Leveraging Leadership

In this episode of Leveraging Leadership, Emily Sander shares how using analogies can improve communication in leadership. She discusses examples like a soccer midfielder needing to "pass the ball" for effective delegation and a swimmer needing to "stay in their lane." Emily also emphasizes the importance of listening to the analogies others use and offering your own to help them explain their thoughts.

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:
00:25 The Power of Analogies in Communication
00:36 Delegation Through Soccer Analogies
02:16 Staying in Your Lane: A Swimming Analogy
04:28 From Circles to Spheres: Leadership Growth
06:05 Using Everyday Analogies
06:48 Client Stories and Visual Analogies
10:23 Creative Thinking with Shapes and Colors

In this episode of "Leveraging Leadership," Phil Burns talks about the crucial role of the Chief of Staff and the risks of not defining it properly. He and Emily discuss the differences between an Executive Assistant and a Chief of Staff, emphasizing strategic thinking and rebranding for those transitioning roles. Phil also shares about the Chief of Staff Roundtable, a community providing resources, peer learning, and discussions on key topics like executing business rhythms and solving big problems.

Links Mentioned:

• Chief of Staff Roundtable Website
• Connect with Phil Burns on LinkedIn
• 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:
01:21 Phil's Path from EA to Chief of Staff to Founder
06:59 Challenges and Realizations in the Chief of Staff Role
12:45 The Birth of the Chief of Staff Roundtable
14:05 Growth and Evolution of the Roundtable
22:01 Membership and Offerings of the Roundtable
27:18 Understanding the Tools of the Trade
28:42 Membership Benefits and Access
30:19 Networking and Peer Learning
31:25 Diverse Membership Base
32:41 Role Clarification and Career Pathing
47:49 Strategic Conversations and Trends
53:25 Connecting and Learning More

In this episode of Leveraging Leadership, host Emily discusses the concept of creating 'good' problems—like being swamped with sales or having too many top job candidates—as signs of a healthy business - comparing it to the Seattle Seahawks' strategy of drafting the best talent regardless of position. 

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. 

Dorothy Mashburn, a leading expert in salary negotiations, shares straightforward strategies on compensation discussions for Chiefs of Staff. Learn how to effectively prepare for pay raise conversations, use data to back up your requests, and handle rejection to keep the discussion going. If you're looking to get a better handle on negotiating your worth in the workplace, this is the episode for you.

Links Mentioned:

• COS Network Annual Compensation Report deep dive w/ Rahul Desai
• Dorothy Mashburn's Website
• Connect with Dorothy Mashburn on LinkedIn
• "Salary Negotiations Made Simple" Podcast

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: 

00:45 Meet Dorothy Mashburn: Salary Negotiation Expert

01:13 Understanding the Chief of Staff Role

03:01 Researching Salary Information

05:28 Demonstrating Your Value as Chief of Staff

08:22 Preparing for Salary Negotiations

16:02 Creative Negotiation Strategies

24:50 Handling Rejection and Next Steps

32:10 Final Thoughts and Resources

In this episode of Leveraging Leadership, Emily discusses how showing empathy and really looking at the world from their perspective, can go A LONG way. Like when a chief of staff helps a CTO who's stuck with a messy, old tech system.

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:

00:46 Navigating Executive Frustrations

02:34 Empathy and Action

03:51 Support for Tech Challenges

04:42 The Power of Understanding in Leadership

How do you lead and serve at the same time?

Author Jon Kidwell discusses his definition of a true servant leader, focusing on three key attributes: character, relationships, and skills. Jon debunks nine myths about leadership, contrasting ideas such as mission over people-pleasing, embracing tension, and choosing 'and' over 'or'. Emily and Jon also emphasize defining missions in personal and professional life and the importance of embracing both positive and negative experiences. Listen in to hear Jon's take on the necessary shift from being a people pleaser to mission-driven, from niceness to kindness with truth, and from avoiding to sharing power. They end with how to amplify your impact, asking the question, "What would it look like if you went ALL IN?"

Links Mentioned:

• Jon Kidwell's Book: Redefine Your Servant Leadership
• Jon Kidwell'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:

00:45 Introducing John Kidwell: A Journey into Servant Leadership

00:59 Unpacking the Essence of Servant Leadership with John Kidwell

05:46 Defining Mission-Driven Leadership

14:42 The Power of Productive Tension in Leadership

20:42 Exploring the Essence of Servant Leadership

22:16 The Power of Constructive Feedback

23:06 Navigating Leadership Challenges with Transparency

26:51 Embracing Generosity and Humanity in Leadership

31:16 Empowering Others Through Responsible Leadership

35:02 Going All In: The Ultimate Leadership Commitment

39:05 Closing Thoughts and Resources

In this episode, Emily explains the key concepts from Annie Duke's book "Thinking in Bets", which emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between decisions and outcomes for Chiefs of Staff and other leaders. She shares examples like Pete Carroll's controversial Super Bowl play call and a golfer's swing to illustrate the roles of skill and luck in decision-making. Emily also discusses how our self-narratives and biases can hinder clear thinking, and provides a list of questions to ask ourselves to make better decisions.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily
• Thinking in Bets Book

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:

00:27 Book Introduction: Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke

01:08 Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Example

03:32 Understanding Decisions vs. Outcomes

04:24 Fielding Outcomes and Thinking in Bets

05:45 Skill vs. Luck in Decision Making

07:59 Overcoming Stubbornness of Beliefs

09:42 The Importance of Self-Narrative

12:41 Asking the Right Questions

14:03 Applying Thinking in Bets to Leadership

16:54 Final Takeaways and Support

Bora Lee is the Chief of Staff at the Fifth Avenue Committee, a nonprofit focused on community development in Brooklyn and Queens, New York. Bora shares her personal connection to the organization, having grown up in the area and seen her parents move from poverty to the middle class through their grocery business.

Bora and Emily discuss the differences and similarities between nonprofit and for-profit leadership roles, emphasizing the unique challenges and rewards of working in the nonprofit sector.

Bora highlights the importance of community accountability, the organization's focus on advancing economic, social, and racial justice through various programs, and the strategic implementation of race, equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI) goals within the organization. Bora also shares insights on relationship building, leveraging personal experiences, and the significance of being mission-driven in one's career.

Links Mentioned:

• Connect with Bora Lee on LinkedIn
• Fifth Avenue Committee

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:

00:27 Bora Lee's Personal Connection to 5th Avenue Committee

02:05 The Role of a Chief of Staff in Nonprofits

03:32 Community Accountability and Nonprofit Mission

07:47 Engaging with the Community and Building Relationships

12:09 Building Culture and Implementing REDI Goals

16:05 Navigating Workplace Dynamics as Chief of Staff

22:32 Empowering Staff and Leveraging Personal Experiences

28:02 A Chief of Staff's Proudest Moments and Achievements

34:41 Choosing Between Corporate and Nonprofit Roles

38:07 Closing Thoughts and How to Support Fifth Avenue Committee

In this episode, Emily talks about how important it is for a Chief of Staff to manage interruptions while staying approachable. She shares personal stories, like how she handled unexpected conversations while deep in work and how these interruptions led to valuable insights about her team. Emily emphasizes the balance between focused work and being available for team members to foster open communication.

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:

00:46 The Art of Being Interruptible

02:30 Practical Tips for Managing Interruptions

04:24 A Personal Story on the Power of Being Open

08:07 Strategies for Maintaining Openness and Accessibility

09:45 Final Thoughts and Invitation for Personal Growth

In this episode, Revant Gupta, Chief of Staff at Margin, shares his journey of pursuing the Chief of Staff role to gain crucial operational experience. He talks about managing internal operations, designing user experiences, and automating customer onboarding. Revant also provides insights from his time at Home Depot, emphasizing the importance of inventory turnover in the CPG industry. Additionally, he discusses how Margin uses AI to assist small businesses with financial planning and achieving industry benchmarks.

Links Mentioned:

• Margin's Website
• Connect with Revant Gupta 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. 

Timestamps:

00:45 Meet Revant Gupta: Serial Entrepreneur

01:24 Revant’s Involvement in Home Depot Finance Team

05:14 Transition to Margin: Automating Financial Planning

06:44 The Role of AI in Margin's Strategy

08:21 Challenges and Strategies for Small Businesses

11:40 Revant’s Role as Chief of Staff

15:27 Marketing and Growth Strategies

29:34 Leadership Insights and Personal Growth