Why are leaders so damn difficult to deal with sometimes?  It all comes down to "The Shadow of a Leader"—the unseen influence leaders have on workplace culture, performance, and relationships.  In this episode, Dave Garcia joins me to unpack this concept.  We dive into how every word, action, and decision from leaders impacts teams, often more than they realize.  We’ll discuss why communication is a leader’s most important tool, the nonverbal cues that leaders send, and how HR can help leaders recognize their blind spots.  Plus, Dave shares his personal experience with confronting his own leadership shadow. 00:01:41 - The Key to Maintaining Strong Relationships at Work 00:04:50 - The Shadow of a Leader Concept, Explained 00:09:37 - How The Shadow of a Leader Impacts Culture and Performance at Orgs 00:20:30 - Common Positive/Negative Shadows That Leaders Cast 00:26:43 - Why is Information so Inaccessible at Some Orgs? 00:32:23 - Examples of Leadership Shadows That Strongly Influenced Teams 00:42:15 - How Leaders Can Be More Aware of the Shadows They Cast 00:46:07 - A Time Dave Had to Confront His Own Leadership Shadow 00:56:00 - How Orgs Can Encourage Leaders to be Mindful of Their Shadows 01:01:16 - Advice For Emerging Leaders and The Shadows They Cast And if you love I Hate It Here, sign up to Hebba’s newsletter! It’s for jaded, overworked, and emotionally burnt-out HR/People Operations professionals needing a little inspiration. https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/i-hate-it-here-newsletter/   And if you love the podcast, be sure to check out  https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here for even more exclusive insider content! Follow Dave: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nycddg/ Follow Hebba:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ihateit-here/videos LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/hebba-youssef Twitter: https://twitter.com/hebbamyoussef