Emily Sander, Chief of Staff to an executive leadership coach, discusses how to handle underperforming team members by involving others in the team. She shares a case where a founder had difficulty getting metrics from a team member named Sharon. To solve this, Emily suggests including Daniel, an individual contributor close to the data, in meetings. This helps uncover Sharon's hidden talent and ensures essential work is completed, while also providing contingency plans if Sharon exits.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:29 Client's Situation: Founder and Sharon
04:05 Discovering Hidden Talent
05:42 Back Channel Conversation with Daniel

Emily Sander interviews Conor Cunneen, a former VP of Marketing turned keynote speaker and business humorist. Conor discusses the power of humor in business, using the "LAUGH" acronym to add humor to presentations. He shares examples like a neurosurgeon's humorous slide and suggests building a collection of anecdotes to make work environments more engaging.

Links Mentioned:

• Conor Cunneen’s Website

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:48 The Power of Humor in Business
03:16 The LAUGH Acronym: Listen
08:39 The LAUGH Acronym: Anecdote
10:05 The LAUGH Acronym: Uncomfortable
11:06 The LAUGH Acronym: Googler
13:28 The LAUGH Acronym: Hee Hee Hee to Ho Ho Ho
18:48 Building a Humorous Team Culture
24:06 Balancing Humor and Professionalism

Emily Sander discusses how leaders can make strategic decisions when unexpected events occur, using an example of a project that fell behind due to industry changes. A company leader had to shift focus from their planned initiative to tackle a new urgent industry policy, which Emily explains was a necessary strategic adjustment, not a failure. She emphasizes that changing plans in response to significant changes is a sign of good leadership.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction: A Frustrated Leader
00:48 Unexpected Industry Changes
01:04 Strategic Focus Shift
01:25 Reframing the Situation
01:59 The Importance of Plans
02:06 Adapting to Major Events
02:11 Making Strategic Adjustments
02:50 Communicating with the Team
03:09 Preparing for the Board Meeting
03:23 Addressing Long-Term Strategy
03:33 Leadership in Crisis
04:01 Conclusion: Leveraging Leadership

Melissa Schmidiger shares her journey from working at McKinsey & Company to becoming Chief of Staff at Ayala Land. She highlights the importance of building relationships, understanding one's career goals, and being authentic, which ultimately helped her move into roles like CMO and regional head positions. Melissa now helps high-achieving women through career coaching, focusing on building resilience during significant life transitions.

Links Mentioned:

• Connect with Melissa Schmidiger on LinkedIn

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction to Melissa Schmidiger
00:52 Melissa's Career Before Chief of Staff
01:42 Transition to Ayala Land
02:25 Becoming Chief of Staff
03:13 Role and Responsibilities as Chief of Staff
03:45 Communication Challenges and Solutions
05:15 Learning and Growth in the Role
09:17 Strategic Contributions and Board Governance
13:40 Post Chief of Staff: Marketing and Beyond
17:07 Global Roles and Achievements
31:00 Career Coaching and Empowering Women
33:24 Conclusion and Contact Information

Emily Sander talks about deciding which battles to fight in a leadership role. She shares a story of a Chief of Staff who chose a short-term reorg plan to avoid conflict with a long-standing Chief Product Officer. Another example is a CEO who decided to replace a problematic Senior Vice President to prepare the company for a sale.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

00:40 Example 1: The Reorg Proposal Dilemma
03:21 Example 2: The CEO's Staffing Challenge

Emily Sander interviews Matt Hartman, a Chief of Staff at Oracle, about his dual role overseeing employee-facing technology and a service group. Matt shares his strategies for prioritization, like focusing on company-wide goals first, utilizing delegation, and fostering teamwork across global teams. He highlights practices like implementing "Friye" for recognition and ensuring cross-training in his team to handle challenges effectively.

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

01:44 Balancing Dual Roles
04:36 Delegation Strategies
12:54 Building Relationships and Influence
19:22 Handling Resistance and Finding Common Ground
23:59 Global Team Management
30:18 Effective Team Meetings and Icebreakers
40:39 Embracing AI and Technology
41:25 The Importance of Giving Back

Emily Sander discusses the importance of not losing your strengths while trying to fix your weaknesses. She shares examples like someone being too aggressive in communication and someone being too timid. Emily emphasizes that being direct can be a strength if balanced, just as listening can be, and encourages self-awareness and using feedback to improve leadership skills.

Links Mentioned:

• Clarity Call with Emily

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

01:18 Example 1: Managing Aggressiveness
03:19 Example 2: Overcoming Timidity
05:26 Personal Example: Impatience
08:16 Key Takeaways: Self-Improvement

Emily Sander talks with guests Nikki Barua and Cheryl Couch about building and leading Beyond Barriers. Nikki explains how the company turns talent into high achievers with AI coaching, and Cheryl shares insights from her Chief of Staff role. They discuss the evolution of their responsibilities through three ventures and the importance of hiring adaptable team members who align with their mission.

Links Mentioned:

• Beyond Barriers Website
• Connect with Nikki Barua on LinkedIn
• Connect with Cheryl Couch on LinkedIn

Free Resources:

• Strategic Planning Checklist
• Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
• A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
• Chief of Staff Toolkit

Get in Touch With Emily:

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on YouTube
• Learn more about coaching
• Sign up for the newsletter
• Clarity Call with Emily

Who Am I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.

Time Stamps:

01:55 Company Growth and Team Dynamics
02:43 Nikki and Cheryl's 13-Year Journey
05:04 The Role of Chief of Staff
07:18 Introducing the Chief of Staff Role to the Team
10:08 Evolving Responsibilities of Chief of Staff
21:32 Preparing for Series A Funding
26:29 Lessons from Past Experiences
27:42 The Importance of a Chief of Staff