You can finish a full day of meetings, answer every question, make every decision and still feel like you never truly moved the work forward. That fog often comes from what follows us out of the room: the comment we replay, the conflict we avoid, the story we tell ourselves about someone’s intent. I step back and connect three powerful threads from recent guests to help you lead with more presence, more clarity, and less hidden drag on your team.

First, we look at thought load, the cognitive and emotional weight people carry when exchanges stay unresolved. Even a “small” tense moment can become conflict debt that steals attention from the next conversation. We talk about why behavior is often a signal of something valuable at stake, why assumptions are risky, and how making space to process can reduce interference and improve performance.

Then we shift to sensitivity and emotion at work. Sensitivity can be a strength when we treat emotion as information rather than instruction. You’ll hear a simple question that instantly changes the quality of dialogue, “Tell me more about that,” plus an important line between ethical influence and manipulation so people keep their agency.

Finally, we make care visible. Specific gratitude, honest feedback, and curiosity before correction create a culture where people feel seen, heard, valued, and that they matter. I wrap with a practical one-meeting experiment and daily reflection questions you can use immediately. If this helps, share it with one person, subscribe, and leave a review so more leaders can move from knowing to doing.

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✅ Follow The Leadership Project on your favourite podcast platform and listen to a new episode every week!

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🔔 Join us in our mission at The Leadership Project and learn more about our organisation here: https://linktr.ee/mickspiers

📕 You can purchase a copy of the Mick Spiers bestselling book "You're a Leader, Now What?" as an eBook or paperback at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZBKK8XV

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If you say you care about your people, could they point to what you did this week that made them feel cared for? That question sets the tone for a practical, sometimes uncomfortable, and ultimately hopeful conversation with Dr. Scott Geller, a Virginia Tech behavioral scientist, author of 57 books, and founder of the Actively Caring for People movement.

We talk about gratitude as a behavior, not a vibe. Dr. Geller shares research on how rarely people even wave “thank you” in everyday moments, then we translate that into leadership: the micro interactions that lift someone’s day, reduce friction, and build trust. We also dig into reframing, shifting from “I have to” to “I get to,” and moving from failure avoidance toward success seeking, a mindset that aligns closely with positive psychology and human wellbeing.

From there, we get concrete about feedback. We break down supportive feedback that actually helps because it is specific, and corrective feedback that works because it stays human, curious, and empathetic. We explore “humanistic behaviorism,” why people are condition-sensitive and probabilistic, and what leaders can truly control: the environment, the prompts, the consequences, and the quality of conversation.

We also face the cost of a disconnected world: asynchronous messages that lose tone, emotional intelligence that goes unused, and community that erodes when we stop looking up. You’ll leave with simple prompts you can use today, plus Dr. Geller’s STEPS practice for noticing good behavior and passing it on. Subscribe, share this with someone you appreciate, and leave a review so more leaders move from knowing to doing.

🌐 Connect with Dr. Scott :
• Website: https://activelycaringforpeople.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/actively-caring-for-people-foundation/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/activelycaringforpeople/

📚 You can purchase Dr. Scott's books on Amazon:
• Actively Caring for Safety: The Psychological Science of Injury Prevention: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1032572612/
• The Human Dynamics of Achieving an Injury-Free Workplace: Safety Directives from Psychological Science: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHRRNM7D/

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

✅ Follow The Leadership Project on your favourite podcast platform and listen to a new episode every week!

📝 Don’t forget to share your thoughts on the episode in the comments below.

🔔 Join us in our mission at The Leadership Project and learn more about our organisation here: https://linktr.ee/mickspiers

📕 You can purchase a copy of the Mick Spiers bestselling book "You're a Leader, Now What?" as an eBook or paperback at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZBKK8XV

If you would like a signed copy, please reach out to sei@mickspiers.com and we can arrange it for you too.

If you're thinking about starting a podcast or upgrading your hosting, Buzzsprout is a great option! This link will give both of us a $20 credit when you upgrade:

👉 https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1701891

Create forms easily with Jotform! Sign up with my link: https://www.jotform.com/?referral=AkWimLxOBz

Get extra Dropbox space—sign up with my link: Dropbox Referral Link

Wise Referral link: https://wise.com/invite/dic/michaels11434

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Who taught you what “strong” is supposed to look like and what part of you did you learn to hide to fit that picture? That question kicks off a conversation that might change how you think about leadership, persuasion, and your own emotional life.

We’re joined by Jennifer B. Gardner, a trial lawyer with nearly four decades of courtroom experience and a keynote speaker on persuasive, emotionally intelligent communication. Jennifer grew up believing she had to be the strong one, then entered a profession that often rewards a hard shell and punishes sensitivity. What she found, through years of winning cases and studying the craft, is that sensitivity is not a credibility problem. It’s a pattern-spotting, connection-building advantage when you know how to use it.

We unpack what high sensitivity looks like in real life, from intense emotional resonance to being deeply affected by environments, noise, and group dynamics. Then we get practical: self-awareness that goes beyond naming emotions, self-regulation that helps you choose response over reaction, and empathy that reads the room without projecting your own feelings onto others. Jennifer shares her go-to tools for deep listening, including the deceptively simple “Tell me more about that,” plus how mirroring someone’s language can build trust fast in negotiations, sales, and leadership conversations.

We also put up a guardrail: where does influence end and manipulation begin? We explore intention, service, consent, and the sobering next-day test: will both people feel good about the outcome tomorrow?

If you want to lead with more authenticity, communicate with emotional intelligence, and persuade without losing your integrity, hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

🌐 Connect with Jennifer:
• Website: https://jenniferbgardner.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferbgardner/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamjenniferbgardner/

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

✅ Follow The Leadership Project on your favourite podcast platform and listen to a new episode every week!

📝 Don’t forget to share your thoughts on the episode in the comments below.

🔔 Join us in our mission at The Leadership Project and learn more about our organisation here: https://linktr.ee/mickspiers

📕 You can purchase a copy of the Mick Spiers bestselling book "You're a Leader, Now What?" as an eBook or paperback at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZBKK8XV

If you would like a signed copy, please reach out to sei@mickspiers.com and we can arrange it for you too.

If you're thinking about starting a podcast or upgrading your hosting, Buzzsprout is a great option! This link will give both of us a $20 credit when you upgrade:

👉 https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1701891

Create forms easily with Jotform! Sign up with my link: https://www.jotform.com/?referral=AkWimLxOBz

Get extra Dropbox space—sign up with my link: Dropbox Referral Link

Wise Referral link: https://wise.com/invite/dic/michaels11434

Strea...