Leveraging Leadership

Emily Sander introduces Rob Giardinelli, an introvert with a long career in the tech industry, who has attended over 2000 networking events and founded Event Mindset to help others with similar experiences. Giardinelli offers specific strategies for introverts, like starting conversations by asking "What brings you here tonight?" and finding conversations at the bar line or during event activities. He also emphasizes introverts' value at events and shares tactics for gracefully exiting conversations and engaging with event hosts.

Links Mentioned:

• Event Mindset Website
• Event Mindset Contact Email: [email protected]
• Connect with Rob Giardinelli on LinkedIn

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction to Rob Giardinelli
01:04 Initial Reactions to Networking Events
02:29 Transition and Personal Growth
04:56 Understanding the Value of Events
06:45 Creating Event Mindset
10:46 Practical Tips for Introverts at Events
19:25 Effective Openers for Any Conversation
20:16 Engaging with the Event Host
23:08 Building Confidence as an Introvert
25:51 Navigating Networking Events with a Partner
28:32 Gathering Intelligence at Events
32:46 Graceful Exits from Conversations
34:45 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Emily Sander discusses how we often let assumptions and predictions about future meetings or situations affect us. She shares examples like a boss announcing role changes and budget approval meetings to highlight the gap between our internal stories and reality. By reflecting on these differences, we can build evidence showing that negative assumptions rarely unfold as imagined and train our brains to expect a more balanced or positive outcome.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

00:59 The Importance of Comparing Assumptions with Reality
01:14 Example 1: New Role Announcement
03:44 Example 2: Budget Approval Request
07:01 The Exercise: Testing Your Assumptions

Rhea Concepcion shares her journey from an Executive Assistant at Ernst and Young to becoming a Chief of Staff in different countries and industries, like LA and Denmark. She emphasizes the importance of adaptability, communication, and building trust. Rhea discusses facing uncertainty in the role and the importance of being kind and respectful while driving business priorities forward.

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

00:44 Starting as an Executive Assistant at Ernst & Young
04:04 Global Experiences and Adaptability
09:51 Emotional Challenges and Management
12:22 Communication and Building Relationships
18:01 Navigating Uncertainty
23:09 Advice for Aspiring Chiefs of Staff
26:27 Raising Your Hand for Opportunities

In this episode of Leveraging Leadership, Emily explores the concept of removing obstacles to achieve goals instead of just adding new strategies. He uses examples like eliminating junk food to meet personal health goals, cutting unnecessary meetings to help a team meet deadlines, and simplifying pricing models to close more deals and beat competitors. It's all about identifying what's blocking progress and taking it out of the equation.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction: The Obsession with Adding More
00:41 Flipping the Script: Removing Obstacles
01:10 Personal Goals: Health and Fitness
01:43 Removing Junk Food: A Healthier You
02:09 Team Goals: Meeting Deadlines
02:46 Eliminating Unnecessary Meetings
03:05 Company Objectives: Beating Competitors
03:31 Simplifying Pricing to Close Deals
04:17 The Power of Removing Barriers
04:33 Concentrating on the Biggest Obstacle
04:40 Takeaway: Identify and Remove the Biggest Obstacle
04:56 Conclusion and Contact Information

Emily Sander talks with Rafael Mari about the role of Chief of Staff and its development in France compared to the US. Rafael shares his journey from financial consulting to Chief of Staff roles in various companies, including his current position at Swan, a European banking service provider. They discuss the importance of building trust with the CEO, having clear ownership of projects, and the necessity for CEOs to genuinely want a Chief of Staff for the role to be successful.

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction to Rafael Mari
00:42 Raphael's Career Journey
01:47 Differences Between French and American Chief of Staff Roles
03:18 Challenges in Chief of Staff Roles
05:16 Raphael's Experience at Swan
07:37 Scaling Challenges at Swan
09:50 Defining Objectives and Tracking Progress
11:13 Internal and External Communications
13:37 Building Trust and Humility
18:21 Navigating CEO Relationships
27:04 Ownership and Project Management
32:52 Advice for Aspiring Chiefs of Staff and CEOs

Emily Sander discusses how Chiefs of Staff, particularly in smaller to mid-sized companies, can craft effective job descriptions. She shares a five-section structure: intro paragraph, what you'll be doing, what we're looking for, benefits and perks, and call to action. Emily provides examples, like including "what you'll be doing" bullet points and adding a unique attribute section for clarity.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction to Effective Job Descriptions
00:33 Chiefs of Staff and Hiring Responsibilities
00:53 Personal Experience in Hiring
01:13 Learning Through Trial and Error
01:54 Five Main Sections of a Job Description
02:14 Section 1: Intro Paragraph
05:00 Section 2: What You'll Be Doing
07:32 Section 3: What We're Looking For
10:09 Section 4: Benefits and Perks
10:39 Section 5: Call to Action
10:51 Tips and Tricks for Job Descriptions
12:01 Conclusion and Contact Information

This episode of Leveraging Leadership features Claire Podulka, Chief of Staff at TXI, who discusses prioritization as a key part of business leadership. Claire shares how TXI uses the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to set and align business goals, and explains strategies for keeping a 70-person organization on track. She also highlights the importance of understanding personal motivations and maintaining accountability, with examples of how her team navigates decision-making and goal-setting.

Links Mentioned:

• Shout-out to Clara Ma, founder and CEO of Ask A Chief of Staff
• Check Out Our Podcast With Clara Ma to Know More About Her
• TXI Website
• Connect with Claire Podulka on LinkedIn

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

04:22 Setting and Aligning Goals with EOS
07:43 Establishing Long-term Goals
12:16 Weekly Leadership Check-ins
13:23 Adjusting Priorities and Dealing with Challenges
16:46 Consent Over Consensus in Decision Making
24:20 Leadership Meeting Structure
31:11 Cascading Communication
35:54 Prioritization and Emotional Intelligence

Emily Sander, Chief of Staff to an executive leadership coach, discusses how to handle underperforming team members by involving others in the team. She shares a case where a founder had difficulty getting metrics from a team member named Sharon. To solve this, Emily suggests including Daniel, an individual contributor close to the data, in meetings. This helps uncover Sharon's hidden talent and ensures essential work is completed, while also providing contingency plans if Sharon exits.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

00:29 Client's Situation: Founder and Sharon
04:05 Discovering Hidden Talent
05:42 Back Channel Conversation with Daniel

Emily Sander interviews Conor Cunneen, a former VP of Marketing turned keynote speaker and business humorist. Conor discusses the power of humor in business, using the "LAUGH" acronym to add humor to presentations. He shares examples like a neurosurgeon's humorous slide and suggests building a collection of anecdotes to make work environments more engaging.

Links Mentioned:

• Conor Cunneen’s Website

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

00:48 The Power of Humor in Business
03:16 The LAUGH Acronym: Listen
08:39 The LAUGH Acronym: Anecdote
10:05 The LAUGH Acronym: Uncomfortable
11:06 The LAUGH Acronym: Googler
13:28 The LAUGH Acronym: Hee Hee Hee to Ho Ho Ho
18:48 Building a Humorous Team Culture
24:06 Balancing Humor and Professionalism

Emily Sander discusses how leaders can make strategic decisions when unexpected events occur, using an example of a project that fell behind due to industry changes. A company leader had to shift focus from their planned initiative to tackle a new urgent industry policy, which Emily explains was a necessary strategic adjustment, not a failure. She emphasizes that changing plans in response to significant changes is a sign of good leadership.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist 
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching 
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. 

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction: A Frustrated Leader
00:48 Unexpected Industry Changes
01:04 Strategic Focus Shift
01:25 Reframing the Situation
01:59 The Importance of Plans
02:06 Adapting to Major Events
02:11 Making Strategic Adjustments
02:50 Communicating with the Team
03:09 Preparing for the Board Meeting
03:23 Addressing Long-Term Strategy
03:33 Leadership in Crisis
04:01 Conclusion: Leveraging Leadership