In this episode, I share four core strategies that will help you consistently add more value, and make yourself indispensable at work. 

In this episode, you'll hear about:

The Current Landscape

Forbes reports that 77% of people are concerned about AI causing job loss within 12 months, but there's a crucial flip side: wages are rising twice as quickly in industries most exposed to AI. The people adding real value have the opportunity to become more valuable and reap the benefits, not less.

Also, employee engagement fell to its lowest level in a decade in 2024, with only 31% of employees engaged. (Look around... that mean that almost 70% of the folks around you could be disengaged!) 

This "perfect storm" creates a massive opportunity for those willing to show up differently. Imagine how much you'll stand out by bringing your absolute best.

Strategy #1: Understand Your Personal Values

When you're clear on your values, you make decisions faster, you're more consistent, and people trust your judgment. Find your values by reflecting on these questions: 

• What were some of your peak experiences? What made them significant? What values were present?
• When you had to make hard decisions, what helped you feel clear about the right path?
• Who inspires you, and what positive traits do you admire in them?
• What makes you frustrated or angry? Our trigger points often reveal our values being violated. 

Strategy #2: Work in Your Strengths

When you work in your strengths, everything flows better. You naturally gravitate toward work that aligns with your strengths and seek additional knowledge in those areas. AI is coming, and workers who thrive will be those who apply human judgment, creativity, and relationship skills. Lean in to your strengths!

To identify your strengths, consider: 

• What have you always enjoyed doing?
• What have others consistently told you you're good at?
• What work gets you completely "in the zone" where time disappears? 

Strategy #3: Master Meeting Management and Facilitation

With most meetings filled with disengaged people just going through the motions, being able to design and run effective meetings makes you invaluable.

Key principles: 

• Clarify the meeting purpose: What will people leave the meeting with? (A decision? Feeling more informed? A solution to a problem? A plan of action?)
• Apply an engaging process: Each purpose requires different conversation types
• Consider the people: Neutralize power differentials, accommodate introverts and extroverts, and address potential conflicts 

Strategy #4: Master Prioritization

Focus on activities that truly move the needle by asking:

• How am I measured?
• What in included in my annual review?
• What's urgent for me or those who depend on me?
• What's coming that I could prepare for?
• What should I be learning to make myself more effective?
• Then prioritize these on your calendar and don't miss those appointments.
• Schedule time for activities that prevent emergencies, not just respond to them. 

Key Statistics:

• 77% of people are concerned about AI job loss (Forbes)
• Only 31% of employees are engaged at work (Gallup 2024) 
• Disengaged employees cost the global economy $8.8 trillion 

Action Steps:

1. Take 15 minutes to identify your top 3 values
2. Notice when you feel most energized and effective at work
3. Volunteer to facilitate the next team meeting
4. Block calendar time for one high-impact activity you usually push to "later"
5. Subscribe to the podcast for deeper dives into each topic

The more value you add, the more valuable you become. Always think about adding more value, and you'll build skills that take you anywhere you want to go. To learn more about my services, subscribe to my newsletter, and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.

Sources:

1. National University (2024). "59 AI Job Statistics: Future of U.S. Jobs" Available at: https://www.nu.edu/blog/ai-job-statistics/
2. PwC (2025). "Global AI Jobs Barometer" Available at: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/artificial-intelligence/ai-jobs-barometer.html
3. Forbes Advisor Survey (2023) - (https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/employee-relations/employee-engagement-falls-gallup)
4. Gallup (2024). "U.S. Employee Engagement Sinks to 10-Year Low" Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/654911/employee-engagement-sinks-year-low.aspx
5. Gallup (2024). "State of the Global Workplace: 2025 Report" Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share them with others who might benefit.

In this episode, Theresa Phillips, a veteran HR professional who has conducted over 700 workplace investigations, we explore how challenging workplace conflicts can become opportunities for transformation and trust-building.

 From Fact-Finding to Healing

Theresa's journey evolved from simply gathering facts to truly seeing people in their pain and fear. She discovered that when people feel genuinely heard—without bias or predetermined judgments—healing begins immediately, even before any resolution is reached.

When Mediation Goes Sideways

One of Theresa's most impactful lessons came from a failed mediation between two colleagues who hadn't spoken in seven years while sitting six feet apart. When traditional approaches failed, she pivoted to discover their shared values:

• Respect and dignity in communication
• Assuming the best intentions from coworkers
• Following established department guidelines
• Professional problem-solving without blame. 

The Leader's Critical Role

Leaders must develop their radar for dysfunction and intervene early:

• Address observable tension immediately
• Have individual conversations about team dynamics
• Make relationship health a monthly meeting topic
• Establish clear expectations upfront

 Keys to Resilience

Theresa's wisdom for transforming setbacks centers on starting with self-reflection, seeking to understand everyone's story, embracing authenticity, and leaning into fear rather than avoiding it.

Resources Mentioned: 

1. Building a High Trust Workplace Course

Ready to transform workplace tension? These conflicts aren't problems to avoid—they're opportunities to build stronger teams.

To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.

In this episode, I explore how our brains are wired to misinterpret others' behavior and I share the life-changing principle that everyone acts from their own "good reasons."

I begin with a painful personal story of being falsely accused of "stealing" a client by a colleague. This experience illustrates how we all "tell stories" about what's happening around us, but real as they may seem, they're just stories; our brain constructs narratives that may be a far cry from reality.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

The I:I Gap (Interpretation vs. Intention)

We assume our interpretation of someone's behavior matches their intention, but psychology research shows we're wired to get this wrong. The gap between what we think someone means and what they actually intend creates unnecessary conflict and damages relationships.

Why Everyone Acts From "Good Reasons"

Research in Self-Determination Theory by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan shows that three basic psychological needs drive all human behavior:

• Autonomy - feeling in control of our choices
• Competence - feeling capable and effective
• Relatedness - feeling connected to others

When someone seems irrational or harmful, they're usually trying to meet one of these fundamental needs, even if their approach is misguided.

The Cognitive Biases That Sabotage Us

Our brains are primed to misinterpret others negatively through several key biases:

• Naive Realism - believing we see objectively while others who disagree are uninformed
• Confirmation Bias - seeking information that confirms existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence 
• Fundamental Attribution Error - attributing others' behavior to character while attributing our own to circumstances
• Hostile Attribution Bias - interpreting ambiguous situations as having hostile intent, especially when stressed

The Neuroscience of Interpretation

When we hold negative interpretations, fear activates our amygdala and reduces our rational thinking ability. But when we assume positive intent, we experience equanimity that broadens thinking and improves problem-solving, supported by Barbara Fredrickson's "Broaden-and-Build" theory.

 Three Strategies to Bridge the I:I Gap

1. The Pause and Reframe - Ask: "What good reason might this person have?"
2. Ask Curious Questions - Try: "Help me understand your perspective" instead of accusations.
3. Give the Benefit of the Doubt - Consciously assume positive intent until proven otherwise.

Key Insights: The story you tell yourself about someone's behavior directly impacts your ability to lead effectively. Teams that assume positive intent dramatically outperform those operating from suspicion. When we lead from the assumption that everyone has good reasons, we create psychological safety that transforms conflicts into curious conversations.

Action Steps:

Your challenge: Pay attention to your interpretations. When making negative assumptions, pause and ask, "What good reason might they have?"

To learn more about my services, subscribe to my newsletter and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting. Until next time, lead the way! 

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share them with others who might benefit.

In this conversation with Irene van der Zande, founder of Kidpower International, we explore how to set and respect workplace boundaries with confidence and kindness.

The Boundary Bridge Technique

Skilled boundary-setters always start with something positive—what Irene calls a "boundary bridge":

• Connect first with something positive
• Use 'and' not, 'but'—bridges don't cut off communication 
• Be specific and focus on behavior, not character
•  Keep it simple and don't over-explain

 Real Scenarios We Practiced

We role-played common workplace situations, from supervisors addressing chatty employees to colleagues setting limits on interruptions. The key is being calm, confident, and prepared for initial pushback while staying focused on the specific behavior that needs to change.

Key Takeaways for Leaders

• Be prepared for negative reactions; persistence is normal
• When someone sets a boundary with you, say, "Thank you for telling me"
• Boundaries create healthy relationships, not barriers
• Remember: it's better if someone tells you directly than talks to everyone else 

Resources Mentioned:

1. Kidpower's Workplace Boundaries Personal Practice Guide Download here.
2. For more on Workplace Boundaries Personal Practice, check out this article on Kidpower's website.
3. Free resources at kidpower.org/learnmore

To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.

In this episode, I expose the sneaky forces that gradually erode team culture—subtle issues that well-meaning leaders overlook until significant damage is done. The biggest threats aren't obvious disasters but silent forces that creep in slowly, robbing teams of energy, focus, and trust. These culture killers are correctable, but first, you need to spot them.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

The 5 Silent Killers:

The Curse of Chaos:

Failing to align on shared priorities. When everything is a priority, nothing is. Solution: Schedule a 90-minute meeting asking, "What's the ONE most important thing we must do now?" 

Lack of Urgency and Ownership:

No clear accountability or shared work plans. People work in silos instead of leveraging talents. Solution: Assign one owner for every major project. 

Failure to Foster Connection:

Teams stay in "work-acquaintance friend-zone," missing opportunities to understand each other's genius. Solution: Schedule 15-minute connection conversations asking "What's energizing/draining you?" 

Sloppy Behavioral Standards:

Tolerating team members who don't follow the same standards as others. This spreads like cancer, especially from executives. Solution: Set clear expectations and enforce consistently—no exceptions. 

Undisciplined Process:

Achieving success without knowing how to replicate it. Solution: Document three important processes focusing on decision-making, goal-setting, and meeting design. 

Key Insights:

These silent culture killers rob you of workplace joy and fulfillment, but once you can see them, you can stop them. You have the power to reset your culture, starting right now and create an environment where your team does their best work. 

Action Steps:

For Culture Killer #1 (Curse of Chaos):

• Schedule a 90-minute alignment meeting with your team
• Ask: "What's the ONE most important thing we have to do now?"
• Repeat your rally cry over and over again
• Ensure each team member understands how their work contributes to that priority 

For Culture Killer #2 (Lack of Urgency and Ownership):

• For every major project, assign one owner who's accountable for the outcome
• Make sure those projects are linked to your top clear priorities 

For Culture Killer #3 (Failure to Foster Connection):

• Schedule 15-minute connection conversations with each team member
• Ask them: "What's energizing you right now and what's draining you?"
• Bring interesting icebreaker questions to team meetings
• Showcase one person's unique abilities each month
• Do assessments like Working Genius, SparkType, Enneagram, or Myers-Briggs 

For Culture Killer #4 (Sloppy Behavioral Standards):

• Have that conversation you've been avoiding
• Set clear behavioral expectations and enforce them consistently—no exceptions

For Culture Killer #5 (Undisciplined Process):

• Document three important processes this week (decision-making, goal-setting, meeting design)
• Write down: "When we do this best, how do we do it?" 
• Get input and turn it into a replicable process
• Make your standard processes visible and consistent Measure how people are using them 

Remember: You didn't become a leader to manage dysfunction—you became a leader to create something better. Your team is counting on you to create an environment where they can thrive. To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting. Until next time, lead the way! 

Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share them with others who might benefit.

In this conversation with Stefka Anderson, HR Director for Global R&D at Driscoll's, we dive into how Driscoll's Global R&D is training leaders to increase change agility. Together, they designed and delivered a comprehensive 10-month "Change Agility" program, that transformed how their entire function (which includes hundreds of employees and spans multiple disciplines and time zones) engages in decision-making and the change process. 

The Challenge: Speed vs. Engagement

Driscoll's faced a classic leadership dilemma: how to move quickly in a rapidly changing world while still engaging their brilliant, passionate workforce in meaningful ways. With everything from climate change to AI impacting their industry, they needed a framework that honored both agility and their core values of passion, humility, and trustworthiness.

The Solution: The WIDGET Framework

They implemented the Working Genius model, using what's called the "WIDGET" process that maps how all work gets done:

• Wonder: Asking the right questions
• Invention: Generating ideas and solutions
• Discernment: Evaluating and refining options and clearly crossing the decision line
• Galvanizing: Rallying people around decisions
• Enablement: Providing support and resources 
• Tenacity: Pushing through to completion

 Above or Below the Decision Line

One of the most powerful concepts was helping people understand whether they're "above the decision line" (in ideation mode) or "below the decision line" (in activation or implementation mode). This clarity helped everyone understand how to contribute their genius at the right time.

The SCARF Model for Improving Emotional Intelligence

They also introduced the SCARF framework to help people understand their emotional responses to change: Status • Certainty • Autonomy • Relatedness • Fairness

Keys to Success

The program succeeded because of several critical factors: leadership commitment, where leaders learned the content first and modeled the behaviors, integration with performance goals so participants are actively applying their learning to their 2025 goals, ongoing reinforcement through regular team meetings, and connection to business strategy rather than just being an HR initiative.

Real-World Application

Post-program, teams are using the language naturally: "I'm in my wonder wheel right now" or "Who holds the D on this decision?" The framework has become a common language that reduces friction and depersonalises conflict while accelerating problem-solving.

Resources Mentioned:

1. The Working Genius Assessment by Patrick Lencioni 
2. Program Design Brief available to newsletter subscribers at clairelaughlin.com. Sign up here and submit your request for the brief to [email protected].

Ready to create your own change agility? Start by identifying whether you need more speed, more engagement, or a better framework for bringing both together.

To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.

In this inspiring episode, I challenge leaders to shift from "accidental learning" to intentional development that accelerates career growth and impact. Most leaders treat professional development like a luxury, squeezing it between priorities or leaving it to chance. This reactive approach keeps you scattered and at risk of becoming irrelevant as leadership demands evolve.

 In this episode, you'll hear:

The Problem with Accidental Learning: I share the story of a brilliant new director who felt stuck despite being hardworking and respected. When asked about her development plan, she laughed—she was consuming leadership content but had no structured approach. Without intention, we become consumers of development rather than architects of our growth.

Why This Matters

Research from the Center for Creative Leadership shows 75% of careers are derailed not by lack of technical expertise, but by lack of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. The world changes fast—the skills that got you here won't automatically take you where you want to go.

 My Five-Strategy Framework for Intentional Development

Strategy1: Start with Clarity. Write down your current role, then your desired future role in 2-3 years. The gap reveals what skills you need to develop.

Strategy 2: Focus on Core Competencies for Your Level

Individual contributors: Self-awareness, emotional intelligence, communication, collaboration

Leads/supervisors: Add coaching, delegation, feedback skills, and conflict navigation 

Function managers: Add strategic thinking, team culture development, and leading change

Strategy 3: Create a Learning Portfolio. Choose 1-3 skill areas for the year. For each, create a multi-modal approach:

• Something to read or study 
• Something to implement
•  Someone to learn from
•  Some way to get feedback

Strategy 4: Schedule It Like You Mean It. Block 2-4 hours per month for development during peak energy time, not when you're exhausted.

Strategy 5: Make It Social. Find a development buddy, involve your manager, and join learning communities. Growth happens faster with others.

The Payoff: Leaders who commit to intentional development experience better results with less effort, renewed passion for work, and new opportunities as they become people others want to promote and collaborate with.

Resources Mentioned:

Get your Professional Development Planner HERE!

"The Leadership Challenge" by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner

Action Steps:

• Download the Professional Development Planner
• Complete the first two sections: where you are and where you want to go
•  Schedule your first development block
•  Share your goals with someone

 Growth doesn't happen by accident—it happens by design, and you get to be the architect.

To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting. Until next time, lead the way!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share with others, and give us a rave review!

In this episode, Claire explores the dangerous middle ground between unhealthy conflict and artificial harmony, and why smart teams sometimes hold themselves back by avoiding necessary strategic disagreements.

 The Hidden Costs of Artificial Harmony

 Most conflict avoidance comes from a good place—leaders trying to maintain relationships and avoid hurting feelings. But we've gotten really good at telling ourselves stories that justify our silence. Sound familiar?

•  "This isn't the hill I'm going to die on."
•  "She's already made up her mind."
•  "I don't have time to fight this right now."
•  "If I argue for my approach, this will all end up on my plate."

 When people consistently choose these narratives over honest engagement, teams make decisions without the benefit of everyone's full thinking. Smart leaders start disengaging, bringing only 70% of their passion to work while holding back the other 30% to maintain harmony. The result? They agree publicly but resist privately, creating underground conflict that's much harder to address.

The Personal Cost of Chronic Accommodation

 When you consistently accommodate and avoid, something insidious happens to you as a leader:

• You stop investing fully in your role
•  Your career stalls because you're not developing critical leadership muscles
• You start feeling hopeless and disempowered 
• The very relationships you're trying to protect actually begin to erode.

 Building Trust Through Productive Conflict

Trust isn't built through constant agreement—it's built through moments of sharing, listening, and offering new perspectives while being respectful of others. People can't really get to know you when you're constantly withholding your real thoughts and opinions.

Four Practical Tools for Productive Disagreement:

1. "Confront Reality" Questions - Create regular opportunities to ask "What are we not talking about?" or rate agreement levels from 1-5
2. Formal Devil's Advocate Role - Assign someone to find risks and poke holes in plans, rotating this responsibility to make disagreement safe.
3. GEDI Decision-Making Framework - Gather, Evaluate, Decide, Implement, with the magic happening when you establish decision criteria before debating options
4.  Risk-Mitigation Planning - Build "What could go wrong?" discussions into every significant decision to reward people for surfacing concerns.

Resources  Mentioned:

Patrick Lencioni's concept of "Artificial Harmony"

The Key Message: The goal isn't to eliminate conflict—it's to make conflict productive. When you give smart people a process for productive disagreement, they stop avoiding hard conversations and start leaning into them.

To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting. Until next time, lead the way!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share them with others who might benefit.

In this episode, I share a collaborative approach to project management that actually works, without overwhelming complexity. Fresh from facilitating a 3-hour session where 50 managers successfully drafted project plans, I reveal why traditional project management training fails and what works instead. The secret? You're not managing projects—you're managing people.

 In this episode, you'll hear about:

The Problem with Traditional Project Management

 I share the story of "Fred," an expensive consultant who delivered 40 hours of training that nobody used because it was too complicated. This pattern repeats everywhere: brilliant PMOs can't get teams to adopt complex methodologies, resulting in missed deadlines and frustrated stakeholders.

The Five-Step Process

Step 1: Get Crystal Clear on WHO and WHY

• Conduct sponsor interviews: "What does success look like?"
• Identify customers and what they actually want
• This step alone prevents most project failures

Step 2: Define Boundaries and Anticipate Risks

•  Determine what's IN and OUT of scope as a team
•  Ask "What could go wrong?" to identify risks upfront
• When teams set boundaries together, they own staying within them

Step 3: Map Your Stakeholders

 Use a 2x2 matrix comparing influence with favorability:

• High-influence, supportive = Champions
•  High-influence, resistant = Risks needing specific plans
• Create communication plans for different stakeholder needs

 Step 4: Action Planning with "Swim Lanes and Sticky Notes"

• Organize work visually into categories (swim lanes)
• Identify deliverables and assign lane leaders
•  When people see the whole project, they understand their role

 Step 5: Resource Reality Check

Discuss what the project costs in time, money, and political capital. Better to adjust plans now than run out of resources halfway through.

The Results:

Teams experience faster execution, on-time completion, and higher engagement because everyone understands the plan and feels invested in success.

 Resources Mentioned:

 Project Launch Checklist - Systematic roadmap for each element

When you create understanding through collaborative planning, execution, problem-solving, and effective communication, everything flows more smoothly.

 If you're ready to stop managing projects and start leading people through transformational work, let's talk. I'd love to explore how we can bring this approach to your team. Visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @Claire Laughlin Consulting.

Until next time, lead the way!

Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share them with others who might benefit.

In this conversation with Roxanne Harrison, we explore how ancient wisdom meets modern leadership through the powerful combination of the Enneagram and Qigong practices.

From Resistance to Choice

Roxanne's journey began with a neck injury that forced her to slow down and discover a pattern of constant resistance—always saying "no before yes." This resistance was actually a protective mechanism covering up her natural gifts.

 The Golden Buddha Metaphor

Like the famous Thai Buddha statue covered in clay for protection during wartime, we often cover our natural gifts with protective strategies. The invitation isn't to fix ourselves but to gently chisel away the clay and rediscover the gold within.

Three-Centered Awareness

The three treasures in Qigong offer us three centers of intelligence:

• Head center: Where we think and process 
• Heart center: Where we feel and connect
•  Belly center: Where we sense and act

 Understanding Your Stress Response

The Enneagram reveals how different types respond to stress:

• Belly types: Fight response, motivated by autonomy
•  Heart types: Freeze response, motivated by connection
• Head types: Flight response, motivated by security

The Five A's Framework for Growth

Dr. David Daniels' framework offers a practical path through reactivity:

1. Awareness: Recognizing what's happening
2. Acceptance: Allowing without needing to fix
3.  Appreciation: Finding value in the experience
4. Action: Choosing conscious response
5. Adherence: Committing to the practice

Simple Grounding Practices

When reactive, try: feeling your feet on the ground, taking three breaths, asking "Where's my heart?" and creating a pause before responding.

The Inside-Out Principle

What happens internally reflects externally. The more peace you cultivate within yourself, the more naturally you bring that energy to your leadership.

Resources Mentioned:

Dr. David Daniels' Five A's Framework

Connect with Roxanne at roxanneharrison.com

 Ready to move from reactive patterns to conscious leadership? Remember: you're not broken and don't need fixing. You're a mystery to be explored, with gifts waiting to be uncovered.