Leadership development eliminating the obstacles

In my work as an executive coach, I meet at least once a month with each of my coaching clients.

I often talk to them on the phone and exchange emails with them as we work on their real-time business challenges. So, what happens in those conversations? Recurring themes start to come up. I find that many leaders  have a “talk track” of words and phrases that they use all the time—without always being aware of the impact. For better or worse, this talk track ends up becoming part of their executive presence and their brand as a leader.

One of my clients had a talk track for many years that led to a reputation for negativity. In one meeting alone, I noticed that he had described about ten different work experiences as “nightmares.” Strong word! So we talked about this talk track. And the next time I heard him lapse into that way of talking, I decided to delve into it. “What I just heard from you was an example of that ‘talk track’ we’ve talked about,” I said. “So let’s talk about this. You say it was a ‘nightmare.’  Okay—why do you call it a nightmare?”

The upshot was that he had made a sales presentation but didn’t get the deal. I said, “Let’s use accurate language to describe the situation.” Was it a nightmare? No. Maybe it was a disappointment. Maybe he could have said, “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the deal” or “They decided to go with another vendor” and state why, objectively. My goal was to get him to stop “catastrophizing” when something didn’t work out.

This leader didn’t want to be defined by that negative “talk track” anymore. So I told him that the only way to do that is to turn up the volume on a very different talk track—one that captures the brand and presence that you want to project.

I’ve had clients who always talked about how difficult or challenging or complex things seemed to them.  You’ve probably had a boss or colleague with any number of talk-track themes:

• “I’m so exhausted/overwhelmed/unhappy/unappreciated….”
• “Everyone here is useless/stupid/incompetent….”
• “It’s such a difficult environment/project/client/travel schedule…”
• “That will never work/We won’t get that deal/It’s a dumb idea/What were they thinking?”

Often people aren’t even aware of how much they harp on a conversational theme and how negatively this lack of executive presence is affecting their professional brand. So what can you do to make sure your talk track is working for you and not against you as a leader? Take these four steps:

1. Identify your talk-track themes.

What are the words and phrases that you find yourself constantly using in conversations at work? Write down the things you seem to say almost every day—or think about what themes come up all the time for you in conversation at work or elsewhere.

2. Consider the impact of your talk track.

As a leader, your words carry more weight than others.  You’re setting the tone for your team or division or organization.  Whether that tone is absurdly optimistic, cynical, critical, upbeat, energized, or overly emotional, it’s going to be the model for others. Make sure that your talk track is consistent with the values and behaviors you want to drive.

3. Challenge the reality of your talk track.

How accurate is your talk track?  Do you have a natural tendency to see the part of the glass that’s empty?  How do you respond to setbacks?  Do you gloss over the pain?  Do you make a mountain out of a molehill?  It’s crucial for leaders to be balanced, objective, and real about what’s happening.  Your language choices need to reflect that.

4. Consider what you could say differently.

It’s easy to lapse into your talk track.  When you catch yourself saying the same old things, try to catch yourself as if an alarm was going off.  Can you find another way to say it—something that’s consistent with the brand and presence you want to project.

Don’t get me wrong.  Leaders do need to be “real” about challenges and setbacks, and a somber tone may be appropriate and even helpful at times.  The goal is to become more aware of your talk track and what it’s doing for you and others.  As a leader, people take their cues from you.  Before you know it, your talk track can dominate or drive the culture.

Changing your talk track is a challenge. Our ways of talking and viewing the world are pretty ingrained through several decades of life experiences. But change is also very possible. Pump up the volume on a more positive talk track for the holidays, and your presence will be viewed as a gift.

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A while back, I heard an anecdote on the radio about cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and it really struck me. Surprisingly, Ma said that once of his biggest inspirations was chef, author, and television personality Julia Child.

Huh?! Well, it turns out that thinking about Julia Child helped him get in the right mindset before a performance. He would think about watching her on television, making a roast chicken that looked beautiful—only to have it fall off the plate and onto the floor. Did she flip out? No, she never stopped smiling.  She just acknowledged what happened and went on with the show.

Reflecting on this, Ma realized that the best mindset he could have as a performer was to ensure that his audience was having a good experience—rather than worrying about being perfect.  Speaking to the St. Louis Post Dispatch last October, he said, “The idea of performing is hosting. It’s like you’re giving a party. You invite people to come to a place and enjoy something special; basically, they’re subject to whatever you dish out. You want them to have a great time, they want to have a great time, and what are you doing to facilitate that?”

In a Malcolm Gladwell article that I read years ago, Yo-Yo Ma also admitted that he used to strive for perfection in performance. When he was 17, he practiced a Brahms sonata for a year with technical perfection in mind.  So what happened when he did that?  “In the middle of the performance I thought, I’m bored. It would have been nothing for me to get up from the stage and walk away. That’s when I decided I would always opt for expression over perfection.

”There is a valuable lesson here for executive presentations. In my experience, many leaders worry too much about precision when they present. Aiming for total accuracy, it’s easy to end up with text-heavy PowerPoint slides—and far too many of them. And once you have a ton of bullets on a slide, you usually feel compelled to read them all. At best, slides still tend to distract the audience’s energy away from you—and the presentation is really all about you, not your visuals.

Think about it: What would you rather be able to say at the end of your presentation?

• I covered every point perfectly and spoke without a single stumble.

• I connected deeply with the audience, and I could sense that they were completely engaged with my presentation.

It’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? If you’re able to really connect with your audience’s questions, concerns, and needs, they won’t even notice if the imperfections that jump out to you as the expert.

Of course, there’s a catch here. Connection trumps precision… but the more you master your topic through preparation and practice, the more you’re freed up to focus on connecting with the audience. When you don’t have to work to remember your key points and transitions, you can concentrate more on your eye contact, gestures, and reading the room.

So give some thought to drawing some inspiration from Julia Child, just as Yo-Yo Ma does as a concert performer. When you’re giving a speech, you’re the host, and your job is to set the tone and make sure that everyone has a good experience.

That’s a recipe for a successful presentation.

Only 9% percent of people who set New Year's goals actually achieve them, according to research by the University of Scranton. According to U.S. News, approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February. Whichever source you believe, the odds are not in favor of sticking to New Year’s Resolutions.

Whether it’s time, resources, competing priorities, or over-committing, there are plenty of challenges that get in the way of sticking to plans to advance or to improve aspects of your life over the course of the year. It’s not surprising that many of the leaders we work with fall prey to these same obstacles when it comes to finding the time and energy to invest consistently in their own growth and development when they have so much on their plates.

With that in mind, here are a handful of ideas to help you stick to your goals and maintain your focus for the next 12 months -tips that have resonated with the leaders I coached last year:

‍Make sure your goals are not an unsustainable death march

‍Every January, my wife and I chuckle about how crowded the gym is. “Just wait,” we’ll say. “All of the New Year’s Resolution people will drop off within a month or so.” And they do. Why? My view is that people tend to make unrealistic, unsustainable goals for themselves. If you start off the year vowing that you’re going to work out an hour every day or eat nothing but salad for lunch and dinner without fail, you’ve probably set out on a death march. And if that’s how it feels, you’ll give it up pretty fast. Instead, decide what’s realistic, and then stick to it, barring something as extreme as a hospitalization or an overseas flight.

‍Commit to trying out new behaviors for two months

‍Research suggests that it takes a while for a new habit to stick. I met with a mentee the other day who really needs to change up some habits around exercise and work breaks. My advice was to set that realistic goal and commit to it 100%--but only through February. At that point, she could allow herself to reflect on tweaking her routines… and in the meantime, she’s probably done some things long enough to turn them into habits.

‍Remember that energy starts with great sleep habits

‍Due to one obstacle described to me often by leaders trying to elevate their effectiveness, I read a good book this year called The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix it? by W. Chris Winter, MD. I used to get sick a couple of times a year, and finally realized that it happened when I overdid it at work, got a little ill… and then kept overdoing it. I stopped, learned to get extra sleep when I got run down, and I haven’t had a sick day in my seven years at Bates.

Here are some great tips from that book:

• Try to wake up at the same time every day to get in a good sleep rhythm
• Exercise in the morning: It’s best for most people’s energy
• Avoid looking at screens an hour before bed time—or use a blue light filter if you must
• Make your room as dark as possible, and, especially, don’t sleep with the TV on!
• Commit to the number of hours of sleep you need each night: Catching up on the weekend doesn’t really work

Stop deciding every day whether or not you will exercise

‍This one changed my life about 18 months ago. My wife and I wanted to lose some weight, so we started with a sustainable micro-goal: “Let’s do what it takes to not GAIN any weight each week!” To make sure I could hit that goal, I vowed to work out six days a week, 30 minutes minimum. Through this schedule and a few dietary tweaks, I lost 18 pounds in six months.

The key was I realized that I had developed a terrible habit: lying in bed each morning, deciding if I would go to the gym. I would mull how well I slept… whether I had a tickle in my throat, and so on, and then I was sunk. Instead, I now put my gym clothes, keys, and gym ID in the bathroom before I go to sleep.  When I wake up, I just get dressed and get out the door, and before you know it I’m done with my daily commitment.

‍Load the deck in your favor when planning when to do what each day

‍Everyone’s energy is a little different over the course of the day. Some start the day with a full tank of energy, and it depletes as the day goes on. I start out strong, wane in the early afternoon, and bounce back energetically from 3 until 6 PM. As a result, I try to be intentional about when I do various kinds of work. If I have some cognitive heavy lifting to do, I try to do it early or late. In the early afternoon, I may opt for a walking meeting, answering emails, or building a program in PowerPoint—things that I can do without a high level of energy.

Give some thought to what works best at whatever time of the day, and schedule yourself accordingly.

‍Periodically review what you should keep doing and what you should give up

‍Frequently, leaders continue doing tasks and attending meetings long after they should have delegated the work or opted out of participating. Periodically, make two lists: the stuff that you should continue doing and the stuff that you should consider giving up or giving away. As you rise in the organization, you will get noticed for having more of an enterprise-wide view. To have that, you need to get out of the weeds.

‍Determine what you need to do to bring your best self to work every day

‍Everyone varies when it comes to how many hours they can work and how much downtime they need—as well as what they need to do during that time away from work. Every quarter or so, evaluate how energized you feel and keep tabs on what’s happening in weeks when your energy is high or low. If you’re starting off Monday morning feeling tired and stressed, something’s wrong.

So, what do you need to do to bring your best self to work each day? That’s something that only you can figure out.

For me, it’s helpful to think of Saturday as a “no work day,” and I try to limit work on Sundays too. From making all sorts of energy management mistakes over the years, I also have come to realize that I’m not at my best if:

• I don’t eat a substantial breakfast
• I’m eating carb-heavy lunches
• I’m not making sufficient time for my family, friends, and hobbies outside of work
• I’m consuming more than one drink of alcohol on a night before a workday
• I’m not making sufficient time for my family, friends, and hobbies outside of work

Meaningful, lasting change is never easy. Whether you’re mulling a New Year’s Resolution or a behavioral change at any time of the year, think about what you want to do, why it matters, and how you’re going to sustain it over the long haul.

If you do, you’ll be feeling a lot better by the time the ball drops on another new year.

En todos los sectores, la seguridad está experimentando un cambio estructural. Lo que antes se gestionaba principalmente como una función de cumplimiento o una métrica de desempeño se entiende cada vez más como un reflejo de cómo las organizaciones están diseñadas, lideradas y mejoradas de forma continua.

En entornos complejos y de alto riesgo, la seguridad no se logra únicamente mediante un mayor control o programas adicionales. Surge de la interacción entre el comportamiento del liderazgo, el diseño operativo, los entornos de decisión y la capacidad de la organización para aprender y adaptarse.

Basándonos en la ciencia global de la seguridad, el enfoque de Human & Organizational Performance (HOP), la investigación sobre seguridad psicológica y nuestra experiencia en transformación en múltiples industrias, identificamos ocho cambios clave que están definiendo la próxima evolución de la cultura de seguridad.  

1. La seguridad como valor organizacional central

La seguridad está dejando de tratarse como una prioridad cambiante. Las prioridades compiten. Los valores guían.

Cuando la seguridad se convierte en un valor central, influye en la toma de decisiones, en los compromisos bajo presión, en la planificación operativa y en la asignación de recursos. La seguridad pasa a ser una consecuencia natural de cómo funciona el sistema, en lugar de una iniciativa añadida a la producción.

Este cambio también redefine el rol de las funciones de seguridad: de supervisar el cumplimiento a habilitar un desempeño seguro y sostenible.

2. El aprendizaje como disciplina operativa

Las organizaciones están integrando el aprendizaje continuo en las operaciones diarias. En lugar de centrarse solo en lo que falló, exploran señales débiles, casi accidentes, fricciones operativas y adaptaciones exitosas.

El aprendizaje se convierte en una capacidad clave que acelera la generación de insights, fortalece la resiliencia y mejora la calidad de las decisiones.

3. Responsabilidad del liderazgo en todos los niveles

La cultura de seguridad se reconoce cada vez más como una capacidad de liderazgo, no solo como responsabilidad del área de HSE.

• Los directivos marcan la dirección y el tono.

• Los mandos intermedios traducen las expectativas en decisiones operativas.

• Los supervisores configuran el entorno de decisiones del día a día.

Las organizaciones exitosas convierten las expectativas de seguridad en comportamientos concretos de liderazgo y rutinas diarias, generando claridad y alineación entre niveles.

4. La seguridad psicológica como infraestructura

Una cultura de seguridad sólida depende de entornos donde las personas se sientan seguras para hablar.

Cuando los empleados perciben seguridad psicológica, las señales débiles emergen antes, los riesgos se discuten abiertamente y el aprendizaje se acelera.

La seguridad psicológica es una infraestructura operativa, no un tema “blando”.

5. Amplificar lo que funciona

Existe un reconocimiento creciente de que la mayor parte del trabajo se realiza de forma segura, a menudo en condiciones variables.

Estudiar el éxito revela la capacidad adaptativa y fortalece la resiliencia. Esto complementa el análisis tradicional de incidentes al reforzar la experiencia y la confianza.

6. Alinear el trabajo “imaginado” con el trabajo “real”

Los procedimientos y planes rara vez capturan perfectamente la complejidad operativa.

Las organizaciones líderes reducen la brecha entre políticas y realidad operativa incorporando la perspectiva del personal de primera línea y empoderando la autoridad para detener el trabajo.

El objetivo es una mejor alineación entre diseño y ejecución.

7. Diseñar para la toma de decisiones humana

Los incidentes suelen derivarse de sesgos cognitivos predecibles como la normalización de la desviación, el sesgo hacia la producción, el exceso de confianza y el sesgo retrospectivo.

Reconocer estas trampas en la toma de decisiones desplaza el enfoque de culpar a las personas hacia fortalecer los entornos de decisión.

8. La evolución cultural como capacidad a largo plazo

Una cultura de seguridad sostenible requiere integración en lugar de reinvención, desarrollo estructurado de capacidades en lugar de programas puntuales y medición del impacto conductual en lugar de métricas de actividad.

Las organizaciones que tienen éxito:

• Integran la seguridad en los sistemas existentes de liderazgo y operación

• Diseñan itinerarios de aprendizaje que apoyan la aplicación en el día a día

• Miden el cambio de comportamiento y los resultados operativos

• Refuerzan el progreso de manera consistente en el tiempo

La evolución cultural es un compromiso sostenido con la alineación del sistema y el desarrollo de capacidades.

Conclusión

La evolución de la cultura de seguridad trata menos de añadir controles y más de fortalecer sistemas.

La seguridad es algo que las organizaciones producen: a través de la claridad del liderazgo, el diseño operativo, la seguridad psicológica y el aprendizaje continuo.

Quienes integren estas capacidades de forma consistente no solo reducirán riesgos. Construirán organizaciones más resilientes, sostenibles y de alto desempeño.

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Sources & references:

• WorldSteel Association. Safety Culture & Leadership Fundamentals.
• Norsk Industri (2025). Safety Leadership and Learning: A Practical Guide to HOP.
• D. Parker et al. / Safety Science 44 (2006). Development of Organisational Safety Culture

• Hollnagel, E. (2014). Safety-I and Safety-II: The Past and Future of Safety Management.
• Hollnagel, E. (2018). Safety-II in Practice: Developing the Resilience Potentials.
• Conklin, T. (2012). Pre-Accident Investigations: An Introduction to Organizational Safety.
• Edmondson, A. (2018). The Fearless Organizations
• Reason, J. (1997). Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents.

• Resilience Engineering research (Hollnagel,Woods, Leveson and others).

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Across industries, safety is undergoing a structural shift. What was once managed primarily as a compliance function or performance metricis increasingly understood as a reflection of how organizations are designed, led and continuously improved.

In complex and high-risk environments, safety is notachieved through stronger enforcement or additional programs alone. It emerges from the interaction between leadership behavior, operational design, decision environments and the organization’s capacity to learn and adapt.

Drawing on global safety science, Human & Organizational Performance (HOP), research on psychological safety, and our cross-industry transformation experience, eight key shifts are shaping the next evolution of safety culture.

1. Safety as a Core Organizational Value

Safety is moving beyond being treated as a shifting priority. Priorities compete. Values guide.

When safety becomes a core organizational value, it shapes decision-making, trade-offs under pressure, operational planning and resourceallocation. Safety becomes the natural consequence of how the system operates,rather than a campaign layered on top of production.

This shift also redefines the role of safety functions, from compliance policing to enabling safe and sustainable performance.

2. Learning as an Operating Discipline

Organizations are embedding continuous learning into everyday operations. Rather than focusing only on what failed, they exploreweak signals, near misses, operational friction and successful adaptations.

Learning becomes a core capability, accelerating insight, strengthening resilience and improving decision quality.

3. Leadership Ownership at All Levels

Safety culture is increasingly recognized as a leadership capability, not solely an HSE responsibility.

Executives define direction and tone.
Middle managers translate expectations into operational decisions.
Supervisors shape the daily decision environment.

Successful organizations translate safety expectations into concrete leadership behaviors and daily routines, creating clarity and alignment across levels.

4. Psychological Safety as Infrastructure

A strong safety culture depends on speaking-up environments.

When employees feel psychologically safe, weak signals surface earlier, risk trade-offs are openly discussed and learning accelerates.

Psychological safety is operational infrastructure , not a soft topic.

5. Amplifying What Works

There is growing recognition that most work is completed safely, often under variable conditions.

Studying success reveals adaptive capacity and strengthens resilience. This complements traditional incident analysis by reinforcing expertise and confidence.

6. Aligning Work-as-Imagined and Work-as-Done

Procedures and plans rarely capture operational complexity perfectly.

Leading organizations reduce the gap between policies and operational reality by inviting front line input and empowering stop-work authority.

The goal is better alignment between design and execution.

7. Designing for Human Decision-Making

Incidents often stem from predictable cognitive biases such as normalization of deviance, production bias, overconfidence and hindsight bias.

Recognizing these decision traps shifts focus from blaming individuals to strengthening decision environments.

8. Cultural Evolution as a Long-Term Capability

Sustainable safety culture requires integration rather than reinvention, structured capability journeys rather than one-off programs, and measurable behavioral impact rather than activity metrics.

Organizations that succeed:

• Integrate safety into existing leadership and operational systems
• Design earning journeys that support day-to-day application
• Measure behavioral change and operational outcomes
• Reinforce progress consistently over time

Cultural evolution is a sustained commitment to system alignment and capability building.

Conclusion

The evolution of safety culture is less about adding controls and more about strengthening systems.

Safety is something organizations produce — through leadership clarity, operational design, psychological safety and continuous learning.

Those who embed these capabilities consistently will not only reduce risk. They will build more resilient, sustainable and high-performing organizations.

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Sources & references:

• WorldSteel Association. Safety Culture & Leadership Fundamentals.
• Norsk Industri (2025). Safety Leadership and Learning: A Practical Guide to HOP.
• D. Parker et al. / Safety Science 44 (2006). Development of Organisational Safety Culture

• Hollnagel, E. (2014). Safety-I and Safety-II: The Past and Future of Safety Management.
• Hollnagel, E. (2018). Safety-II in Practice: Developing the Resilience Potentials.
• Conklin, T. (2012). Pre-Accident Investigations: An Introduction to Organizational Safety.
• Edmondson, A. (2018). The Fearless Organizations
• Reason, J. (1997). Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents.

• Resilience Engineering research (Hollnagel,Woods, Leveson and others).

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Most sales meetings don’t fail.
They just don’t lead to a decision.

And that’s where value is lost.

Today’s customers are more informed, more selective, and more time-poor.

They don’t need more product pitches.
They need conversations that help them prioritize, decide, and move forward.

And yet, 58% of sales meetings fail to create real value.

Not because sellers lack capability, but because conversations are not designed to move decisions forward.

“Customers don’t act on every need they recognize.

They act when something becomes a priority.”

 In this short executive brief, you’ll discover:

• Why most conversations inform… but don’t drive action
• What actually makes customers prioritize and move
• How to create urgency without damaging trust
• The shift from presenting solutions to enabling decisions
• What separates conversations that stall from those that accelerate momentum

If your teams are experiencing stalled deals, delayed decisions, or slow pipeline movement, this brief will help you understand why, and what to do differently.

Download the Executive Brief and learn how to design conversations that actually move decisions forward

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