Summer Sparks: The Art of Loving Leadership in Hard Moments

Hosts: Simon Phillips & Renée Smith discussing their conversation with Chris Conley

Listen to the full episode: [Insert episode link here]

Can you really let someone go with love? And how do you create a culture where people tell you the truth?

Simon and Renée dive into insights from Chris Conley, founder of Abundant Professional and former interim CEO of the Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago, exploring two of leadership's toughest challenges.

Letting People Go with Love

Chris reframes the entire conversation: "I think about it as a person in a context that's not working. It's the situation that's not working." Instead of demonizing the employee ("they're not good enough"), he focuses on fit and context.

His approach? Build genuine relationships first - know about their granddaughter, their upcoming trip. When the difficult conversation comes, it's rooted in care: "You're an incredibly talented person, but this isn't the right place for those talents."

The result? His departing senior leader asked in amazement: "You would help me find a new role?" Because love doesn't end when employment does.

The GC Index Revelation

Simon shares a powerful example: A university team was performance-managing someone out of an admin role. But their GC Index revealed they were an "off the scale playmaker" - perfect for customer-facing work. One context change transformed a "poor performer" into a potential star.

The lesson? Good people in wrong contexts look like poor performers.

The Feedback Goldmine

Chris discovered something remarkable: When he responded to ALL feedback - criticism included - with "Great! Awesome! Thank you!" participation skyrocketed. His HR leader noticed: "No matter what anyone says, you're genuinely encouraging."

As Chris puts it: "If we're super dysfunctional and nobody's saying it, then you're just comfortably dysfunctional."

The E + R = O Formula

Simon's favorite coaching equation: Event + Response = Outcome. Want more feedback? Control your response. Be receptive, open, encouraging - and watch high-performing teams emerge.

The Thank You Challenge

Renée emphasizes priming the pump: Tell your team upfront that you want honest feedback. When they give it, your first words should be sincere thanks: "I know that might have been hard to share. You did the right thing."

Remember: You might be the first leader who's ever asked for their opinion.

Your Weekly Challenge

Practice saying "thank you" generously this week. And if you struggle accepting praise? Just say "thank you" instead of deflecting.

Bonus level: Try Peter Block's phrase - "Thank you, I like hearing that."

The Bottom Line

Love in leadership means seeing people as whole humans, not just their current performance. It's about creating contexts where people thrive and building cultures where truth-telling is celebrated.

Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear this message.

Connect with the Guest and the Hosts:

Chris Conley - LinkedIn Profile

Renée Smith - LinkedIn Profile

Simon Phillips - LinkedIn Profile

All Music composed by Adam Phillips

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summer Sparks: Beyond Words - Leading with Heart

Hosts: Simon Phillips & Renée Smith discussing their episode with Julie Schreiber

Listen to the full episode: [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ikNDtC89qajF68VLRmLtY?si=a634c0c6d3504d69]

What if the secret to better leadership isn't in what you say, but how you feel?

Simon and Renée explore a game-changing insight from Julie Schreiber, laughter yoga therapist and Center for a Loving Workplace board member: sometimes we need to get out of our heads and into our hearts.

The Gibberish Revelation

Julie's couples therapy technique is brilliant in its simplicity: have arguing partners communicate in gibberish. Why? Because gibberish strips away the details we get stuck on ("you forgot the milk!") and gets straight to the emotion underneath ("I feel unheard and unimportant").

As Simon reflects: "It's not always about articulating something - it's actually communicating how you feel about it."

The George Floyd Moment

Renée shares a powerful radio interview where a community organizer poured out his heart about fear and injustice, while a police representative responded with cold facts and logic. The officer completely missed the human need being expressed - and the opportunity for real connection was lost.

Change Leadership's Emotional Blind Spot

Simon reveals a critical leadership mistake: "Leaders go through an emotional journey to make tough decisions, then try to communicate those decisions purely logically." The result? Staff feel unheard and unsupported.

The solution? Create space for people to have their own emotional journey. As Renée puts it: "It is love to recognize that people deserve the respect and space to have their own emotional experience."

The Laughter Prescription

Julie's "laughter yoga" isn't about jokes - it's intentional laughter that oxygenates your body like "internal jogging." Renée experienced this firsthand when a belly laugh literally shifted her out of post-travel depression: "I physically felt the shift in my body and emotions."

Simon calls it "emotional contagion in reverse" - deliberately spreading good vibes instead of catching bad moods.

Your Joy Challenge

This week's hot tip: Ask yourself "What brings me joy outside of work?" Then actually schedule it. We're often stuck on the home-to-work treadmill, missing opportunities to refuel our emotional tanks.

The Bottom Line

Great leaders tune into tone, voice cracks, and emotional undertones - not just words. They create space for feelings to flow naturally, knowing that when people feel heard, they can move through change faster.

Ready to lead with your heart, not just your head?

Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this message.

Connect with the Guest and the Hosts:

Julie Schreiber - LinkedIn Profile

Renée Smith - LinkedIn Profile

Simon Phillips - LinkedIn Profile

All Music composed by Adam Phillips

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summer Sparks: The Power of Seeing People as Humans

Hosts: Simon Phillips & Renée Smith discussing their conversation with Rick Gage

Listen to the full episode: [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Ram6ZbCEjaHJ8INt0vRhM?si=e3fa78376bf44a63]

What happens when you stop seeing colleagues as problems and start seeing them as people?

In this powerful summer episode, Simon and Renée explore a game-changing leadership insight from Rick Gage (Center for a Loving Workplace): how to transform team dynamics through loving leadership.

The 90-Minute Meeting That Changed Everything

Rick inherited a team drowning in blame and finger-pointing. His solution? Weekly 90-minute meetings where half the time was spent on personal check-ins - not just work stuff, but real life. What's happening at home? What challenges are you facing?

The result? When team members began seeing each other as three-dimensional humans instead of two-dimensional work personas, the blame naturally disappeared.

The Hidden Truth About "Difficult" People

That stubborn colleague driving you crazy? They might be dealing with a parent's cancer diagnosis or struggling with family challenges. Simon reminds us: "It's so easy to judge and blame others... but if you take time to get to know those people, you might just bump into someone whose mum's in hospital."

From Fear to Love: The LACE Way

When fear hits, we dehumanize others (and ourselves). But Simon's LACE framework offers a better path:

• Listen with curiosity instead of judgment
• Accountability means taking responsibility for people's growth
• Collaborate by asking "How can we help?" not "You fix this"
• Empathy creates psychological safety through zero judgment

Rick's Golden Question

When 150 leaders gathered to discuss team members, Rick's approach was revolutionary: "What do they need to continue to learn and grow?" Not judgment. Not ranking. Just genuine support for human development.

Your Challenge This Week

Spend 10 minutes learning something non-work related about one team member. Ask: "What's bringing you joy or challenge right now outside of work?"

The Bottom Line

True leadership transformation happens when we "hold precious what it is to be human" (Toyota's respect philosophy). As Renée clarifies, this shift from fear-based to love-based leadership unlocks team potential and creates psychological safety.

Ready to transform your team dynamics? Start with one conversation.

Share this episode with someone who could benefit from these loving leadership insights.

Connect with the Guest and the Hosts:

Rick Gage - LinkedIn Profile

Renée Smith - LinkedIn Profile

Simon Phillips - LinkedIn Profile

All Music composed by Adam Phillips

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.