The Leadership Shot

I want to turn upside down your thinking about the phrase "WTF" or "What the f***." This phrase can be a helpful way for you to center yourself when frustrated. You’ll need to swap out the “F” in this phrase, though. I'll show you how.  WTF--what am talking about, right? ;) I'll share ideas to make this phrase one you’ll rely on other than expressing how pissed off yo...

I think employee engagement is important at any time of any organization's lifecycle and in any economy. Yet with the looming recession--sorry to be a downer--I think some leaders feel that they get a pass on employee engagement. They think, I have less to worry about, or I don't have to worry about employee engagement. People will be happy to simply have a job. It’s tempting to consider...

So, you know you have bad managers at your company. Maybe even on your team. What can do you? What’s an easy way to approach the situation and start coaching them? I’ve got you covered. In this episode, I’ll share a simple coaching model to help you coach those struggling managers.

Let’s say you’ve learned about some bad managers on your team or at your company. While you may want to know some of the next steps to take--the best practices--understanding what to NOT do--the mistakes--is just as important. I’m going to share with you the top 5 mistakes I’ve seen companies make again and again when they face the challenge of bad managers. These are the things you avoid.  And sh...

Have you ever worked for a bad manager? It’s awful, right? Not only does this situation make it hard for you to do your job, it makes it hard for you to want to do your job. It’s deflating. It’s depressing. You end up avoiding interactions—in person, email, slack, anything from this terrible manager. And before you know it, you start looking around—looking around to find a better place to be. A ne...

I want you to think of the situations that drive you nuts. The meetings that start late. The unexpected traffic, The people who rush in front of you to get on the train and never seem to look around them at all. The people who look at their phones the whole time you’re with them--instead of looking at your face or eyes. These are your buttons. They are the things or people that drive you nuts. Onc...

Can it be easy to break down the concept of EQ or emotional intelligence?   Yes.  In this episode, I will walk you through the 4 parts of a common model around EQ. Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.  Could this be more complicated? Totally. But why?! It doesn’t have to be.  You simply need to learn what these concepts mean and pick one to focus on. One...

Why do you want to learn about emotional intelligence? How do you think it will help you?  When you have reasons why EQ can help you, you’ll grow your emotional intelligence skills as a leader much faster.  So, what’s your why? I share some examples to help you think about connecting what is interesting to what makes a difference in your life as a leader. To learn more about micro-learning to make...

Do you ever feel as if you’re bubbling over with frustration or anger at work? And then it just blows up. You blow up.  You just said what you felt and thought. And then, pretty soon after, you regret it.  Let’s discuss what an emotional hijacking is and what’s going on in your brain. You can change this behavior. And you need to. Learning how and why your body and brain can control your words and...

Emotional baggage refers to the symbolic “rocks” or “weight” we carry around. us: the feelings about ourselves, our work, and the experiences that negatively affect us.  What you worry about = your emotional baggage. These things take up space in your mind and drag you down, in many ways. What you carry with you to work can impact your ability to be productive and engaged.  Learn what's in yo...

Wouldn’t it be nice if someone just cut the bs and told you the dos and don’ts--when it comes to being a great leader? Books are great and all, but you’re busy! You might have . . . 15 minutes? Well, you’re in the right spot: The Leadership Shot is a new podcast from executive coach, Leila Bulling Towne. Leila’s coaching clients are startup founders and C-suite leaders. In this podcast, first-time...

Managing up is a mystery for many people. Is it all about boosting your boss’s ego? Is it about saying “yes” to every project you get assigned? What about spending time together? Should I try to be with them as much as possible--and what about if I’m no longer working in the office? In this episode, I break down managing up for you. It’s mis-understood and mis-named. You’ll also learn what your ma...

Before you commit to delegating like an expert, you need to sit back and consider your delegation mindset. What false beliefs are holding you back? Like, ”delegation makes me look inexperienced.” Or, “it’s all about asking for a favor.” In this episode, I’ll break down 4 common delegation myths for you. Then you can change your mindset and your workload and your own engagement (and that of your te...

It doesn’t matter what your title is or how much leadership experience you have, delegating is hard for most leaders. They know they need to do it more often, and they know the benefits, yet when it’s time to make it happen, they have tons of excuses on why they can’t delegate. In this episode, I’ll share the 5 most common excuses I hear from leaders about why they can’t or shouldn’t delegate. In...

Sharing feedback with your direct reports is part of any leader’s job--no matter the size of your team, company, or title. In this episode, I’ll break down five common feedback mistakes, ones I see leaders of varying levels of experience making all the time. Feedback can be much easier and getting better won’t take a long time when you realize you might be holding yourself back by making some of t...