I first picked up Gayle on the way to work back in May, 2017. With her, was Mick Ebeling, and I heard about Mick’s philosophy “to help one, to help many.” The next journey in, before the BIG ONE, that I can remember, Gayle brought essentialist Greg Mckeown with her, “Achieving More by Choosing Less.” My first leadership lesson on the importance of prioritisation.
The journey and guest that made me a subscriber, Anders Ericsson on “Peak Performance.” Back then I wrote “simply fascinating.” From that episode on, I often shared my drive to work with Gayle and one of her guests.
I am, again, back commuting, back listening, and catching up on missed episodes, as Gayle bears down on her 300th episode. Last week, CM 291: Dan Dwork is on Leading in an Emergency and CM 288: Charles Feltman on a New Understanding of Trust.
I am, again, benefiting from Gayle’s twenty years of interview experience as the creator of the “Curious Minds at Work,” podcast. Her thoughtful, probing questions, and the generosity with which she shares the mic, gives her listeners the very best chance to seek clarity and professional growth.
This past week: CM 286: Chris Lipp on Stepping into Your Personal Power.
In a world where influence often hinges on how well we communicate, Chris Lipp encourages us to lead with, and communicate with clarity and conviction. Personal power is less dominance than it’s about authenticity, “lean into vulnerability,” “structure our narratives with intention,” and “connect emotionally with our audience,” he advises. Lastly, Lipp also underscores the importance of the “abstract,” – as best as I can explain it, this is the ability to distill complex ideas into clear, compelling messages. Abstract thinking, he suggests, is what allows leaders to rise above the noise and communicate vision. Articulating the “why” behind the “what,” invites others to see the bigger picture, and of course, hopefully, follow you there.
And lastly, Lipp asks: “Do leaders [you] want to be in the spotlight? Or out of it and quietly operating in the dark?” And by that, I took it he meant operating in the “grey,” just out of the spotlight rather than in it. Most people, we are told, instinctively choose the spotlight, fewer “in the dark.”. Both answers are wrong. The real power, he professes, lies in being the one who “controls the spotlight,” who directs the spotlight, who decides where attention goes, who promotes who gets seen, and what message gets amplified.
Join us, this week CM 294: Sunita Sah on The Power of No.
And as for Gayle herself. We have never met in person. We have emailed. We have connected professionally. And every time we reconnected, Gayle has personally welcomed me back.