In this episode of HRDQ In Review, host Sarah sits down with leadership expert Guy Harris to explore coaching for accountability beyond discipline and compliance.

Guy shares his journey from chemical engineering and naval nuclear service to a 24-year career in leadership development, focusing on conflict resolution, communication skills, and coaching new frontline leaders. Together, Sarah and Guy dive into the challenges leaders face with negativity bias—why we often notice what’s going wrong before what’s going right—and how shifting to a positive, future-focused coaching approach can create more accountable, high-performing teams.

This conversation is full of practical tools and quick wins, from recognizing and reinforcing positive behaviors to building coaching strategies that inspire growth and engagement. Guy emphasizes that effective coaching goes beyond correcting mistakes—it encourages behaviors that drive success and fosters stronger team dynamics.

Whether you’re a manager, team leader, or aspiring coach, this episode will help you guide your team toward accountability and performance without relying on discipline alone.

Chapters

‎00:00:00 – Introduction and Guest Background

Action Items for Listeners

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community.

HRDQ: Providers of research-based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

In this episode of HRDQ-U In Review, host Sarah sits down with Richard Goring, a presentation design expert from BrightCarbon, to explore what makes professional PowerPoint slides effective and engaging.

Richard shares how presentation expectations have evolved since COVID-19, with audiences demanding higher-quality visual storytelling and the growing role of AI in content creation. Together, Sarah and Richard dive into the core principles of great slide design—avoiding bullet-point overload, creating clear visual hierarchy, using contrast effectively, and placing images with intention.

This conversation is full of practical tools and quick wins, from using PowerPoint’s Convert to SmartArt and morph transition features to leveraging branding tools for consistency. Richard emphasizes that slides shouldn’t just decorate—they should tell a story, meet clear objectives, and keep the audience focused.

Whether you’re preparing for a big pitch, training, or executive presentation, this episode will help you design slides that stand out and connect.

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Chapters

‎00:00:00 – Introduction and Guest Background

Action Items for Listeners

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community.

HRDQ: Providers of research-based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

In this episode of HRDQ in Review, host Sarah sits down with Patti Massulo, a speaker and trainer specializing in personal and professional development, to explore the realities of imposter syndrome and how to overcome it.

Patti breaks down what imposter syndrome really is—confidence running on outdated software—and shares her own personal stories of self-doubt, including speaking to 650 people at her first engagement and turning down a major opportunity in Washington, D.C. Together, Sarah and Patti discuss why high achievers are particularly prone to imposter syndrome and provide listeners with actionable strategies to reframe negative thoughts, track progress, and build lasting confidence.

This conversation is full of practical tools, from the three-column journaling exercise to the power of mentorship and accountability partners, designed to help you stop questioning your worth and start owning your success.

Watch the webinar

Chapters

Action Items for Listeners

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community.

HRDQ: Providers of research-based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

In this episode, Sarah sits down with leadership coach Carlann Fergusson to unpack key insights from her webinar, QShatter Hidden Beliefs Sabotaging Your Self-Confidence. They explore how survival-oriented beliefs from childhood—often buried deep in the subconscious—can quietly limit leadership effectiveness, decision-making, and career growth.

Carlann shares practical strategies for spotting these patterns in yourself, from recognizing “always/never” thinking to catching overused strengths that backfire under stress. You’ll learn how to track judgmental mind chatter, test your assumptions with a simple two-step truth check, and use early physical cues to stop fight-or-flight reactions before they take over.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in self-doubt despite your accomplishments, this conversation offers a path to rewiring the beliefs holding you back—so you can lead with confidence, clarity, and presence.

Resources & Links:

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community.

HRDQ: Providers of research-based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

Leadership Potential: Leadership Potential collaborates with small to mid-sized HR and business leaders, providing tailored coaching, training, and consultation services to elevate their strategic approach. Explore their "Mastering Difficult Conversations: Developing Confident Communication Skills for Challenging Situations" course and save 10% with code HRDQU at leadershippotential.teachable.com/p/mastering-difficult-conversations-how-to. Seize this opportunity to refine your skills, transcend obstacles, and propel your career to new heights.

In this episode of the HRDQ-U In Review Podcast, host Sarah sits down with leadership and organizational culture expert Devin C Hughes to unpack the power of emotional intelligence (EQ) in team dynamics. Drawing on 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies and educational institutions, Devin shares why technical skills alone aren’t enough to succeed in leadership—and how understanding emotions is the real game-changer.

Devin defines emotional intelligence as the ability to recognize, understand, and manage both our own emotions and those of others. He challenges the myth that we’re “thinking machines that feel,” asserting instead that humans are “feeling machines that think,” and explains why this matters for leaders who want to build high-performing, connected teams.

Together, Sarah and Devin break down the five key components of EQ—self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills—and show how each one contributes to trust, communication, and psychological safety at work. They also dive into the red flags of low EQ, like chronic miscommunications, conflict avoidance, and blame-shifting, which can erode team morale.

Listeners will walk away with practical strategies for staying emotionally regulated under pressure, including the five-second pause technique, naming emotions to tame them, and micro-moments of recovery to recharge throughout the day.

Chapters:

Action Items:

Tune in for an eye-opening conversation that will help you harness the power of emotional intelligence to lead more effectively and create a healthier, more connected team culture.

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community.

HRDQ: Providers of research-based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

Leadership Potential: Leadership Potential collaborates with small to mid-sized HR and business leaders, providing tailored coaching, training, and consultation services to elevate their strategic approach. Explore their "Mastering Difficult Conversations: Developing Confident Communication Skills for Challenging Situations" course and save 10% with code HRDQU at leadershippotential.teachable.com/p/mastering-difficult-conversations-how-to. Seize this opportunity to refine your skills, transcend obstacles, and propel your career to new heights.

In this episode of the HRDQ-U In Review podcast, host Sarah welcomes Bill Ryan to discuss his powerful framework for effective delegation: The Clear Method. With over 25 years of experience as a CIO, CLO, and now principal strategist at Ryan Consulting, Bill brings insight into how leaders can build clarity, trust, and accountability—especially in today’s remote and hybrid work environments.

Bill kicks off the conversation by identifying four major trends shaping the learning and development landscape: the return of just-in-time learning, a focus on leadership development at all levels, the growing role of AI in learning design, and the renewed importance of mentorship.

He then introduces listeners to the five pillars of his Clear Method:

Throughout the conversation, Bill shares practical strategies to help leaders implement these concepts in real-world settings, build trust without losing oversight, and strengthen their teams through intentional delegation.

Chapters

Action Items

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast app and leave a 5-star review to help others discover HRDQ-U In Review!

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community. 

HRDQ: Providers of research-based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

Leadership Potential: Leadership Potential collaborates with small to mid-sized HR and business leaders, providing tailored coaching, training, and consultation services to elevate their strategic approach. Explore their "Mastering Difficult Conversations: Developing Confident Communication Skills for Challenging Situations" course and save 10% with code HRDQU at leadershippotential.teachable.com/p/mastering-difficult-conversations-how-to. Seize this opportunity to refine your skills, transcend obstacles, and propel your career to new heights.

In this episode of the HRDQ-U In Review podcast, host Sarah welcomes speaker and trainer Patti Massullo to explore key insights from her webinar, Time Management Strategies: Run Your Day, Don’t Let It Run You. Drawing from decades of experience and study, Patti breaks down some of the most effective time management strategies that go far beyond the typical "just wake up earlier" advice.

Together, they unpack the Rule of Three, the power of time blocking, and how to identify high-impact tasks that actually move the needle. Patti shares why your energy matters just as much as your schedule, how to manage distractions with intention, and what it really means to set professional boundaries that stick.

Whether you're overwhelmed by your to-do list or just looking to work smarter, this conversation is packed with practical tools to help you stop reacting and start leading your day—with clarity, calm, and confidence.

Chapters

00:02 – Introduction and Background

01:45 – Challenging Traditional Time Management Advice

04:22 – Time Blocking and Distraction Management

05:43 – Setting Professional Boundaries

07:14 – High-Impact vs. Low-Impact Tasks

09:31 – Managing Energy and Choosing Tools Wisely

Action Items

00:02:18 – Conduct a time audit to identify patterns and time drains.

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast app and leave a 5-star review to help others discover HRDQ-U In Review!

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community. 

HRDQ: Providers of research-based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

Leadership Potential: Leadership Potential collaborates with small to mid-sized HR and business leaders, providing tailored coaching, training, and consultation services to elevate their strategic approach. Explore their "Mastering Difficult Conversations: Developing Confident Communication Skills for Challenging Situations" course and save 10% with code HRDQU at leadershippotential.teachable.com/p/mastering-difficult-conversations-how-to. Seize this opportunity to refine your skills, transcend obstacles, and propel your career to new heights.

What does it really take to succeed in leading hybrid teams? In this episode of the HRDQ-U In Review Podcast, host Sarah welcomes leadership expert Wayne Turmel to follow up on his webinar, Hybrid Work Solutions: 5 Leadership Strategies That Deliver. With over 20 years of experience in virtual communication and remote leadership, Wayne uncovers the real strategies behind successful hybrid work solutions – not just policies and platforms.

He outlines five key strategies that help organizations adapt with purpose: from rethinking how work is designed to focusing on outcomes rather than activity, and from reimagining office space to building intentional leadership habits. This episode is packed with straightforward, practical insight for leading teams in a hybrid world – whether you're fully remote, fully in-person, or somewhere in between.

Chapters & Time Stamps

00:00 – Introduction

Action Items

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast app and leave a 5-star review to help others discover HRDQ-U In Review!

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community.

HRDQ: Providers of research-based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

Leadership Potential: Leadership Potential collaborates with small to mid-sized HR and business leaders, providing tailored coaching, training, and consultation services to elevate their strategic approach. Explore their "Mastering Difficult Conversations: Developing Confident Communication Skills for Challenging Situations" course and save 10% with code HRDQU at leadershippotential.teachable.com/p/mastering-difficult-conversations-how-to. Seize this opportunity to refine your skills, transcend obstacles, and propel your career to new heights.

Leadership development is a $370 billion global industry – but how much of that investment is actually paying off? In this episode of the HRDQ-U In Review podcast, host Sarah sits down with Dr. Jack Phillips, founder of the ROI Institute, to discuss how organizations can demonstrate the true value of their leadership development programs. Jack reveals the need to go beyond anecdotal feedback and measure real-world impact.

Jack shares why fear often keeps organizations from evaluating their programs and explains how shifting the mindset – starting with business needs and involving leaders in setting measurable objectives – can drive better outcomes. He breaks down his approach to connecting training efforts to ROI, discusses common evaluation mistakes, and offers tips for collecting credible, executive-ready data.

Whether you're a leadership development professional, an HR leader, or a business executive, this episode offers straightforward, actionable insights to help you design programs that truly move the needle and demonstrate the value of leadership development programs.

What You’ll Learn:

Chapters & Time Stamps

00:00 – Introduction

01:08 – Jack’s Background

03:17 – Why Organizations Avoid Measuring Leadership ROI

04:47 – Executive Buy-in and Key Takeaways

06:06 – Connecting Development to Business Needs

07:03 – Letting Leaders Choose Impact Measures

09:15 – Sharing Results with Credibility

10:44 – How Long It Takes to See ROI

12:25 – Going Beyond Learning: Level 3 & 4

13:46 – Where to Learn More

Action Items

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast app and leave a 5-star review to help others discover HRDQ-U In Review!

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community.

HRDQ: Providers of research based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

Leadership Potential: Leadership Potential collaborates with small to mid-sized HR and business leaders, providing tailored coaching, training, and consultation services to elevate their strategic approach. Explore their "Mastering Difficult Conversations: Developing Confident Communication Skills for Challenging Situations" course and save 10% with code HRDQU at leadershippotential.teachable.com/p/mastering-difficult-conversations-how-to. Seize this opportunity to refine your skills, transcend obstacles, and propel your career to new heights.

In this episode of the HRDQ-U In Review podcast, host Sarah welcomes leadership expert Ryan Gottfredson to talk about his recent webinar, Break Through Barriers with a Vertical Development Coaching Exercise. Ryan shares insights from his research in organizational behavior and his mission to help leaders grow from the inside out, focusing on mindset, emotional intelligence, and the being side of leadership.

Ryan explains the difference between horizontal development (skills, knowledge) and vertical development (how we make meaning), and why 95% of leadership programs focus on the wrong one. He walks through a powerful coaching exercise that helps leaders uncover hidden fears and self-protective mindsets that block growth—like fear of failure, control issues, or people-pleasing tendencies. Through real-world stories and examples, Ryan illustrates how vertical development can be a transformational process that helps leaders lead with more authenticity, presence, and impact.

Whether you're an executive, team leader, or coach, this episode offers a deeper understanding of what it means to evolve as a leader. Listeners will walk away with tools and insights to reframe limiting beliefs and become more grounded, empowered versions of themselves.

Special Offer

Want to help your people get unstuck—or unlock their full potential?

Whether you're looking to move struggling employees forward or help good leaders become truly great, the key is vertical development—upgrading their internal operating system. We specialize in helping individuals and teams elevate how they think, relate, and lead.

As a special offer for HRDQ-U participants, you’ll receive 50% off a workshop or coaching package designed to catalyze transformational growth. Just mention you attended the HRDQ-U session when you reach out!

Calendly link: https://calendly.com/ryangottfredson/workwithryan

Chapters

[00:00] Introduction – Meet Ryan Gottfredson and the HRDQ-U Podcast

Action Items

✅ Take Ryan’s free mindset assessment at RyanGoffredson.com

🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Follow us on your favorite podcast app and leave a 5-star review to help others discover HRDQ-U In Review!

Episode Sponsors:

HRDQ-U: Unlock your potential with HRDQ-U memberships! Gain exclusive access to top-tier training resources, webinars, and tools that elevate your team's performance. Use code HRDQUSAVE10 at checkout for 10% off your first year of your annual membership. Visit hrdqu.com to learn more and join the HRDQU community.

HRDQ: Providers of research based, soft skills, training resources since 1977. Assessments, online learning, experiential hands-on games, customizable course content. Over 200 resources to improve performance, increase job satisfaction, and cultivate essential skills in your organization. Use code HRDQUPOD10 for 10% off your purchase today at hrdqstore.com.

Leadership Potential: Leadership Potential collaborates with small to mid-sized HR and business leaders, providing tailored coaching, training, and consultation services to elevate their strategic approach. Explore their "Mastering Difficult Conversations: Developing Confident Communication Skills for Challenging Situations" course and save 10% with code HRDQU at leadershippotential.teachable.com/p/mastering-difficult-conversations-how-to. Seize this opportunity to refine your skills, transcend obstacles, and propel your career to new heights.