The Look & Sound of Leadership

How to Conquer Nervousness

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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.T...

Humility as Strength

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Leading When Ego at the Top Is Unchecked

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

How to Grow Your People

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

How to Motivate and Inspire

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

How to Guarantee Psychological Safety

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 tea...

How to Supercharge Introversion

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Concerned his introversion makes him less effective, a corporate vice president asks for coaching – from an extrovert! Together, the coach and clien...

How to Manage Defensive People

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A leader with a direct report who is, she says, the most defensive person she’s ever known, devotes an entire coaching session to gathering tools to...

How to Own Healthy Assertion

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Still traumatized over an angry explosion she’d aimed at an abusive leader years before, a leader asks her coach to help her access healthy assertio...

How to Create Engagement Online

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Convinced that participants need to engage in order to learn, a leader is discouraged after the cheerless rollout of her online learning program. She ...

How to Deepen Relationships at Work

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Knowing she’s never been good with people, a leader seeks coaching to her deepen relationships in ways she can tolerate.Two ways to deepen workplace...

How to Talk so People Understand You

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A leader is losing credibility with her senior leaders. Her boss thinks she can turn it around by learning the sorting tool that transformed him as a ...

How to Answer Questions Powerfully

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A leader was given one goal for his coaching: improve how he answered questions. Knowing he struggled with this not only at work, but at home, he aske...

How to Build Self-Esteem

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A leader suddenly hears how harshly she speaks to herself. Wanting help, she turns to her coach who gives her tools to build a practice of self-esteem...

How to Build an Executive

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A coaching client wonders what elements need to be present for someone to appear ‘executive.’ Two executive coaches ponder this question and come ...

How to Answer “Tell Us About Yourself”

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A senior leader, upset about having flubbed her reply to ‘Tell us about yourself’ during a high-stakes interview, talks with her coach about how t...

How to Tackle Overtalking

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A chief officer had known for years he was an over talker. His CEO, desperate for improvement, gave him a coach. This episode highlights their first c...

Building Listening

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A vice-president gets kudos for likability but knocks for her inability to listen. With her coach, she talks about listening repeatedly. This episode ...

Mastering Anxiety

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Battling perfectionism and anxiety, a leader asks her coach for help and learns a tool that helps her tame her terrors. This episode dovetails with m...

Coaching versus Therapy

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tired of feeling like a fraud, a leader searches for help down different paths. She and her coach talk about how coaching is, and is not, like therapy...

Giving Upward Feedback

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A leader and her coach discuss a three-step model for turning upward feedback into a learning conversation that might allow the boss to hear the messa...

Networking Conversations – Part Two

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Knowing she’ll need to network to achieve her career goals, an ambitious leader asks her coach what a good networking conversation actually sounds l...

Networking Conversations – Part 1

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An ambitious leader knows she’ll need to network to achieve her career goals. But, to her, networking feels slimy, so she asks her coach for help. ...

Mastering Nerves

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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. ...

Conquering People Pleasing

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Angry at himself for continually putting others’ needs before his own, a leader turns to his coach for tools. He learns a new way to think and a beh...

Finding Management Courage

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A vice president, struggling to control his team of artists, learns a technique for managing bad behavior from his coach. He likes it so much, he uses...

5 Strategies for Dealing with Narcissists

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A leader is so furious with his self-absorbed boss, he considers quitting the company. He asks his coach to help him manage himself and defuse his tri...

Leading with Political Savvy – Part 2

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tired of losing to more savvy players, a leader seeks to decode the secrets of playing politics, focusing particularly on company culture. Download ou...

Leading with Political Savvy – Part 1

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A leader feels stuck. She sees others winning resources she felt should have been hers, but she hates playing politics. What to do? Download our free ...

Building Consensus – Savvy or Sin?

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A leader, surrounded by people she knows and trusts, can’t seem to get traction with them. In conversation with her coach, she discovers an unexpect...

The Conflict Resolution Wheel

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A co-founder, at odds with his partner (also his best friend!), reaches out to his coach for help saving the business and the friendship. The episode...

Essential Skills that Shaped a Leader

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A senior leader, having risen through the ranks, ends her coaching engagement by comparing notes with her coach about the skills that have helped her ...

Taming the Defensiveness Dragon

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of her rope, a leader asks her coach for help managing a direct report who, she says, is the most defensive person she’s ever met. This ...

Unlocking Executive Presence through Emotional Intelligence

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

During her first C-suite years, a leader burned a lot of bridges. Her boss, who’d traveled a similar path, gets her a coach and sets only one goal: ...

Staying Afloat in a Shitstorm

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A highly effective leader finds herself in the middle of a terrible mess, not of her own making. When her coach marvels at her ability to stay calm am...

How to Command a Room

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wanting to command rooms with her voice, a team leader turned to her coach for exercises. She learned the secrets of “RVP.”In this episode, five p...

The Sound of Leadership & Management - 2023

02 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In conversation with her coach, an executive explores whether leaders and managers use language differently in order to be effective in their roles.Th...

Leadership v Management - 2023

02 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An executive, in conversation with her coach, wonders if leaders and managers are different. And whether it matters.This episode has lots of ideas fly...

Finding a Lighter Path

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A leader, stuck in an unhealthy cycle, searches for a way out. In conversation with his coach, he learns a four-square tool that just might work.A new...

How to Act in Your Own Best Interest

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A team leader had a habit of jumping to conclusions. His most recent leap landed him in hot water. In conversation with his coach, he learns a tool fo...

How to Turn on Your Executive Thinking

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A senior executive worries that his lieutenants are not being taken seriously by the senior leadership team. He discusses with a coach how to help his...

How to Disarm a Trigger

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A leader causing upset among her people is given a coach. In conversation, they examine what might be triggering people to be upset with her. The expl...

Responsibility Charting

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A team leader is tired of kerfuffles. In conversation with her coach, she learns to use a simple chart that generates almost miraculous results.The ch...

The Conflict Conversation

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What’s helpful to say when you’re in an argument? How can you prepare to have an argument? This month’s coaching conversation dives deeper into ...

Conflict

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Conflict is inevitable, but most of us were never taught skills to help us find our way through the dark corridors of this house called “Conflict.”...

Holding Boundaries

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A leader, often reticent to speak up on her own behalf, learns tools to help her ask for what she wants without worrying she’ll incite a battle.This...

How to Set Boundaries

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kindness is killing a leader’s ability to set and hold effective boundaries. She works with her coach to find her voice and along the way discovers ...

Two Paths to Flow

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A worried leader seeks help finding balance between going with the flow and giving himself a larger voice.Visit our Tools bin for free PDFs to help yo...

How Leaders Can ‘Play Better Poker’

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A missed promotion prompts a leader to complain to her CEO. The CEO responds by getting her a coach, which results in explorations of authenticity, se...

7 Steps to Stop Emotional Hijacks

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A leader, ashamed of hurtful words she spoke to a colleague, explores what happened with her coach. She learns seven techniques for keeping herself fr...

How To Stay Calm Under Fire

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A leader is given a presentation coach and two goals: ‘tell a better story’ and ‘be more responsive in the moment.’ This episode is the coachi...

How To Turn Data into Stories

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A leader is given a presentation coach and two goals: ‘tell a better story’ and ‘be more responsive in the moment.’ This episode is the coachi...

How to Re-engage a Team

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Worried that working remotely has disconnected her team, a leader asks her coach for help and learns a powerful tool.Being able to lead your team in g...

How To Coach Your People

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A no-nonsense leader is asked to add coaching to her list of duties. She turns to the coach who’d coached her for a quick immersion course. Coachin...

How To Show Up

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Frustrated at not showing up the way she wants to, a leader, in conversation with her coach, explores ways to integrate her values into her behavior.T...

How To Grow Your Self-Management

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, a leader feels she lacks courage. She engages her coach in a conversation about how to use self-awareness and self-management as tool...

How To Build Self-Awareness

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Self-awareness, like any muscle, can be built through discipline.In this episode, a leader learns two exercises to help build awareness of her thought...

The Democratic Leader

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A new leader worries about having to become a dictator in order to meet her goals. She and her coach explore the challenges inherent in trying to be a...

Tough Conversations

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A leader, initially described to his coach as clueless, confronts a hard truth about himself. In the process, he gains a four-step tool to guide him t...

Understanding Feedback

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation explores ways to make feedback more palatable. The secret: sort the feedback you receive into three distinct cate...

Unblocking Feedback

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation follows a client as he works to shrink his blind spot through feedback. He and Tom discuss lowering the barriers ...

Blind Spots

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation features a leader too talented to lose but too troublesome to keep. Tom talks with him about blind spots and how ...

The Show Must Go On

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, Tom tells a story of being onstage one night in front of a packed theatre audience when the show most definitely did NOT go o...

The Executive Executive

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation is between Tom and Courtney, another executive coach. What traits, they wonder, do effective executives share? If...

The Rising Executive

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation features a newly promoted leader. He and Tom explore the tools needed to build a strong team quickly. Lots of lin...

Two dates & a gift — A bonus episode!

20 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two dates: Monday, November 30, 2020 The survey closes. Complete four questions to be entered to win an hour of free coaching with Tom https://essenti...

Style Conversations

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation is about creating a script called ‘Style.’ The script helps make difficult conversations easier. Complete thi...

Personal Connections

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation follows a leader who worries that he’s not very adept when it comes to creating personal connections. He and To...

Psychological Safety

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation explores how leaders can foster psychological safety. Teams high in both safety and accountability enter a “Lea...

Giving Upward Feedback

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation explores whether feedback should be given upwards in the first place. If so, are there ways to deliver upward fee...

Learnings From Video

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation follows a client exploring a surprising use for video, plus a game of imagination. The Marshmallow Test is explai...

The Intentional Leader

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation wrestles with the obstacles that arise when you try listening to people who think out loud – often at great len...

Connecting Over Video

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

SHOWNOTES: This month’s coaching conversation is with a leader who wants to keep strong connections despite the quarantine. She and Tom explore the ...

Branding Yourself

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation explores how to project your personal brand into the workplace. When done well it can seem like a Jedi mind trick...

Pursuing A Promotion 2020

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation is with a high-performer who was passed over for a promotion. Together, she and Tom identify tools to make sure s...

Coaching Under Attack

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation isn’t so much a conversation as a fencing match. A newly installed president grills Tom about the coaching he’...

Thinking Errors

09 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation examines phrases we use that lead us into self-deception. Tom and his client explore why thinking errors so often...

Don’t Take Anything Personally

05 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation wrestles with the eternal struggle to depersonalize the events in our lives that feel so personal. Is it even pos...

Boundaries

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation explores how hard it can be to say ‘no’ sometimes. Together, Tom and his client come up with four strategies ...

Agreeable Disagreement

10 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation follows an executive’s journey from a bulldozer, rolling over people and their ideas, to a thoughtful seeker of...

Video Feedback & Executive Presence

05 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

  This month’s coaching conversation centers on learning how to watch yourself on video. It might be uncomfortable at times, but the benefits are e...

The Talky Executive

08 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation wrestles with the obstacles that arise when you try listening to people who think out loud – often at great len...

The Focused Executive

11 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation focuses on a leader who finds herself in a storm of heavy seas. To help her find calm, Tom shares a technique fro...

Fighting Authority

06 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation revolves around a former client’s direct report who is caught up in old wiring which is short-circuiting his ef...

Ask The Coaches - Readers' Letters

02 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation is between Tom Henschel and Mindy Danna who answer questions from our audience. Tom and Mindy have grown up toget...

Inviting Dialogue

11 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This months’ coaching conversation is with a leader who genuinely wants open dialogue with his direct reports but finds he may have been unintention...

Becoming Expert

07 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation focuses on a leader striving to become “more visible.” She and Tom imagine raising her presence by giving her...

Managing Former Peers

07 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

  Internal promotions can be mixed blessings. Managing former peers has the potential to upset everyone. This month’s coaching conversation explore...

Executive Presence - Three Pillars

10 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation explores the three pillars of executive presence. In this episode's commentary, Tom mentions research about ...

Ask The Coaches - Readers’ Letters

13 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation is between Tom Henschel and Mindy Danna who answer questions from our audience. Tom and Mindy have grown up toget...

The Executive Impostor

08 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation explores that insidious feeling of being an impostor. Research tells us that the vast majority us experience this...

Leading Offsites

04 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A senior leader wants to give one of his direct reports the experience of leading her own offsite. This month’s coaching conversation is about how a...

Animating Your Persona

06 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A coaching client needs to exude more presence. Tom proposes a visualization process and walks another coach through it. In the archive, this episode ...

Managing Bad Behavior

09 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation focuses on a feedback technique that can help manage bad behavior. The coachee likes the technique so much, he wa...

Managing Trauma

12 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation focuses on developing someone who may be a trauma survivor. A team leader’s compassionate caution may not be in...

Taming the Wild Child

07 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s coaching conversation features a high-performing client who sometimes wrestles with her fear. Knowing that her fear can diminish her, s...

Readiness in Coaching

03 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why do some coaching engagements achieve positive transformations while others get stuck in the starting gate? This month’s coaching conversation ex...

360s: Weapons or Tools?

05 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

360-degree feedback can be intense. Or confusing. Like many reports, it often needs explaining, even if the information is familiar. This month’s co...

Influence

08 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

  Who wouldn’t benefit from heftier influence? This month’s coaching conversation digs into two ways to build your influence bank account. During...

The Sound of Leadership and of Management

01 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Some ways of speaking lend themselves to more effective management. And some ways of speaking lend themselves to more effective leadership. This episo...