CEO on the Go

This week’s episode is a replay of a favorite from the archives, originally released on Halloween 2024. With Halloween just around the corner, Gayle Lantz revisits a message that’s as relevant today as it was then. The fears that really get to us aren’t the ones we see at Halloween. They’re the ones we face in everyday life. Gayle shares in a new introduction that she’s been dealing with a few sca...

Before your feet hit the floor, your mind may already be rehearsing everything that could go wrong. Nothing has happened yet, but you’ve started the day with a preview of what you least want to experience. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/A-Better-Way-to-Start-Your-Day

Failure is inevitable. But what separates organizations that grow from those that repeat their mistakes isn't whether they fail; it's what they do next. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/When-the-Stakes-Are-High-What-NASA-Knows-About-Preventing-Failure-with-Mike-Ciannilli

A surprisingly high water bill. A dishwasher left in the front yard. In the span of one week, Gayle Lantz caught herself doing the very thing she'd told listeners to stop doing just weeks earlier: jumping straight to blame. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Dont-Take-Yourself-Too-Seriously

Sometimes you can’t stop replaying a negative work experience, even hours, days or weeks later.  Maybe someone criticized you, questioned your decision, or simply didn't respond the way you hoped. You already know you can't please everyone, but knowing that intellectually doesn't stop the loop. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Letting-Go---How-to-Stop-Replaying-What-Went-Wrong

Have you ever walked into a meeting and immediately locked onto the one disengaged person in the room, while everyone else was fully present and contributing? Gayle Lantz has, and it sparked a message she says she feels so strongly about that she couldn't wait to share it. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Trying-to-Make-Everyone-Happy-Why-Great-Leaders-Stop-Trying

What if the biggest threat to your leadership isn't a bad decision, but the one you can't even see coming? Gayle Lantz speaks with Bill Miller, a returning guest and author of What Every CEO Must Know: 37 Secrets to Lead with Confidence and Power. Bill has spent decades coaching and advising first-time CEOs and founders. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/What-Youre-Not-Seeing---...

As summer winds down and the final stretch of the year ramps up, many leaders find themselves oddly exhausted even after time off. Gayle Lantz says this isn't about needing more sleep or another vacation. It's about something deeper: leadership fatigue. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Tired-of-Leading-How-to-Re-Energize-for-Whats-Ahead

When something goes wrong at work, the first question people usually ask is "whose fault is this?" Gayle Lantz makes the case that this is the wrong place to start. Blame feels satisfying in the moment; it simplifies a messy situation and lets us point to a single culprit. But as Gayle explains, most problems today aren't caused by one person or one bad decision. They're the result of a tangle of...

What if creating what’s next isn’t about having a clear plan and taking massive action? Sometimes, it may require a little chaotic motion . In this episode, Gayle Lantz shares how a kinetic wooden sculpture called Wings —a piece that has been in her family for years—led her to discover the fascinating work of artist, David C. Roy.  Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Chaotic-Motio...

Most leaders know they need to think more about the future. Yet so many teams stay stuck running on urgency, firefighting the day-to-day, and mistaking optimization for true transformation. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Enter-the-TomorrowZone-How-Leaders-Can-Create-Whats-Next-with-Deborah-Reuben

We celebrate leaders who push harder, work longer, and power through exhaustion. But the very qualities that make leaders effective -- clear thinking, emotional intelligence, creativity, patience, and good judgment -- depend on something many leaders neglect: rest. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/How-to-Get-Better-Sleep---Restore-Yourself-with-Dr-Sina-Smith

As a leader, you make dozens of decisions every day, but the ones you make about your own body often get pushed to the bottom of the list. The truth is, how you eat directly shapes your energy, mood, focus, and ability to lead well. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/How-to-Fuel-Yourself-Simple-Nutrition-Habits-with-Dr-Sina-Smith

Many leaders live in a constant state of worry without even realizing it. They worry about how they're coming across, whether they're making the right decisions or what others think about them. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Move-the-Spotlight---Worry-Less-About-Yourself-Grow-More-as-a-Leader

There's a common belief that AI is only for the technical crowd. Cheryl Thompson is on a mission to prove otherwise, and she's living proof that you don't need a technical background to make AI one of the most valuable tools in your leadership toolkit. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/From-AI-Anxiety-to-AI-Advantage-with-Cheryl-Thompson

Many successful leaders carry a quiet question in the back of their minds about what's next, what they truly want, or whether something needs to change. Even as they continue doing good work and leading effectively, that question lingers beneath the surface. They may not even realize it's there—or they may have become so accustomed to it that they've stopped paying attention.  Find the full show n...

Becoming a more effective leader doesn’t require a total reinvention. It could be just one small, intentional shift. Gayle Lantz challenges listeners with a simple but powerful question: what's one small thing you could improve about yourself over the next six months that would make you a more effective leader? Not ten things. Not a complete overhaul. Just one. Find the full show notes at: https:/...

As we celebrate the Fourth of July and watch fireworks light up the sky, Gayle Lantz invites leaders to think about a different kind of spark, not the one overhead, but the one quietly flickering inside. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Follow-Your-Inner-Spark---Dont-Let-Doubt-Put-It-Out

A year after a tree crashed through her roof, Gayle Lantz has finally moved back into her fully reconstructed home. But when the restoration crew asked if everything should go back exactly the way it was, she surprised herself by saying no. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/The-Midyear-Rebuild---Reconstructing-Your-Life-and-Work

We often think of attention as something that just happens to us, pulled by distractions, demands, and the noise of daily life. But what if noticing were actually a choice? Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/What-You-Choose-to-Notice-Changes-Everything

When stress runs high and teams start operating on edge, the instinct for many leaders is to push harder, communicate more forcefully, or demand better behavior. But that approach makes things worse. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/De-Escalate-to-Lead---The-Neuroscience-of-Emotional-Control-with-Doug-Noll  

Most organizations say they want collaboration, but many are still operating in deeply divided ways. Departments protect their turf, communication stays fragmented, and teams work around each other instead of with each other. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/Breaking-Down-Silos-Before-They-Break-Your-Organization  

Graduation season is a powerful reminder that the most meaningful transitions in life don't always come with a diploma; they come with growth. In this thought-provoking solo episode, Gayle Lantz reflects on what it truly means to graduate as a leader. Not just once, in cap and gown, but repeatedly throughout your career and life, graduating from old thinking, outdated identities, limiting beliefs,...

We live in a world that rewards efficiency. Every moment feels like it should produce something, especially when you're a leader with a packed schedule and a plane to catch. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/When-Work-Can-Wait---What-Presence-Makes-Possible

Many leaders look like they've got it all together. But behind the polished exterior, many are quietly running on empty, exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering how much longer they can keep going at this pace. Find the full show notes at: https://workmatters.com/What-Leaders-Really-Carry-Beneath-the-Surface