Get the Elephant Out of the Room: Make Difficult Conversations Easy

Hosted by Chris Webber

Business Management

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

In this practical and powerful podcast series, Christopher Webber talks to a variety of people about their experiences with difficult people and shares insights you can use to overcome the challenges they pose and the negativity they create. He reveals the lessons he has learned through a varied and illustrious career: success at work isn’t about what you say—it’s about how you say it. More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed F ollow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 9, 2026Episode 2647 min

When Leaders Make Work Feel Unsafe

Summary How do you survive when your boss makes it feel unsafe and each meeting is stressful? Steve Turley shares his experience of a difficult manager, which founded many of his leadership philosophies, experiences with difficult moments, and insights on psychological safety, cultural sensitivity, and trust in teams. This episode offers practical advice for navigating complex workplace dynamics and enhancing leadership effectiveness. Chris Webber Chris Webber from Foxleigh Commercial Performance is an astute, sharp and trusted business adviser. He focusses on the skills of making difficult conversations easy so your team can raise performance ahead of key moments like launches, presentations, negotiations and contracting. He teaches negotiation, personal impact and influence. His clients are looking for ways to gain an edge in challenging markets and are a small group of leaders who see the value of continuing to find a performance edge. Follow Chris on LinkedIn Subscribe to his newsletter for exclusive access to Chris Keywords leadership, psychological safety, cultural sensitivity, trust, team management, difficult conversations, coaching, leadership styles, organizational culture Key topics Psychological safety and its impact on team performance Cultural sensitivity and leadership across different regions The importance of trust and vulnerability in leadership The role of coaching and self-awareness in leadership Steve Turley Steve Turley Linkedin Steve is a leadership coach and strategist with decades of leadership experience in the complex and highly technical industry of pharmaceuticals. He has led country teams, operated across markets in international leadership roles and is part of cross-industry leadership within the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. His philosophies of 'people first' leadership have led him to incredible personal and business success and are the foundation of his consulting and advice work today.

September 2, 2026Episode 2550 min

When Hearing Difficult Feedback Can Change Your Life

Description Warren Sweeting shares his experience of receiving direct and uncomfortable feedback that changed his career and maybe his life. When you hear something you don't like, giving it time and thinking about what it really means could unlock opportunities that you would miss if you react emotionally and close down. We talk about feedback- how to give it- but also what matters when you hear it, and the power that personal reflection has in making what others notice into something that can really transform your life. Keywords feedback, leadership, career development, emotional intelligence, personal growth, coaching, communication, professional success Key Topics The impact of feedback on personal change Leadership approach and engagement strategies The role of emotional intelligence in career development The significance of self-awareness and reflection Strategies for giving and receiving effective feedback Chris Webber I am an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. My mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to make difficult conversations easy. I talk about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. Ways to Stay Informed: ➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📧 Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ Warren Sweeting Is a highly experienced professional with over 20 years in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, holding leadership roles that have delivered extensive commercial expertise across both local and international markets. A motivational leader with a proven commitment to delivering value to patients while driving the growth and development of teams. Warren Sweeting on LinkedIn

July 8, 2026Episode 2453 min

Leadership Despite Coffee Machine Sabotage

In this episode, Martin le Comte shares insights on leadership, giving and receiving feedback, something he calls "The F Word" and managing difficult people. We talk about our leadership errors, how you can avoid them and how to make people feel special. Key Headlines Never negotiate on behaviour—address issues privately immediately. Know your people—understand their motivations and preferences. Use positive reinforcement and catch people doing things right. Be authentic and consistent in your leadership approach. Create operating principles as team rules to foster culture. Key Words Leadership, Feedback, Team Culture, Difficult People, Management, Leadership Development Martin Le Comte Facilitator, keynote speaker and author of ‘ The ten Golden Rules of Leadership, Martin has over 30 years’ experience of leading and managing teams in both financial services and SME businesses. He is passionate about developing leaders and organisations to eﬀectively motivate, develop, and inspire individuals and teams, valuing practical solutions over theoretical ideals. He has worked with range of global clients in finance, media, FMCG’s, transport and education in USA, Kenya, Australia, Singapore, Armenia and the Netherlands. In the conversation Martin shares his personal experience, both when he got it right, but more importantly when he got it wrong, to help avoid others falling into some of the same traps as he did. Chris Webber I am an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. My mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. I talk about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. I deliver 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise their own or their team's performance at work. I run training programmes for groups and offer advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed: ➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📚 Buy my book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work ✅ For exclusive content behind-the-scenes insight and commentaries, follow my WhatsApp Channel 📧 Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ Working with me enables my clients to gain an edge, increase revenue, and drive productivity because the communication skills I teach empower them to build trust, build strong partnerships, and make an impact where competitors fail.

June 17, 2026Episode 2352 min

Why Your Culture Is Defined By Bad Behaviour

In this episode, Scott from Inspiring Change shares insights on organisational culture, dealing with difficult people, and the importance of intentionality in leadership. Discover practical strategies to foster a strong, aligned culture and handle challenging behaviours effectively. Key Topics The importance of intentional culture in organisations How behaviors reflect and shape culture Dealing with difficult people at work The impact of high-performing individuals on culture Strategies for creating and maintaining a strong culture Lessons for Individuals and Leaders Culture is a vehicle for strategy, not just a feel-good factor. The worst behaviour you're willing to tolerate defines your culture. Creating a strong, aligned culture takes 3-5 years of consistent effort. Behavioural clarity and accountability are key to cultural change. High performers can negatively impact culture if their behaviour is misaligned. ----more---- Chris Webber I am an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. My mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. I talk about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. I deliver 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise their own or their team's performance at work. I run training programmes for groups and offer advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed: ➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📚 Buy my book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work ✅ For exclusive content behind-the-scenes insight and commentaries, follow my WhatsApp Channel 📧 Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ Working with me enables my clients to gain an edge, increase revenue, and drive productivity because the communication skills I teach empower them to build trust, build strong partnerships, and make an impact where competitors fail. ----more---- Scott McInnes Scott @ Inspiring Change https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottwmcinnes/ https://www.inspiringchange.ie/ I’ve spent more than 20 years working with organisations navigating change, leadership challenges and performance pressures. Across sectors, one pattern keeps repeating: When people feel disconnected, even good strategies fail. That’s why my work focuses on helping leaders build cultures where: ✓ communication is clearer ✓ trust grows faster ✓ change actually lands ✓ people perform at their best I’m the Founder of Inspiring Change and host of the Building Better Cultures podcast, where I’ve had over 150 conversations with people shaping healthier workplaces.

June 3, 2026Episode 2248 min

How to Exceed Your Own Expectations

If you are passionate about developing people to their full potential this is an essential listen. Amazon through their culture, processes and programmes force out ego and politics and develop people. In this episode we hear one of their success stories. Jenny Schumacher is a Director at Amazon after starting 14 years ago as an Executive Assistant. She did not believe her manager who kept telling her to take on more. But with support and courage she developed into a respected leader. In this episode she shares her inspiring journey and tells us about how she coped with disrespectful leaders and how Amazon deals with that type of behaviour to stamp it out. More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed F ollow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

May 6, 2026Episode 2120 min

How Predicting the Future Needs to be Your Superpower

We might not realise it, but when we are discussing plans and strategies with colleagues and customers we are trying to predict the future. People who have authority are people we trust to predict the future accurately If you are trying to influence others, you need to build your credibility as someone with knowledge that others need to listen to . In this episode I talk about how and why this matters More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed F ollow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

April 22, 2026Episode 2054 min

Delivering an Impossible Vision

If you have ever wanted to deliver a strategy that would truly change the performance of your business but were unsure how to start, this episode is for you. Andy Gibson tells us about how he completely transformed a business in Australia. He expanded the category, stopped selling units, started selling fridges and turned a ready-to-drink spirit into a phenomenon. He challenged perception, built alliances, set a vision and was courageous in execution . He tells us about the 'fierce' conversations that helped and how building momentum through 'wins' really matters when the vision is HUGE. Andy Gibson is a business and marketing consultant who transforms global businesses and brands with world class brand-building tools and processes honed from 25+ years of global experience. He has worked with some of the worlds biggest brands leading their marketing teams and today is a consultant in demand around the world from businesses seeking to get an edge in performance. More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed F ollow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

April 8, 2026Episode 1924 min

How to Do Hard Things at Work

Challenging situations are easy to avoid because we can deflect them to other people. But the people we really admire and the moments we are truly proud of are the ones who take personal accountability for doing hard things. In this episode I talk about what is required to take personal accountability for tough moments and share some lessons we have heard from previous guests. More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed F ollow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

March 25, 2026Episode 1850 min

Solving an Unsolvable Customer Problem

Great salespeople turn doubters into advocates. In this episode, we learn how it can be done under incredibly challenging circumstances. How can you build trust with a customer who thinks you are exploiting them over price because they have no other options? That is what Anthony Carter was able to do, despite being unable to cut the price. He was faced with an angry customer, desperate to get a better deal and who's ego and status was threatened. He was patient, empathetic and demonstrated vulnerability to turn this angry customer into a long term partner who delivered sustained value to the business. Listen to find out how. Anthony Carter is an established sales leader currently building a team ahead of an exciting launch. His vision is a team of commercial people who can unlock difficult markets and solve customer problems. He joins us to talk about his experience of creating strong relationships and how deeper understanding and empathy can deliver opportunities for everyone. More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed F ollow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

March 10, 2026Episode 1746 min

How to Drive Loyalty Even in Commodity Sales

How can you build powerful partnerships and drive loyalty in markets where prices should dominate? Michael Lange is a Sales Leader who has excelled in selling commodities for decades. How? He finds value based on true needs, not just costs. Then he is relentless in ensuring his teams deliver excellence. In this episode he shares his insights, wisdom and experience in sales and lets us in on the secret to sustained success when the products are the same. More About Chris Webber Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed F ollow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠