You blocked off three hours to work on that big project. Then a meeting ran over, two "quick questions" turned into forty minutes, and by the time you sat down, the day was gone. Sound familiar? My guest today, Fran Hauser, says the problem isn't your discipline. It’s that you've been taught to think about productivity in a way that guarantees you'll never have enough of it.

You’ll discover:

• The donation trick Fran learned from a friend that became her model for saying no before anyone even asks
• What to say in your next check-in so your manager helps you deprioritize work instead of piling more on
• How to run a 20-minute meeting that gets more done than most hour-long ones
• The one question to ask yourself when you catch yourself procrastinating (hint: it has nothing to do with your schedule)

About Fran Hauser

Fran Hauser is a leading career expert and vocal champion of women in the workplace, a former President of Digital at Time Inc., and a startup investor. She is also the owner of Bedford Books in Bedford, New York, and the acclaimed author of The Myth of the Nice Girl. Her forthcoming book, Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour, will be published by Penguin Random House/Crown Currency in September 2026. She has spoken at over 200 organizations, including Meta, Google, Unilever, BlackRock, Mastercard, and The Conference for Women. Fran’s insights have appeared in Fortune, CNBC, Fast Company, Elle, Refinery29, and Business Insider.

https://www.franhauser.com/

https://www.franhauser.com/twentyminutes

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High-stakes decisions rarely come with perfect information, total agreement, or unlimited time to make them. In this episode Melody speaks with Caroline Webb, author of Leadership Intelligence, about how you can think clearly under pressure, make better trade-offs, and communicate choices in a way that builds trust instead of creating defensiveness. You’ll learn how to make tough calls when there is no obvious right answer — and how to bring people with you even when the decision is difficult.

What You’ll Discover

▪️ A simple question that can widen your thinking when pressure makes your brain narrow.

▪️ How to use the “Know, Be, Do” model to lead through uncertainty without pretending everything is fine.

▪️ Caroline’s “common ground” technique for handling someone’s emotional reaction to your choices without caving.

About Caroline Webb

CAROLINE WEBB is a leadership coach, economist, and author of How to Have a Good Day and the forthcoming book, Leadership Intelligence. She has been named one of the top fifty executive coaches in the world by Thinkers50, and one of the top fifty leadership and management thinkers by Inc. magazine. She is a senior advisor to McKinsey & Company, where she was previously a partner. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, The Economist, The Guardian, and Fortune. https://carolinewebb.co/

Sign up for the Psychology at Work Weekly newsletter:

https://melodywilding.com/newsletter/

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Get on the Waitlist for Lead from Within
4. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up

DOORS CLOSE 9/28 FOR 2026: https://speaklikeaseniorleader.com

If you spend hours preparing for executive presentations, only to watch the audience get lost, this is for you. Raji, a senior manager with 20+ years of experience, lived that cycle for most of her career. She shares how she cracked the code on presenting to demanding decision-makers and got 20 hours a month back in the process.

You’ll discover:

• The #1 communication skill that ended years of confusing feedback like "great content, wrong packaging"
• What Raji did to cut her presentation prep from 5 hours to 45 minutes without losing an ounce of credibility
• How to talk about your accomplishments so leadership hears "valuable contribution," not "bragging"

https://speaklikeaseniorleader.com

Connect with Melody:

1. FREE NEWSLETTER: Psychology at Work Weekly
2. Get on the Waitlist for Speak Like a Senior Leader™
3. Get on the Waitlist for Lead from Within
4. Get Melody's new book, Managing Up