In this episode of Work Matters, Thomas Bertels welcomes Todd Cherches to discuss Visual Leadership. Todd is the CEO of BigBlueGumball, a leadership development and executive coaching firm. He is also an award-winning professor and lecturer at NYU and Columbia University and the author of "VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life."

He defines visual leadership as applying visual thinking and visual communication to the practice of leadership. By painting a picture, leaders help people see what they're saying and create mental movies to increase understanding throughout the world of work.

Todd unpacks tools from his book, “VisuaLeadership,” and stresses the importance of getting the best out of people, not the most. In doing so, leaders build engagement, passion, and purpose which contribute to higher intrinsic motivation and performance. He breaks his tools into four categories which include:

• visual imagery – explaining though pictures, props, drawings, or anything you could take in through the eye
• mental models and frameworks - simplifying and compartmentalizing the complex
• metaphors and analogies – using the familiar to make the invisible visible
• storytelling with a bonus for humor -  good for lightening the mood, boosting engagement, and reducing stress

From there, Todd describes his Passion and Skills Matrix which demonstrates how leaders can help employees find their “sweet spot” where both are high for maximum engagement and performance, and unpacks his R&R tool - providing teams with the resources they need and removing roadblocks.

Drawing on his own experience with a horrible boss, Todd reveals the secret for how to become more effective at giving feedback: clarity, empathy, listening, passion, and purpose. He describes why providing employees with autonomy is critical to increasing engagement and fostering innovation while stressing the importance of hiring self-disciplined employees.

Todd concludes by noting how essential visibility, voice, and value are to make employees feel seen, heard, and connected. 

To learn more about Todd’s coaching work, visit http://www.bigbluegumball.com/.

You can order his book, VisuLeadership, on Amazon using this link: hhttps://www.amazon.com/VisuaLeadership-Leveraging-Visual-Thinking-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0868SV3QY.