When you get promoted into leadership, there are a lot of things that people don’t warn you about. For some, these things can be really unsettling and can cause you to regret getting promoted. Because I want you to be as prepared as you can be for this transition, I’m revealing three of these challenges to you in this episode.  In this episode, I talk about: Jealousy FearBeing scrutinisedOther episodes I referred to: - EP 067, How to Be Assertive On-The-Spot Check out Kara’s YouTube channel...

Have you ever been in a situation where you struggled to sound articulate when you speak? Maybe your thoughts were muddled and you couldn’t communicate them in an organised way. Maybe your mind went blank because you forgot what you wanted to say. Struggling to articulate your thoughts and communicate them clearly is a very common problem and there are a number of reasons why this happens.  In this episode, I reveal seven common reasons as to why you struggle to sound articulate when you...

For a long time, I felt that I didn’t speak with clarity. I would jump from thought to thought without any intelligent connection. I wouldn’t finish my thoughts properly leaving people with an unfinished thought. Overall, my communication was jumbled and all over the place. I realised that I needed to learn how to speak with more clarity. After spending a long time researching and trialling different methods, I narrowed it down to seven things that helped me the most. In this episode, I take...

To be honest, the corporate world can be rife with office politics. You’ve probably experienced or witnessed office politics at some stage in your career. It’s bad enough when coworkers engage in office politics, but when it’s a leader, that’s a whole different problem. In this episode, we’re going to look at seven office politics that exist. I also explain why each office politic is bad and what you should do instead. Some of these office politics are common in the workplace, while others...

When you land in a leadership position, there will be a number of things that surprise you. Things that you may not be aware of. Things you may not have prepared yourself for. The power shift can take people by surprise. Other times jealousy can unsettle emerging leaders. And then there are issues of office politics and higher expectations that you’ll need to get used to.  Many emerging leader dive into leadership completely unaware of these changes. But by listening to this episode, you’ll...

Communicating with executives is different to communicating with your coworkers. Executives think on a deeper level. Their conversations are more focused. Their reactions are direct. There’s basically no time to waste when communicating with executives. This means that in order to communicate effectively with them, you have to tweak and change your style of communication.  There are a number of ways you can change your communication style so its more tailored for executives. In this...

When you want to improve your speaking, it’s important to expand your vocabulary. When you expand your vocabulary, you elevate your mental dictionary and give yourself the chance to use words that are more descriptive, precise and articulate.   But learning new words to expand your vocabulary isn’t just a matter of picking up a dictionary. It requires a more thoughtful process of finding the right vocabulary, recording it, memorising it and using it. When each of these steps are performed...

Leaders who are good communicators often have a number of go-to phrases that they use throughout their communication. They have phrases that help them jump into conversations during meetings, disagree with people or share a different perspective, and encourage others to elaborate on their idea more. Good communicators don’t shy away from these situations. They are confident in approaching them and the phrases they use help them do that in a sophisticated way. In this episode, I share with...

In leadership, there are a multitude of skills that you need to succeed. But with changes in business or economic environments, there are usually a specific set of skills that break apart from the rest. A set of skills that you need to cultivate if you want to succeed. And in this episode, you’re going to find out what those skills are for this year. I start the episode by sharing three major shifts that are happening in the economy and world of work. Then I delve into each of the six...

Becoming more assertive in your communication can be challenging. I know from personal experience. I used to be a very passive communicator. I could never say “no”. I could never set boundaries. And I had a lot of difficulty speaking up to share my true thoughts and opinions with people. But then I learned how to be assertive. And my interactions with others completely changed. I was more in control of my deacons. I felt more included in conversations. And I felt my ideas and opinions were...

Building credibility in the workplace is something all emerging leaders should be concerned with. When you are known as a credible professional, people respect you more. They are eager to hear your ideas and opinions in meetings. And they will often come to you for advice.  Whereas leaders who don’t have credibility, or have very little credibility in the workplace, can’t have as much impact because people won’t believe that they’re truly capable. They will question your ideas and they might...

One of the ways in which we can distinguish average leaders from great leaders is their ability to communicate. Their ability to explain complicated topics in a clear and articulate way. You might think that people who speak in an articulate way, were born like that. But as you’ll discover in this episode, it’s more likely that they’ve been trained - trained to speak in a way that is articulate and eloquent.  Personally, it has been my lifelong mission to be more articulate when I speak. And...

Over my time as a leadership coach, I’ve heard from many emerging leaders what appear (to them) to be very valid reasons as to why they’re not ready for leadership. They might say, “I don’t know all I need to know yet”, “I’m not extroverted enough”, or “I don’t have the title of a leader”. These are all myths, or mis-truths, about leadership that WILL hold you back. They keep you playing small. They make you believe that you’re not capable enough to be a leader. The reality is, anyone can be...

As a leader, how can you get your team to respect you? This is a common question that many leaders ask when they begin with a new team or begin a leadership position for the very first time. Why is this important? If your team don’t respect you, they won’t follow you. If they don’t follow you,  you can’t make the impact you want as a leader.  An incredible amount of your job as a leader requires the support and power of the people in your team. I bet you thought it was the other way around!...

Being indecisive or sounding indecisive when you speak is a common hurdle for many emerging leaders. Most of the time, it’s because you’re waiting for approval, permission or you’re fearful of saying the wrong thing. But when you sound indecisive when you speak, especially at work, it makes you look like you lack confidence in yourself - which in turn makes people question your capability at work. Sounding decisive when you speak is an important skill you must develop, and in this episode,...

In this episode, I share some less common advice on how to speak like a leader in meetings. Meetings are a time where many people hold back. But if you do hold back, how can you get your ideas heard and develop the reputation of being a leader? It’s really important as you progress in your career that you get your voice heard. In doing this, you must learn how to speak like a leader in meetings. There are some unique strategies that you can use and I share some of those strategies in this...

Empathy is critical in leadership. If you’re on-top of articles or books in the leadership space, you will no doubt know this. Empathy is discussed all of the time. But how can you build it? How can you show more empathy as a leader? In this episode, I break down this somewhat “mystical” concept of empathy and give you three easy steps to show more empathy as a leader. Empathy is not difficult to show. It is absolutely within your reach. You don’t need a Ph.d to show more empathy at work. And...

How do you know when you’re ready for leadership? Are there signs you can look for to get an indication if you are ready or not ready for leadership? Absolutely! In this podcast episode, I delve into 5 signs that you’re not ready for leadership right now. It doesn’t mean you won’t be ready for leadership in the future. All it means is you might need to do some learning and development to equip yourself with the skills you’re missing to become a leader. What you learn in this episode will help...

Leaders need to be professional. This helps them to establish trust, credibility and a strong reputation in business. But what does “professionalism” mean when to comes to leadership. Am I talking about outfit or appearance? Not in this episode. In this episode, when I refer to professionalism in leadership, I’m talking about honesty, respect, accountability, communication and more. I’m talking about basic human traits that help you better interact with other people. You might ask yourself,...

How can you be confident when you lack confidence in your capability? One of the realities for many emerging leaders, especially high-achieving people or perfectionists, is that it’s a challenge to feel confident in your capability.  You may have a high-level of experience, you may be educated or have received specialised training, but despite all of that you still lack confidence in your capability at work. You convince yourself you’re not intelligent enough, you’re not competent enough or...

How can you get promoted into leadership in 2022? Many of you may be wondering how you can position yourself for a promotion this year. What do you need to do so you can get promoted at work this year. That’s what I uncover in this episode! I talk about: Why you shouldn’t wait to be 100% ready.Identify the skills you need for the job you want.Find out how to build the skills you need (soft skills and technical skills).Start networking strategically with the right people.Communicate your new...

How can you build your leadership presence? How can you stand out in the workplace as somebody with leadership potential? Leadership presence or executive presence is a quality that helps others to see you as a leader. As somebody who has great potential to become a leader and be very successful in that role. You might know people you work with who have charisma or the “it factor”. These are people with leadership presence. And it’s this “presence” that allows them to have so much impact in...

How can you share your ideas in meetings? Sharing your ideas in meetings and contributing with confidence is a key skill that emerging leaders need to master. But meetings are a time when people commonly become nervous - when you can easily lose confidence in yourself and your ideas. As a result, you might refrain from sharing your brilliant ideas with others in the room Sharing your ideas in meetings doesn’t have to be daunting, complicated or difficult. In fact, there is a simple 5-step...

Following on from the previous episode, in this episode, I’m focusing on five essential leadership skills you need to know about. When you’re an emerging leader, it’s critical that you equip yourself with leadership skills that will make you stand out in the workplace and help you fuel your growth in your leadership journey. You don’t want to get stuck in a position you don’t like or that you know is beneath you simply because you didn’t have or you didn’t showcase the essential leadership...