The People Spark Podcast

Say hello to the newest segment on the People Spark Podcast... Versus. In this series, we pit Erin and Kristen against each other as they take opposite sides of leadership topics. Sometimes they're defending an approach they truly believe in. Sometimes they're arguing the side they don't. The goal isn't to win. It's to challenge our thinking, uncover the "why" behind both perspectives, and help le...

Say hello to the newest segment on the People Spark Podcast... Versus. In this series, we pit Erin and Kristen against each other as they take opposite sides of leadership topics. Sometimes they're defending an approach they truly believe in. Sometimes they're arguing the side they don't. The goal isn't to win. It's to challenge our thinking, uncover the "why" behind both perspectives, and help le...

Most of us know what it feels like to avoid a conversation we'd rather not have. But what if the thing you're avoiding isn't actually the problem? In this episode, we explore a concept from one of our recent leadership trainings that sparked more discussion than we expected: Coward's Corner. --- Culture Development Session Schedule your Culture Development Session.   In this free 30-minute session...

This week, we explore what happens after the vision is set and before the path forward becomes clear: the messy middle of strategy. Why do we as leaders get stuck between knowing where we want to go and actually getting there? The tension between strategy and execution is murky water, and the path to growth often requires more than a good plan. Sometimes the hardest part isn't deciding what you wa...

"They should know." Most leaders have said it. Most leaders have thought it. And more often than not, it's a sign that something isn't as clear as we think it is. In this episode, we unpack why "they should know" is one of the most common traps leaders fall into. We explore how assumptions create gaps between what leaders mean and what teams hear. The next time you catch yourself saying, "they sho...

Most leaders assume that if they can explain something clearly enough, people will change. The problem? Logic alone rarely drives behavior. In this episode, we explore why facts, data, and good intentions often fall short when it comes to influencing people. We discuss the environmental factors that actually shape behavior, why resistance isn't always irrational, and what leaders can do to create...

This week, we continue our conversation around change management and unpack one of the frameworks we’ve used for years while teaching at the University of Illinois: the idea of identifying the “vital behavior.” As we reflect on the book Influencer, we talk through what actually helps change stick, why organizations often focus on too many things at once, and how creating real momentum usually star...

Maybe people’s resistance to change isn’t actually about the change itself. This week, we take a little bit of a detour as we dive into some lessons we’ve learned teaching a change management course at the University of Illinois, and unpack one of the biggest challenges we see leaders facing: solving the wrong problem. As we reflect on the idea of “falling in love with the problem, not the solutio...

Wow, we can’t believe it’s been eight years already! Join us this week as we flip through the Wayback Files and reflect on the moments that shaped People Spark Consulting. From leaving stable jobs, to our “Shark Tank” pitch to our husbands, to learning how to define what services we actually offered in those early days of business. And how the risks, failures, pivots, lessons learned, and people w...

What’s the difference between employee satisfaction and employee engagement, and why does it matter more than most leaders realize? In this episode, we break down a common misconception: satisfaction is about what employees get, while engagement is about what employees give. That distinction changes how leaders think about motivation, performance, and culture. We also dig into a critical insight f...

What does leadership actually mean in your organization? In this episode, we dig into a shift many organizations are feeling right now. As spans of control grow and roles get bigger, leaders are often pulled back into doing the work instead of leading through their teams. And when that happens, engagement drops, priorities blur, and leadership starts to feel reactive instead of intentional. We tal...

Uncertainty can cause leaders to go quiet, but silence often creates more confusion than clarity. In this episode, we talk about how to lead through uncertain times by focusing on what you can control, communicating your intent clearly, and reinforcing the values that guide your decisions. We also introduce one of our fundamental concepts here at People Spark, the Circle of Concern and Circle of I...

Leadership isn’t always about teamwork, and it isn’t always about individual performance. Sometimes it’s about knowing which game you’re playing. In this episode, we explore the golf versus basketball leadership analogy, the importance of prioritizing your leadership team as Team One, and how aligning your leadership style with strategy creates stronger, more unified organizations. And along the w...

Leadership comes with lots of responsibility, pressure, and many moments when you wonder who you can really talk to. In this episode, we explore the reality of the loneliness of leadership and why having trusted peers matters more than many leaders realize. From carrying the weight of responsibility to figuring out what to do after stepping out of the weeds, leaders often find themselves without a...

Working managers can get stuck in the weeds, too. Not because they don’t care, but because it feels faster to do it themselves. Over time, that adds up and normally leads to burnout. In this episode, we look at where managers tend to get stuck and how those of us in upper management can better support them, not by jumping in, but by providing clarity, trust, and leaving them room to actually lead....

In this episode, we step away from our current conversation about getting out of the weeds as we reflect on our recent experience at the GEAPS Exchange conference, where we presented during a leadership session on coaching, performance conversations, and the growing role of AI in the workplace. While AI can help leaders prepare talking points, analyze data, and think through challenges, it can’t r...

This episode is about feedback, and the leadership habit that quietly puts you right back in the weeds. You know the one. “It’ll just be quicker if I handle it.” “I’ll jump in and do the review.” “I’ll talk to them directly.” When senior leaders step into performance conversations that belong with managers, it can weaken accountability and create confusion fast. We talk about where your voice matt...

Stepping Out of the Weeds: Onboarding is all about the handoff—from "we're hiring" to "you're part of the team." We unpack why onboarding is where so many good hires quietly fall apart, and what leaders can do to keep that from happening. You'll walk away thinking differently about how hiring decisions get made, how much "structure" is actually needed, and how to build early trust without making o...

Hiring can quietly become one of the biggest drains on leaders, not because it isn’t important, but because it starts to feel heavy, unclear, and too dependent on you. After this episode, we want you to walk away with a clearer head and a simpler way to think about hiring. You’ll start to see where hiring has been running on autopilot, where it’s been shaped by the last person in the role, and whe...

Hiring is one of the fastest ways leaders find themselves stuck in the weeds. In this episode, we kick off a three-part series on stepping out of those weeds. Why do senior leaders often stay deeply involved in interviews and final decisions, and how can that involvement unintentionally create dependency, slow growth, and weaken ownership at the manager level? This is the starting point for shifti...

Tough conversations are often the ones we know we need to have, and the ones we delay the longest. In this episode, we talk about why leaders hesitate to step into difficult conversations with their team, from fear of the other person’s reaction to catastrophizing worst-case outcomes before the conversation even begins. So what’s really happening in the moments leading up to these hard conversatio...

Asking better questions is one of the most powerful leadership skills, and one of the easiest to overlook. In this episode, we focus on the power of open-ended questions and how a small shift in what you ask can completely change the conversations you are having at work. We walk through everyday leadership scenarios where open-ended questions help you slow down, get clearer information, involve yo...

Transparency is one of the most talked about leadership values and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, we unpack what transparency actually looks like in practice and why it goes far beyond simply sharing financials or opening the books. We explore the difference between transparency, confidentiality, and oversharing, and why context matters just as much as information. Join us this we...

Every business hits moments when things are shifting. A long time leader is retiring, a new owner is stepping in, growth is picking up, or a new line of business is taking shape, and you realize the way you have been working may not carry you where you want to go next. In this episode we share how our People and Strategy Roadmap has evolved over seven years, what we look at when we step into a bus...

We have all done it. Someone struggles in their role and the first thought is to send them to training. Teach time management, teach communication, teach accountability. Yet even after they learn the skill, nothing really changes. This conversation uncovers why. Sometimes the real issue is not a person’s skill at all, it is the system wrapped around them. A job with unclear expectations, goals tha...