Coach and author of the book Ego:Get Over Yourself & Lead.  She works with senior leaders who want to lead with authenticity, navigate complexity with clarity, and grow real, grounded confidence. Much of her work focuses on supporting women and those navigating systemic barriers, but she also coaches male leaders committed to conscious, inclusive leadership. Follow Mary Gregory on LinkedIn Chris Webber - Founder Foxleigh Commercial Performance Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy my book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work www.gettheelephantout.com For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel I share my experiences and insights into various profiles of difficult people at work. Through stories and my personal experiences, I explain how you can achieve success despite them.  Receive my Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    38 min
  5. 12/17/2025

    The Importance of Grit

    Paula Tully is dedicated to creating leaders with intention, but her journey of success is an inspiring one littered with grit and vision. In this episode we discuss the 6 “C’s” that form the heart of her coaching, but we delve into some of the toughest times in her life and share how Paula’s grit and optimism fuelled her through some very tough moments and set her on the path to today. Now she shares her wisdom with others and her focus on happiness and the dance of life is an inspirational message to her dozens of senior clients.”   More information about Paula: Website : https://escentia.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-tully-18367313/ More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work.  He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches.  Ways to Stay Informed Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    49 min

About

In this practical and powerful podcast series, Christopher Webber talks to a variety of people about their experiences with difficult people and shares insights you can use to overcome the challenges they pose and the negativity they create. He reveals the lessons he has learned through a varied and illustrious career: success at work isn’t about what you say—it’s about how you say it.  More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work.  He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches.  Ways to Stay Informed Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠