The Look & Sound of Leadership

Hosted by Essential Communications - Tom Henschel

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274

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Aug 2026

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An ongoing series of Executive Coaching Tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way you want to be perceived.

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August 6, 2026Episode 27020 min

Overcoming the Barriers of Leadership

A chief officer reflects on the burdens of senior leadership. While grateful for its privileges, he’s keenly aware his title can put up barriers between himself and others. Typical burdens of leadership: People put up barriers because of your power; You are a public figure and will get judged, often harshly; You are always on display; Feeling entitled because of your heavy lifting. Tom suggests three tips to help you manage your power: Get conscious about your power; Share selectively; Be humble. Resources for humilty: Humility as Strength Humble Inquiry If you’re like Michelle and feel yourself being star struck in the face of corporate celebrity, these episodes might help: 252 - How to Build Self-Esteem 219 - How to Set Boundaries 241 - Conquering People Pleasing JOIN US FOR DINNER! Tuesday, September 1, 2026, Irvine, California. Join Tom and Coaching for Leaders host Dave Stachowiak for a lively gathering. Find out more and reserve your space here. Got questions? Shoot Tom an email here . Sign up for our monthly resources here. Want to explore Leadership & Power? Related Library Categories: Leadership Managing Yourself Perception – How You’re Perceived Related Episodes 189 - “Don’t Take Anything Personally” 128 - The Honorable Executive 252 - How to Build Self-Esteem 210 - How to Grow Your Self-Management 231 - Staying Afloat in a Shitstorm A transcript of this month’s episode is here. Thanks for being in touch! All of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership are grateful for you!

July 9, 2026Episode 26923 min

The Three Elements of Effective Delegation

With her company on the brink of disaster, a leader hungrily tackles the art of delegation, learning three models on the way. The episode frames delegation as being primarily about getting your people ready. To get people ready, screen each delegated task against three filters: Skills & Will – do people need training or coaching? Control – who has it and how much? Measurement – what is each person’s responsibility? Our latest Tool has all three filters. Download it for free here. Want to strengthen your ability to talk with people about their growth and development? Listen to these episodes: #262 – How to Grow Your People – December 2025 #212 – How to Coach Your People – October 2021 #132 – Coaching Your People – April 2015 Ready to try the Responsibility Charting exercise with your team? Listen to the episode here. Download the Charting tool here. Curious about coaching? Reach out to Tom here . Our monthly email always has additional resources. Related Library Categories: Leadership Management Skills Communication Skills Related Episodes 132 - Coaching Your People 119 - Creating Devoted Followers 254 How to Talk so People Understand You 155 - The Human Element 123 - Leadership Through Delegation A transcript of the episode is here. We love hearing from you. You are the BEST AUDIENCE! The whole The Look & Sound of Leadership crew are grateful for you!

June 4, 2026Episode 26817 min

Managing Emotions

A chief officer finds himself repeatedly triggered by a peer. Afraid he’s going to say or do something he’ll regret, he asks his coach for tools. Three categories of self-regulation tools: Physical Internal External A visual tool with specific tools in each category is in our Tool bin. Ready for coaching? Reach out to Tom here . There are always more resources in our monthly email. Hear Tom’s most recent conversation on the Beyond Potential podcast here. Related Library Categories: Managing Yourself Perception – How You Perceive Yourself Self-Talk Related Episodes 216 - 7 Steps to Stop Emotional Hijacks 109 - Building Emotional Intelligence 22 - Negative Self-Talk 171 - Taming the Wild Child – one of my favorites 96 - The Many Parts of You A transcript of the episode is here. Thanks for your engagement. We love hearing from you. You all are great! All of us at The Look & Sound of Leadership , are grateful for you!

May 7, 2026Episode 26719 min

Getting Your Voice Heard

A brilliant but rather shy leader is challenged by her management to be bigger, more executive, speak up more. She is grateful to work with a coach. You can build muscle around getting your voice heard by creating homework for yourself. Think of it like going to the gym: working out regularly helps you build muscle. When creating homework, ask yourself three questions: What am I going to pay attention to? What specific behavior am I going to start or stop? How will I measure success? (5% improvement) During the episode, Tom gave Neela four pieces of homework to help her get her voice heard: Count the number of times you have an idea and choose not to say it out loud; Listen for your self-limiting beliefs. Look for patterns that trigger them. Who are you with? What’s the setting? In meetings, speak in the first ten minutes; In meetings, get your name “on the record” with regularity. Curious about coaching? Reach out to Tom here . There are always more resources in our monthly email. Related Library Categories: Developing New Behaviors Executive Presence For Women Related Episodes 211 - How to Show Up 153 - Inhabiting Executive Presence 69 - Leadership and Self-Deception 103 - Self-Awareness & Self-Management 154 - Self-Limiting Beliefs A transcript of the episode is here. Thanks for subscribing to the show. And thank you so much for your reviews. You’re the best! From all of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership , we are grateful for you!

April 2, 2026Episode 26625 min

Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office

Tom interviews Dr. Lois Frankel about women in the workplace and other ideas in the just-published third edition of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office . Listen to the full, unedited conversation here. Get the “Nice Girls” book, here. If you’re curious about a chemistry call, pop Tom an email . There are always more resources in our monthly email. COACHES! You are always welcome at the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group sponsored by ICF Los Angeles. Reach out to me if you want to know more. We’d love to have you. You’ll get CCE’s, too! Related Library Categories: For Women Perception – How You Perceive Yourself Leadership Related Episodes 246Coaching versus Therapy 221Conflict 241 Conquering People Pleasing 222The Conflict Conversation 237Leading with Political Savvy – Part One A transcript of the episode is here. Thanks again for subscribing. And your reviews. You’re the best! From all of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership , thanks for being such a great audience!

March 5, 2026Episode 26523 min

How to Conquer Nervousness

Before testifying in a high-stakes case, a theorist and his coach swap horror stories about their nerves hijacking them and the lessons they learned. Tom’s top four idea for conquering nervousness: Write happy endings Celebrate incremental improvement Externalize your nasty voice Ignore your nerves Applying these techniques using our free PDF about mastering nerves. The clip of Emma Stone battling her anxiety before a global audience is here. Each month, we share additional tools in our monthly email. If you’d like to explore Private Coaching with Tom, reach out to him at: tom@essentialcomm.com . COACHES! Come join us at the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group sponsored by ICF Los Angeles. You’ll get CCE’s, too! Related Library Categories: Managing Yourself Nervousness Self-Talk Related Episodes: 71 - Act “As If” 62 - Choosing Persistence 147 - Conquering Fear 178 - The Executive Impostor 12 - Managing Nervousness Grab a free transcript of the episode here. We are so grateful for your reviews! From all of us here at The Look & Sound of Leadership , thanks for being such a great audience!

February 5, 2026Episode 26425 min

Humility as Strength

A leader is getting pressured to stop being so prickly and gain some humility. With her coach, she explores whether it’s even possible for humility to ever be a strength. Core concepts in this episode: Humility is confidence without defensiveness. Assess yourself on the humility scale. “How do I respond to challenges?” Humble leaders are confident in their authority. Ask frequently: “How might I be wrong about this?” Humility requires active listening. Questions addressed in this episode: > Are humble leaders perceived as weak? Some people may see humble leaders as weak, but humble leaders are actually confident in their authority. > If humble leaders need confidence, will they be seen as arrogant? No, because humble leaders do not fight for dominance. They invite the opinions of others and are non-defensive when challenged. > How can I tell whether I am humble? Ask yourself, “When I am challenged, what feelings do I experience?” Leaders who respond non-defensively are high in humility. > What practices can I adopt to develop more humility? Ask yourself frequently: “How might I be wrong about this?" > What are the benefits to being a humble leader? Your team will experience psychological safety and move towards high performance. Resources mentioned in this episode: Humbitious: The Power of Low-Ego, High-Drive Leadership by Amer Kaissi explores how to be both ambitious and humble. Links for coaches: Join Tom and a community of coaches at the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group. The Los Angeles Chapter of International Coach Federation offers countless opportunities for CCEs and community building. If you’re in the L.A. area, join the ICF-LA March Chapter meeting. And be sure to say ‘hi’ to Tom! Register here. Each month, we share additional tools in our monthly email. If you’d like to explore Private Coaching with Tom, reach out to him at: tom@essentialcomm.com . This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library : Executive Presence Leadership Personal Growth & Self-Development Related Episodes: 122 - Achieving Authenticity 146 - Building Empathy 248 - Building Listening 260 - How to Guarantee Psychological Safety 232 - Unlocking Executive Presence through Emotional Intelligence Thank you so much for your reviews! From The Look & Sound of Leadership

January 8, 2026Episode 26323 min

Leading When Ego at the Top Is Unchecked

A chief officer is infuriated by the behavior of his egomaniacal CEO. With his coach, he explores how to be a healthy leader while reporting to a boss he doesn’t respect. Core concepts in this episode: Egomaniacs rattle our sense of self. They will not change. Worrying does not help. Be accountable for how you show up. Manage yourself. Don’t take anything personally. They’re just a piece on a chess board. Ask yourself: “Am I seeing this person clearly?” Don’t allow emotions to drive your actions. Ask yourself: “How do I want to show up?” You have choice about what you prioritize and how you react in the workplace. Resources mentioned in this episode: Crucial Conversations provides scripts and thoughts that will help you manage yourself when dealing with difficult people. Tom and host Dave Stachowiak discussed “How to Handle a Boss Who’s a Jerk” on this episode of Coaching for Leaders. Great tools if you have a challenging boss. Before sharing your reactions in the workplace, consider the politics around you. These two episodes will get you “Leading with Political Savvy” Parts 1 and 2. Each month, there are additional tools in our monthly email. If you’d like to explore Private Coaching, reach out to Tom. tom@essentialcomm.com . This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library : Managing Yourself Leadership Perception – How You Perceive Others RELATED EPISODES 239- 5 Strategies for Dealing with Narcissists 189 - “Don’t Take Anything Personally” 245- Giving Upward Feedback 114- Gravitas 133- The Narcissist Executive Thank you, thank you, thank you for your reviews! Wishing you a year of growth and development! From The Look & Sound of Leadership team, thank you so much for listening.

December 11, 2025Episode 26223 min

How to Grow Your People

A senior vice-president worries that attention on his people’s development will get overwhelmed in the volume of work. He asks his coach for tools to make the process effective and efficient. Download our free tool that maps the Three Conversations Development Plan. Core Concepts Prioritizing professional development is hard. The 3-Conversation model makes development easy for the leader and meaningful for the person. The three conversations in summary: Define ‘what,’ ‘why’ and give homework; The person reflects on the homework and how they plan to improve; Periodic check-ins about the homework. ‘What are you learning?’ The leader’s role in these conversations: Clarify the ‘what’ and ‘why’ Listen and encourage Ask, ‘What are you learning?’ You can sign-up for more resources and tools in our monthly email. If you’re thinking about coaching for yourself, or for someone on your team, let’s talk. tom@essentialcomm.com . This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library : Feedback Leadership Management Skills RELATED EPISODES 132 Coaching Your People 212 How to Coach Your People 258 How to Manage Defensive People 83 Leadership and Listening 206 Understanding Feedback Thanks, as always, for your reviews! Happy holidays. Until next time, thanks so much for listening. From The Look & Sound of Leadership team

November 6, 2025Episode 26120 min

How to Motivate and Inspire

After a leader turns around the performance of one of his direct reports, he and his coach explore how it happened. And how to make it stick. Core ideas in the episode: Workplaces improve when positive feedback is present Our natural human negative bias is a barrier to giving positive feedback. Learn to notice when things go well. Tell people how they are helping solve the puzzle that is work. Research says the most effective feedback ratio is 4-to-1, positive to developmental. Positive Feedback might sound like this: Recognize what’s going well – and be specific Appreciate how it’s helping solve the puzzle Express your thanks Developmental Feedback might sound like this: Describe what happened – and be specific Explain how it affects the puzzle solving effort Express your hope for a different outcome You can Sign-up for more resources and tools in our monthly email. If you’re thinking about coaching for yourself, or for someone on your team, let’s talk. tom@essentialcomm.com . This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library : Managing Yourself Perception – How You Perceive Others Relationship Building Related episodes to listen to are: 146 - Building Empathy 119 - Creating Devoted Followers 212 - How to Coach Your People 255 - How to Deepen Relationships at Work 260 - How to Guarantee Psychological Safety Thanks, as always, for your reviews! Until next time, thanks so much for listening. From The Look & Sound of Leadership team