Daily Influence

What happens when good people stop telling leaders what they really think?

Silence inside an organization can easily be mistaken for agreement. But when employees stop challenging ideas, raising concerns, admitting mistakes, or offering suggestions, that silence may be telling leaders something important about the environment they have created.

In Episode 818 of Daily Influence, Brian Smith explores how a leader's reactions can unintentionally teach people that agreement is safer than honesty. Every response to bad news, disagreement, mistakes, and difficult feedback influences whether people will speak openly the next time.

Brian also connects honest communication to self-awareness and S.M.A.R.T. Management, challenging leaders to create specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely ways for important information to move through their organizations.

The question isn't simply, "Why aren't my people speaking up?"

Responsible leaders are willing to ask a harder question:

Have I created an environment where people know they can respectfully challenge me and still be valued?

Your influence is always on. Make it positive and responsible.

Having the difficult conversation is only the beginning.

In this episode of Daily Influence, Brian Smith explores what happens after expectations have been discussed—and why communication without follow-through rarely creates meaningful change.

True accountability isn't about punishment. It starts with clarity. Using the S.M.A.R.T. Management framework, Brian explains why expectations should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely—and why both the individual and the leader have responsibilities once those expectations are established.

Most importantly, Brian examines how accountability shapes culture. When leaders establish expectations but fail to follow up, people quickly learn that the standard is optional.

Positive influence requires empathy. Responsible influence requires follow-through. Great leadership requires both.

Find. Be. Build your influence.

What if kindness isn’t just a personal value but one of the most practical tools we have for improving leadership, workplace culture, relationships, and well-being?

On this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Jaclyn Lindsey, Co-Founder and CEO of Kindness.org, a global nonprofit advancing the science of kindness and transforming research into practical solutions for schools, workplaces, and communities. Under Jaclyn’s leadership, Kindness.org has developed evidence-based programs reaching more than 500,000 students worldwide.

Jaclyn shares how both kindness and experiences with bullying shaped her early life and ultimately influenced her mission to better understand the measurable impact of kindness. She explains why kindness should not be confused with being nice, agreeable, or avoiding difficult conversations and why genuine kindness can sometimes require courage, honesty, boundaries, and accountability.

The conversation also explores the ABCs of kindness: kindness is an action, it is intended to benefit another person, and it typically has a cost—whether that cost is time, energy, effort, or resources. Jaclyn explains how this framework helps transform kindness from an abstract idea into an intentional behavior anyone can practice.

🌟 In this episode:

• Why kindness and niceness are not the same thing

• How kindness can become an intentional leadership practice

• The ABCs of kindness and how to turn good intentions into action

• Why responsible kindness sometimes requires boundaries and difficult conversations

• How science and evidence helped Kindness.org make kindness measurable

• How the Kindness Quotient (KQ) can help people strengthen their everyday kindness

• Why small acts can create ripple effects far beyond what we immediately see

• Practical ways to choose kindness in everyday interactions

Jaclyn also challenges listeners to recognize that their individual actions matter. A smile, a thoughtful text, checking in on a neighbor, or acknowledging someone who has positively influenced your life may feel small—but those actions can have an impact you may never fully see.

This conversation is a reminder that positive influence doesn’t require a grand gesture. It starts with intentional choices—and kindness is something every one of us can practice.

🔗 Learn more about Jaclyn Lindsey and Kindness.org:

https://www.facebook.com/kindnessorg

https://www.instagram.com/kindnessorg/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/kindnessorg/

https://youtu.be/OBqfKUWaku8?si=SABmQmjMa7EN-vp4

Explore the Kindness Quotient (KQ) and discover practical, research-backed ways to strengthen your kindness.

Sign up to receive our S.M.A.R.T. Advantage Newsletter: https://www.smartadvantagenewsletter.com/

#DailyInfluence #Kindness #Leadership #PositiveInfluence #ResponsibleInfluence #KindnessMatters #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture

Valuing people does not mean avoiding difficult conversations with them.

In Episode 815 of Daily Influence, Brian Smith explores why one of the least responsible things a leader can do is allow discomfort today to become somebody else’s problem tomorrow.

Leaders often disguise avoidance as patience, empathy, grace, or simply waiting for the “right time.” But problems rarely disappear while we wait. A performance problem can become a consistency problem. A consistency problem can become an accountability problem. And eventually, an accountability problem can become a culture and credibility problem.

Brian discusses the important difference between giving someone grace and withholding information they need in order to improve. He also explains how S.M.A.R.T. expectations—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely—can help leaders replace vague criticism with clarity, accountability, and an opportunity for growth.

Positive influence isn’t simply about making people feel good. Sometimes responsible influence means caring enough to have the conversation neither person particularly wants to have.

What conversation are you avoiding—and what might that avoidance cost tomorrow?

Find your influence. Be the influence. Build your influence.

What happens when leaders intentionally create opportunities for others to be seen, heard, and empowered?

On this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Dr. Laura McGowan-Robinson, Founder and CEO of the Diversity in Leadership Institute, to explore how representation, resilience, self-reflection, and responsible leadership can create meaningful change in schools, organizations, and communities.

Laura shares how the influence of her mother and grandmother helped shape her commitment to education and why seeing leaders who reflected her own identity made such a profound difference in her life. She also discusses how that experience eventually inspired her work developing racially diverse and culturally competent school leaders throughout California.

Throughout the conversation, Laura offers practical lessons for anyone who wants to become a more intentional leader. She explains why effective leadership begins with self-reflection, recognizing the strengths others already possess, and using your own relationships, knowledge, and influence to create opportunities for the next generation of leaders.

Laura also shares the story of launching a school during an economic crisis, facing severe under-enrollment and financial uncertainty, and choosing to persevere when the odds suggested the school might not survive. Today, that school serves more than 1,000 students in grades K–12—a powerful example of what can happen when purpose, community, and persistence come together.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why representation in leadership can have a ripple effect across students, families, and future leaders

• How self-reflection helps leaders recognize where they need to grow

• Why identifying and developing the strengths of others is a critical leadership responsibility

• How leading through inquiry can empower teams to think, contribute, and solve problems

• What perseverance looks like when circumstances make success seem unlikely

• Why meaningful change often requires leaders to pace themselves for the long term

• How small, intentional actions can create lasting positive influence

Laura’s message is a reminder that leadership is not simply about holding a position. It is about creating space for others to grow, using your influence responsibly, and leaving the world better than you found it.

Connect with Dr. Laura McGowan-Robinson and the Diversity in Leadership Institute:

https://www.diversityinleadership.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/school/diversity-in-leadership-institute/

https://www.instagram.com/dil_institute/

https://www.facebook.com/DILInstitute/

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The workplace is changing quickly. Artificial intelligence is reshaping jobs, automation is transforming processes, organizations are searching for greater efficiency, and employees are being asked to adapt and accomplish more with the resources they have.

But as the nature of work changes, are we making a dangerous mistake by confusing the value of the work with the value of the person doing it?

In this special Labor Day episode of Daily Influence, Brian Smith explores the responsibility leaders have to develop people alongside technology—not simply use technology to extract more productivity from them.

From judgment, accountability, and empathy to curiosity, critical thinking, and responsible influence, there are distinctly human contributions that technology cannot replace.

Labor Day is ultimately a celebration of people: the people who build our businesses, serve our customers, solve problems, challenge assumptions, and influence what our organizations become.

Technology will change. Jobs will change. The way we work will change.

The value of work is changing. The value of people shouldn’t.

In this revisit to episode 212 of Daily Influence we explore the transformative power of Servant Leadership. Learn how to provide positive, responsible influence by becoming a servant leader, and discover how this approach can grow your team's influence and success. Tune in to gain practical insights on fostering a supportive and empowering environment that elevates both individual and collective performance. Perfect for leaders looking to inspire and drive their teams to new heights.

What does servant leadership really look like when kindness alone isn’t enough?

In this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Scott Doggett, Founder and Chief Servant Leader of the National Academy of Leadership Development, to explore how people-first leadership can strengthen employee engagement, workplace culture, and organizational performance.

Drawing on more than 30 years of leadership, learning, and organizational development experience, Scott explains why effective servant leadership isn’t about being soft, agreeable, or doing everything for your team. It’s about creating the conditions people need to succeed—removing unnecessary barriers, providing the right support and development, and taking the time to understand each person as an individual.

Scott shares how his experience inside a servant-led nonprofit transformed his perspective on workplace culture, why the labels leaders place on employees can profoundly influence performance and confidence, and how seemingly small interactions can create a ripple effect that lasts for decades.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why people-first leadership can drive stronger engagement, retention, and organizational results

• How the labels leaders place on employees shape their behavior, opportunities, and confidence

• Why workplace culture is defined by an employee’s everyday experience—not the values posted on the wall

• How leaders can balance support, accountability, coaching, and performance expectations

• A practical starting point for creating a more people-centered culture

• Why AI creates an opportunity for leaders to reinvest time in human connection, coaching, and development

• One simple action any leader can take to help another person feel seen, valued, and equipped to succeed

Scott also challenges leaders to remember that influence happens in everyday interactions. A conversation, reaction, opportunity, or moment of recognition can shape how someone sees themselves long after the interaction is over.

Learn more about Scott Doggett and the National Academy of Leadership Development:

https://nationalald.com/

If you want to create stronger teams, improve employee engagement, and become a more intentional and responsible leader, this conversation offers practical ideas you can begin applying immediately.

What does your organization know only because one person knows it?

In this episode of Daily Influence, Brian Smith explores an often-overlooked business risk: institutional knowledge that lives exclusively in the minds of key employees.

Every organization has people everyone turns to—the person who remembers why a decision was made, knows the history of an important customer, understands the workaround nobody documented, or knows exactly who to call when something goes wrong. Their experience is enormously valuable. But when critical organizational knowledge exists only with one individual, that value also creates risk.

Brian explains the important distinction between individual experience and institutional knowledge, and why responsible leaders must intentionally make critical knowledge transferable.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why key-person dependency creates organizational risk

• The difference between an individual's experience and institutional knowledge

• Why being indispensable isn't necessarily the highest form of positive influence

• How cross-training, SOPs, Position Guides, and documentation can protect critical knowledge

• Why organizations should capture the "why" behind decisions—not simply the "how"

• How sharing knowledge expands an individual's influence rather than diminishing their value

The goal isn't to make great people replaceable. It's to make the knowledge they've created transferable.

Ask yourself one question today:

What does my organization know only because one person knows it?

Find one example and start transferring that knowledge.

Because when individual expertise becomes organizational knowledge, individual influence becomes organizational strength.

What happens after you survive the thing you thought would break you?

On this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Andrew Minuto, author of Fatally Resilient, for a candid conversation about addiction, grief, cancer, fatherhood, identity, accountability, and what it really means to rebuild your life after everything changes.

Andrew’s journey has included losing both parents to cancer just 79 days apart, multiple battles with addiction, divorce, career disruption, fighting to reclaim his role as a father, and surviving Stage III metastatic cancer twice. But Andrew challenges the idea that simply surviving adversity should be the goal.

He shares why real resilience requires more than endurance. It requires recognizing when you cannot do it alone, confronting guilt and shame before they take control, setting boundaries, asking for support, and learning to separate who you are from the worst decisions you have made.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why resilience should be about rebuilding, not simply surviving

• How asking for help became a critical turning point in Andrew’s recovery

• The difference between personal accountability and defining yourself by past mistakes

• Practical habits and support systems that help create lasting change

• How trauma can turn resilience into isolation, avoidance, or constant anticipation of the next crisis

• Why self-awareness, boundaries, and self-advocacy are essential to rebuilding your identity

• How letting go of the life you expected can create space for a life you intentionally choose

• One powerful mindset shift for anyone facing addiction, loss, illness, divorce, career change, or another major life transition

Andrew offers a powerful reminder: a better life is always available—but rebuilding it requires intentional action.

This conversation challenges listeners to consider where they may be enduring rather than rebuilding and what specific step they can take today to move forward with greater responsibility, clarity, and positive influence.

Contact Andrew at: [email protected]

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