Leveraging Leadership

Emily Sander talks with John Knowlton about what real success means, why it's an ongoing process, and how to use your natural talents at work. They share practical ideas for Chiefs of Staff, like focusing on tasks that give you energy, trimming your to-do list, and using clear company values to make decisions. John Knowlton also shares advice on morning routines and his book "Thinking fo...

This episode breaks down practical ways to diagnose burnout beyond just heavy workloads, like checking if team members actually have the right training or system access, clarifying real versus perceived expectations, and considering outside-of-work stressors. Emily shares examples, such as a team member struggling because they didn’t have a login to a key system, and gives advice on addressing men...

Joel Goldberg shares stories from over 30 years in broadcasting with the Kansas City Royals, focusing on how small actions and building trust lead to big results. He explains the importance of routines and relationships, gives insight into working with players and staff, and offers advice for Chiefs of Staff about investing in people. Joel also discusses handling social media, pressure, and how le...

A Chief of Staff named Samir asks for advice about being overloaded at a startup, struggling to delegate, and never taking real breaks. Emily Sander suggests Samir update his boss on his workload, start delegating in small steps, and actually schedule and enjoy a vacation - sharing her own tips for disconnecting, including going snuba diving and ignoring email except for real emergencies. The epis...

Nashid Braswell shares how he became a Chief of Staff, starting with personal shopping for friends in Italy and moving on to high-stakes roles supporting executives and managing billion-dollar projects. He explains building trust with his principal, creating personalized experiences for guests (like arranging Austin barbecue tastings), and offers tips on self-care and valuing your own contribution...

This episode breaks down the "What's your role, what's your goal" framework, with Emily Sander sharing practical examples like a Chief of Staff running a post-mortem, facilitating meetings, or just observing and debriefing with their principal. The approach also applies outside work, like being a supportive parent or a good flight passenger. Emily Sander shows how this simple f...

Emily Sander and Sophia Mikelionis talk about practical self-leadership for Chiefs of Staff, covering how to build microhabits like walking during phone meetings, using a regular coffee mug instead of an insulated cup to encourage breaks, and putting your phone to bed at night to unwind. They discuss the importance of protecting your energy, setting boundaries, and remembering basic human needs li...

This episode talks about moving teams from feeling stuck to making progress by first getting accurate data. Emily Sander shares an example of advising a Chief of Staff to use surveys to clarify vague complaints about “culture problems” and explains how gathering real feedback, instead of just venting, can lead to informed action on issues like PTO policies. The message is to focus on what you can...

James Misner talks about why only a small percentage of nonprofits break $1 million in revenue and explains that many struggle because they don’t know how to fundraise effectively or are fearful of dealing with money. He shares practical advice for Chiefs of Staff, stressing the importance of having clear fundraising processes, following up with donors, and building a strong team with paid major g...

Lisa D. asks how to guide leaders to their next step without telling them how to do their job. Emily suggests agreeing on the project’s end goal, asking questions like “what’s a fair and reasonable way to start?” and having departments explain their preferred starting points. She shares tips for using data and prompts like discussing pros and cons, so all voices are heard. Links Mentioned: Clarity...

Emily Sander talks with Tinna Jackson about navigating power dynamics as a Chief of Staff in the U.S. Senate, handling office politics, and the importance of emotional intelligence and trust in leadership. Tinna shares tips on building relationships with board members, managing micromanagers, and methods for better communication in remote or hybrid teams. She also discusses her book, The Power Pla...

Emily Sander talks about what to do when a Business Development Rep starts doing graphic design, website tweaks, and HubSpot updates instead of making calls. She shares ways to set clear expectations, give frequent feedback, and explains when it's time to let someone go if things don't change. Examples include weekly check-ins, specific quotas, and distinguishing useful creativity from d...

Conghao Tian shares how he landed a Chief of Staff internship at Zenblen while studying for his MBA at Chicago Booth, starting with a background in music and art history. He talks about building KPI systems for the startup’s robotic smoothie kiosks, managing UChicago interns, and balancing intense work hours alongside full-time school. The episode gives real insight into what a Chief of Staff inte...

Emily Sander answers a listener’s question about how to get through to a boss who says, “I don’t care about the database, I care about results.” She talks about reframing communication to focus on the boss’s priorities, suggests offering options for overcoming constraints, and gives tips like sharing summaries instead of full reports. Emily shares examples, including her own experience with compan...

Emily Sander talks with Katie Rohn about her journey from sales to strategy at Google and her time as a Chief of Staff. They share stories about the different versions of the Chief of Staff role, how relationships shape the job, and why self-reflection matters during career transitions. Katie explains how she coaches generalists and Chiefs of Staff, and both discuss the pros and cons of taking the...

Emily shares a practical question prompt to help you focus on what matters most when facing challenges at work or in life. She gives real examples, like choosing between launching a product on time and not burning out, getting out of your comfort zone to represent your company at conferences, or trading phone scrolling for a more productive morning. The episode is about identifying what’s importan...

Alex Yaroslavsky talks about his journey from navigating conflict as a kid new to the U.S. to building a career in mediation and executive coaching. He shares how Chiefs of Staff can handle disagreements between colleagues, coach their principals through tough conversations, and recognize when workplace tension is productive versus damaging. Real examples include resolving misunderstandings rooted...

Emily answers a listener’s question about feeling stuck to a script during presentations. She explains how to focus on key points instead of memorizing every word, suggests adding emotion and attitude to messages, and demonstrates this technique with a “baseball is boring” exercise using different emotions like anger and sadness. Emily gives practical tips to build real confidence by practicing wi...

Erika Aquino, an angel investor with 26 portfolio companies across five countries, and her Chief of Staff Patricia de Leon, share how they work together to find and support women and minority founders in sustainability, wellness, education, and future of work. They talk about Patricia’s role as the first filter for deals, relationship building, and special projects like producing a TV show on fema...

This episode covers practical ways for a Chief of Staff to reduce decision fatigue for their principal and executive team, like removing low-value tasks from their plate and organizing clear, concise email options for faster decisions. Emily shares real examples, such as giving decision options in an “A, B, C” format and using thresholds for approvals, to keep leaders focused on high-impact choice...

Dr. Keith Dorsey talks about his book, "The Boardroom Journey: Practical Guidance for Women to Secure a Seat at the Table," explaining what corporate boards do, why diversity matters, and how anyone - no matter their career stage - can start planning for a board role. He shares actionable advice on building skills across different business areas, networking intentionally (even mentioning...

A Chief of Staff struggles to make three different presentations - an internal all hands update, a customer pitch, and a board meeting - feel meaningful and tailored for each audience. Emily suggests using common core info but adding exclusive details for each group, plus using questions from past meetings to anticipate concerns and adjust content. Real examples include noticing trends in employee...

Tracy Van Grack and Michael Patino talk about working with a Chief of Staff, sharing real stories from startup and established companies, including how early-stage teams can build a culture of communications even with limited resources. They cover the difference between hiring internal or external communications experts, using examples like tech startups handling crisis PR and the importance of au...

Chief of Staff can be a lonely job, even when you're surrounded by people. Emily shares real ways to handle this, like joining Chief of Staff networks, leaning on trusted coworkers or friends outside the company, and working with a coach. She also talks about knowing when to just acknowledge the loneliness and when to actively address it. Links Mentioned: Episodes featuring founders of the fo...

Frank Noyola shares how he went from turning down the Chief of Staff role at Quest Global to shaping it into a job focused on strategy, team building, and supporting a rapidly evolving CMO/Chief Strategy Officer. He talks about building a small team to handle operations, collaborating with the only other Chief of Staff at the company, and making sure the position stays a “driver” role instead of j...