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Leadership happens in conversation where people interact, listen, and find common ground. Rose Fass joins Kevin to discuss the importance of effective leadership conversations. She encourages leaders to embrace constructive dissent, promote inclusivity, and create a culture where authentic, respectful conversations can happen. She introduces the concept of framing conversations, consisting of the technical, social, and political spheres, to effectively share ideas and build trust. Leaders can create strong connections with their teams through meaningful conversation.

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Meet Rose

• Name: Rose Fass
• Her Story: Rose Fass is the author of The Chocolate Conversation: Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform your Business, and her latest book, The Leadership Conversation: Make Bold Change One Conversation at a Time. She is the founder and Chair of fassforward Consulting Group, a leading-edge business transformation boutique. Rose works with executive teams from Fortune 500 companies. Rose is frequently invited to speak at private and public sector events. She has been a guest on CNBC, is quoted in several bestselling business books and. She is listed in Forbes' 2012, Top 10 Women Business Leaders of New York. fassforward has been awarded the Inc. 500/5000 for three consecutive years. Rose has a bachelor's degree from Boston University's School of Management and completed the Advanced Executive Studies Program at Harvard Business School.
• https://www.leadershipconversationbook.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosefass
• http://www.fassforward.com/

Do you panic, just a bit, when you realize you need to give feedback on the spot, engage in small talk at a networking event, or answer questions after a presentation? These moments are spontaneous speaking situations and Matt Abrahams says we can prepare for these. Matt joins Kevin to discuss the six-step methodology of successful spontaneous speaking, which is divided into two categories: mindsets and messaging Matt emphasized the importance of viewing these impromptu situations as conversations rather than performances and reminds us that we are providing value to the audience. He also shares examples of specific situations and provides us with a structure to respond. Effective communication is a skill that anyone can learn with practice, reflection, and feedback.

Meet Matt

• Name: Matt Abrahams
• His Story: Matt Abrahams is the author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot. His previous book Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting has helped thousands of people manage speaking anxiety and present more confidently and authentically. He is a leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. He received Stanford GSB’s Alumni Teaching Award in recognition of his teaching students around the world. When he isn’t teaching, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as TED, World Economic Forum, and Nobel Prize presentations. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast.
• https://mattabrahams.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/maabrahams/
• https://mattabrahams.com/podcast/
• https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkFastTalkSmart

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Is leadership overrated? Do you have a culture that reinforces your mission? Chris Mefford and Kyle Buckett join Kevin to discuss topics such as, moving from unhealthy workplace cultures to empowering teams to thrive. They bring a unique perspective on leadership, drawing from their experiences as Navy SEALs and successful business leaders. Too often, a leader fears becoming irrelevant and losing their job. However, true empowerment involves trusting team members to make decisions.

Listen for...

00:00 Introduction
00:33 The Team-Centric Approach
01:21 Introduction to Guests and Their Book
04:02 Identifying Broken Leadership Development Systems
05:18 Translating Military Experience to Business
08:08 Unhealthy Cultures and Lack of Appreciation
09:42 Lack of Appreciation as the Top Issue
11:56 Culture's Role Beyond Perks
15:03 The Three Phases of Culture: Define, Develop, Sustain
17:13 Hiring for Culture Improvement
18:17 Embracing Hiring People Smarter
19:32 Focusing on the Team Over Individual Leadership
20:00 Culture's Impact on Revenue and Finances
21:38 Self-Led Teams: What It Means
25:39 Achievements of Empowered Teams
27:06 Training the Next Leader in the Military
29:55 Empowering Leaders in Corporate America
30:20 Overcoming the Fear of Being Replaced
35:54 Where to Learn More and Get the Book
38:04 Closing

Meet Chris

• Name: Chris Mefford
• His Story: Chris Mefford is a seasoned, award-winning business executive with over twenty years of experience in leadership and marketing. Mefford has been a Vice President of the Dave Ramsey Organization and co-founded and runs Culture Force, a consulting firm that promotes intense coaching and training programs to help companies grow and evolve their cultures.

Meet Kyle

• Name: Kyle Buckett
• His Story: Kyle Buckett is a retired US Navy SEAL and led the advanced training for both junior and seasoned Navy SEALs. He has scaled numerous companies and has been instrumental in the business development of numerous Navy SEAL–founded businesses. He runs Culture Force, a consulting company, with Chris and is also regularly involved in multiple charities supporting veterans from the special forces communities.
• https://www.cultureforce.team/
• https://www.instagram.com/cultureforce.team/

We know burnout is real, yet we often don’t prioritize rest. Ximena Vengoechea joins Kevin to delve into the means of breaking free from the grind and discovering the value of rest. Ximena highlights the critical role rest plays in both personal well-being and productivity. She shares actionable advice for individuals and leaders on how to integrate rest into their daily lives and foster a rest-friendly work culture. Moreover, the Ximena emphasizes the idea that waiting for a vacation to combat burnout is not the solution; instead, find ways to incorporate rest into our everyday routines.

Meet Ximena

• Name: Ximena Vengoechea 
• Ximena's Story: Ximena Vengoechea is the author of the new book, Rest Easy: Discover Calm and Abundance through the Radical Power of Rest. Her previous book is Listen Like You Mean it: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection. She is a user researcher, writer, and illustrator whose work on personal and professional development has been published in Inc., The Washington Post, Newsweek, Forbes, and Huffington Post. (Penguin Random House). Ximena is a contributor at Fast Company and The Muse, and writes Letters from Ximena, a newsletter about staying curious, getting creative, and living well. She is also the creator of the popular project The Life Audit. Ximena is a keynote speaker on topics such as empathetic and inclusive listening, navigating difficult conversations, and preventing burnout. She previously worked at Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter and advises select startups and executives on user research, executive communication, and resting well.
• https://www.ximenavengoechea.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/xsvengoechea/
• https://ximena.substack.com/

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Team culture will always impact team performance. Dr. David Burkus joins Kevin to talk about the importance of teams in organizations and how they play a crucial role in making things happen. He has found that to build the best team, you must first shape the habits and practices that bring out the best in each team member. He also shares the three key elements for effective teams: common understanding (empathy), psychological safety (trust and respect), and pro-social purpose (feeling that one's work contributes to a larger whole).

Listen for...

00:00 Introduction
03:17 Leadership Experience
04:02 Book's Relevance
05:36 High-Performance Team Science
06:02 Science & Team Performance?
06:51 Team Culture Research
07:33 Ideas for Leaders
08:03 Individual Work Preferences
09:26 Team Intelligence
09:53 Women & Collective Intelligence
10:13 Training Social Sensitivity
12:27 Elements of Team Culture
13:02 Understanding & Safety in Teams
13:28 Role Clarity
14:14 Leadership Expectations
15:06 Teamwide Clarity
16:20 Coordination & Communication
17:13 Bursty Communication
17:39 Psychological Safety Intro
18:17 Defining Respect
18:57 Trust vs. Respect
19:29 Active Listening
20:07 Disrespect & Trust
21:09 Valuing Perspectives
22:12 Disrespect's Impact
23:10 Alan Mulally's Respect Story
24:19 Pro-Social Purpose Defined
25:15 Meaningful Work's Impact
25:41 Pro-Social Purpose Machine
26:08 Impactful Work & Teamwork
26:49 Misunderstood: Purpose
27:19 Misunderstood: Safety & Respect
29:13 Missing: Psychological Safety
30:35 Fun & Pickleball
31:47 Recommended Read
32:30 Connect with David Burkus
33:07 Ongoing Culture Talk
35:19 Conclusion

Meet David

• Name: Dr. David Burkus
• His Story: Dr. David Burkus is the bestselling author of four books about business and leadership, including his latest book, Best Team Ever: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked multiple times as one of the world’s top business thought leaders. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. A former business school professor, Burkus now works with leaders from organizations across all industries, including PepsiCo, Fidelity, Adobe, and NASA.
• http://davidburkus.com/

We are born self-confident. By the time we hit our teen years, that self-confidence dwindles. Lisa Sun suggests confidence is a mindset and we get to choose to be confident. Lisa joins Kevin to discuss the concept of gravitas and confidence. She realized that gravitas is about believing in yourself on the inside before projecting it outward. Lisa also shares the eight forms of confidence that she discovered through research and surveys and recognizes that all eight forms are valid, and each person's confidence language is unique. Leaders need to replace vague advice like "be more confident" with specific conversations about strengths and provide feedback that acknowledges individual strengths and why they believe in team members.

Listen for...

00:00 Introduction
02:32 Lisa Sun: The Birth of Gravitas
05:17 Internal Belief: The Heart of Gravitas
06:14 From Self-Consciousness to Bursting Confidence
07:41 Reimagining Confidence: A Choice and Mindset
08:56 Western Bias in Confidence Perception
09:47 Dale Carnegie's Mark on Lisa's Confidence Viewpoint
10:12 The Call to Redefine Gravitas
11:14 Kevin Eikenberry on Gravitas-Confidence Nexus
11:51 Lisa's Three C's: Courage, Compassion, Connection
12:14 Exploring the Eight Variants of Confidence
16:05 The Power of Creation in Confidence
17:07 The Imperative of Self-Driven Confidence
18:14 Revolutionizing Confidence Conversations
18:41 Book Insights: A Holistic Take on Confidence
19:41 The Female Superpower: Achievement & Knowledge
20:32 Elevating EQ in Societal Conversations
21:30 Rethinking Team Views on Confidence
22:18 Navigating the Dual Sides of Strengths
23:13 Evolving Leadership with Time
24:20 Crafting Your Personal Confidence Lexicon
25:01 Boosting Self-awareness with a Confidence Quiz
25:35 Universal Confidence Language: A Mindset and Choice
27:00 Bridging the Women's Confidence Divide
28:34 Feedback Pitfalls: The Vague Confidence Directive
29:15 Leadership 101: Dimensional Feedback
29:41 Ease Your Level-Up Moments
31:19 Lisa's Fun Side: Art & Dance
33:06 Reading Corner: "Asian-American Dreams"
34:25 Discovering More About Lisa
35:45 Putting Today's Insights into Action
36:07 Closing

Meet Lisa

• Name: Lisa Sun
• Her Story: Lisa Sun is the author of Gravitas: The 8 Strengths the Redefine Confidence. She is the founder and CEO of GRAVITAS, a company on a mission to catalyze confidence. GRAVITAS offers innovative size-inclusive apparel, styling solutions, and content designed to make over women from the inside out. Prior to founding GRAVITAS, Sun spent 11 years at McKinsey & Company, where she advised leading luxury fashion and beauty brands and retailers in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Latin America on strategic and operational issues. Her first collection was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, People, and The Today show in the same month. Sun and GRAVITAS have been featured on CNN and in Forbes, Fast Company, New York magazine, Elle, Marie Claire, InStyle, and more. GRAVITAS includes among its activities a commitment to AAPI causes and New York City’s Garment District. Often called the “dress whisperer,” Lisa is also a highly sought-after public speaker who likes to impart her hard-won knowledge on gravitas and how to best harness it to other women.
• https://gravitasnewyork.com/
• https://gravitasnewyork.com/pages/my-confidence-language-quiz
• https://twitter.com/LisaLSun
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-sun-793777

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The word power carries a lot of weight, and we have the power to be intentional and proactive with our lives. Wendy Leshgold joins Kevin to discuss how to move toward the life you want professionally and personally. She shares five power principles which include, declaring a vision, choosing a new perspective, planning the work and working the plan, using the language of action, and getting curious. It is important to share a bold vision with others, despite it being somewhat scary and vulnerable. This builds relationships, encourages others to support us, and holds us accountable. We need to recognize we may fail and that is OK.

Meet Wendy

• Name: Wendy Leshgold
• Wendy's Story: Wendy Leshgold is the co-author of the book FAST FORWARD: 5 Power Principles to Create the Life You Want in Just One Year, with Lisa McCarthy. She is co-founder and President of the Fast Forward Group, a professional development and executive coaching company that has transformed the careers and lives of more than 100,000 professionals at leading companies around the world such as Amazon, TikTok, Google, JP Morgan Chase, Ford and more. Wendy has designed a simple and immediately actionable system of Power Principles to help people achieve success and fulfillment in their whole lives. Wendy received her BA in History from the University of Virginia, her PCC from The Co-Active Training Institute and she is an active board member of California Environmental Voters. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Gary, and three children. In her free time, Wendy can often be found watching her son play baseball and walking her beloved dogs, Scout and Cali.
• https://fastforwardgroup.net/ 

We’ve all heard about the importance of empathy and research indicates that empathetic leaders have a more engaged and productive team. Dr. Nicole Price joins Kevin to highlight the need for both personal and organizational empathy, emphasizing that empathy isn't necessarily kindness or agreement, but rather the ability to understand and relate to others' perspectives. She also shared practical applications and challenges leaders to identify policies that may inadvertently hinder empathy and inclusivity.

Meet Nicole

• Name: Nicole Price 
• Her Story: Dr. Nicole Price is the Forbes Books author of Spark The Heart: Engineering Empathy In Your Organization. She also is the CEO of Lively Paradox, a professional coaching business that focuses on practicing empathy in leadership. Dr. Nicole holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a Masters in Education from Park University, an Educational Doctorate in Leadership from Capella University, and postdoctoral studies at Stanford University. Dr. Price's technical background enhances her objective approach to solving process problems and helping people focus on solutions.
• https://drnicoleprice.com/

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