SmikleSpeaks

Followership has as much impact on organizational effectiveness as leadership. Followers execute strategy, create ideas and options based on their lived experiences, and have the power to impact sustainable change. But it doesn't happen by accident. Let's spend time exploring how good followership begins.

I keep having these conversations with people who are trying to figure out how best to have influence. They want to develop the capacity to be referent leaders. It's a topic I've addressed before. However, it keeps coming up in my leadership education and organizational consulting. Let's dive into how you can lead from anywhere.

How do you bring all of who you are to work? This means your faith, your spirituality...all of who you are. How do you accept your calling to share that faith in environments that may or may not be welcoming? Dr. Dericka Canada Cunningham, founder of Grounded Black Women, helps us grapple with those questions.

What is it you need to shed, to leave behind? I've learned a lot from the women of the WNBA about leaving it on the court. This episode shores ideas for moving on, for moving forward.

Who doesn't want to learn how to communicate with more confidence? Who doesn't need a refresher on good ways to be heard and have our messages understood? Julie Mobley, consultant and trainer, provides a practical refresher on communication competencies. Listen and learn...

Michelle Heritage, Executive Director of the American Brain Foundation, leads us in gaining a deeper understanding of brain diseases, brain health, and the importance of scientific research. She shares her personal experiences with brain diseases.

Katie Smith Sloan is the CEO of Leading Age, a community of nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-driven organizations serving aging adults. Leading Age is committed to is an America that values older adults. Katie will share are some of the changes in the past 5 to 10 years that have impacted aging services.

It's not about chanting or sitting legs crossed and eyes closed at you desk. Mindfulness is the gift of full presence that we give ourselves and the people we interact with. This episode provides practical strategies on ways to become more centered, focused, and connected.

We all need refreshers on communication. This podcast reviews basic skills and introduces strategies that leaders can use to raise the bar on their abilities to create meaningful dialogue.

Let's continue our exploration of professional joy. That's the deep satisfaction we seek in our careers. In this episode Dr. Cady introduces more strategies that we can use to maximize our working hours.

While we like to think of leaders as great conflict managers, in fact, some leaders are actually conflict creators. Whether knowingly or not, the result is the same: conflict. Let's explore the how and why of leaders as conflict creators.

Who doesn't want to experience fulfillment and joy in their careers? We all do! Listen as Dr. Steven Cady shares his insights on attaining professional joy.

Effective communication is an essential leadership skill. It enables leaders to convey vision and strategy, engage people in the mission, build trust and engagement, resolve conflicts, and create environments where people feel heard, valued, and motivated. Yet this skill is problematic for many leaders. That skill deficit can undermine organizational performance and team morale. Improving communic...

Dr. Portia Rawles has returned for another segment of the Next Chapters series. If you’ve been listening, you know that Dr. Rawles was the CEO of Rawles & Associates, a mental health provider in Virginia and North Carolina. She’s also on the faculty at Saybrook University. Before all of this she had another career as a leader in the fire service in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Rawles is the author o...

Good communication doesn’t just happen. It’s learned, practiced, refined, learned, practiced and refined, learned practiced and refined. It’s just a never-ending journey! Even the most thoughtful people make communication mistakes — at home, at work, in relationships, and in public life. I’m going to address the 15 most common communication mistakes, why they happen, and potential fixes.

It’s an honor and a privilege to have Dr. Portia Rawles back for another conversation. She’s been a successful CEO of a thriving mental health organization down in Chesapeake, Virginia. She’s also a member of the faculty of Saybrook University. She intentionally built a business that met the mental health needs of the underserved in rural Virginia. She then made midcourse transformations. She's go...

I am still overjoyed that the SmikleSpeaks podcast was ranked the #1 Organization Development podcast for 2025 and now again in 2026! Thank you every single listener…and I’m grateful that people are listening in more than 20 countries. Thanks to each and every one of you! You keep listening and sharing and I’ll keep producing relevant, relatable content. Today I want to spend time talking about em...

Becoming a leader in any arena isn’t about earning a title; it’s about developing the skills, mindset, and influence to guide organizations, inspire teams, and create measurable impact. Whether in the private sector, government, or nonprofit space, if you’re going to lead, you have to be strategic, emotionally intelligent, and capable of making sound decisions under pressure. This podcast is for a...

How does woman go from graduating from Stanford University to spending 13 years in the fire service in Norfolk, Virginia to earning a doctorate and becoming a clinical psychologist, a faculty member and then becoming the CEO of a thriving multi-disciplinary mental health organization, closing that practice and venturing into new territory? How does that person also write two bestselling books? Dr....

Ben Utecht has experienced traumatic brain injuries. He's shared his story on television, at conferences and conventions. He's also shared his story on this podcast. Today he discusses the need for research into brain health and curing brain diseases.

Dr. Will Mantyh is an internationally respected researcher and clinician. His focus is on brain diseases and overall brain health. He shares his knowledge of current research and frequent misconceptions about brain matters.

What exactly is critical thinking? How does it manifest itself in decision-making? In this episode we'll look at what a critical thinking leader is able to accomplish, why, and how.

What a journey Ben Utecht is on! An NFL Super Bowl champ, a man who shares the Gospel through song, a brain injury survivor, a husband, a dad...and now a fierce advocate for creating healthy organizational cultures. Listen and learn more...

Have you ever felt like you'd miss out if you said 'no' to an activity or potential opportunity? You may not miss out at all. You may be on the path to creating boundaries and enriching your life with the gift of focus. In this episode Dr. Jennifer Douglas tackles the fear of missing out.

Special thanks to Cricket at Sisters of Charity Hospital and my dear Cousin Nicky! Their witty banter inspired this podcast.