Spoken In Confidence

Some leaders inherit thriving organizations. Bob Flexon has built a career stepping into companies at their most challenging moments and proving that lasting turnarounds begin with people, not numbers. Bob Flexon, President and CEO of UGI Corporation, has spent more than four decades navigating corporate transformations, restructurings, and leadership challenges. From helping rebuild NRG Energy after bankruptcy to leading Dynegy through its turnaround, chairing PG&E's board during its emergence from Chapter 11, and now reshaping the culture at UGI, Bob has developed a leadership philosophy grounded in trust, connection, and creating environments where people can do their best work. His approach is visible in the smallest decisions, including choosing to sit in a cubicle alongside employees rather than behind the closed doors of an executive office. Bob shares why culture must come before performance, how building affinity removes the friction that holds organizations back, and why every employee deserves to have their unique genius recognized. From leading with love and navigating difficult conversations to his belief that we should all strive for the gold medal rather than settle for average, Bob offers a compelling perspective on what it takes to build organizations where people thrive and a leadership legacy that lasts.   Additional Resources: Connect with Bob on LinkedIn Connect with Sana on LinkedIn Learn more about OmbudSana Subscribe to Spoken in Confidence on YouTube for more content!   Key Takeaways: Culture is the foundation of every successful business turnaround. Building affinity and trust removes friction that limits performance. Great leaders recognize and unlock every employee's unique genius. Leading with love requires intentional connection and difficult conversations. Lasting leadership means empowering people to go for gold.  

Lewis Senior's career began in 1974 in the North Sea, where he worked offshore through 1996, progressing from roustabout to OIM and leading rigs around the world, including during the era of the Piper Alpha disaster, before becoming HSE Manager, and later Global Head of HSE, for Transocean, where he was responsible for the safety of over 18,000 people in hazardous environments. In the early 2000s, after a health scare that landed him in a hospital bed, Lewis made four promises to himself: to spend more time with family, to become a better listener, to never argue again, and to find a way to help people communicate better. Those promises became the foundation for Equilibria, the coaching organization he co-founded in 2004, built around a framework he calls "Realizing Potential." He and his team have since developed methodologies like the E-Colors, Personal Intervention, and the 8 Essentials of High-Performance Teams, tools now used by over 1.5 million people and organizations including Chevron, Hilton Hotels, and Accenture. In a world where there is so much polarization, there is huge value having an ombuds in house or externally as a listening post for employees and a space to talk through work issues without judgment. Ombuds bring perspectives and options that help employees to feel seen and heard at work. In this conversation, Lewis shares the four promises that changed everything for him, why understanding personality style takes the sting out of conflict, and what it actually looks like to build an intentional life and an intentional legacy.   Additional Resources: Connect with Lewis Senior on LinkedIn Read Lewis's full bio Discover your E-Colors Get the book: Personalities Remixed by Lewis Senior, Mark Wilkinson, and Paul Grant Listen to Personalities Remixed on Audible Connect with Sana on LinkedIn Learn more about OmbudSana Subscribe to Spoken in Confidence on YouTube for more content! Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network   Key Takeaways: Lying on the floor after a health scare in the early 2000s, Lewis made four promises that reshaped his life: more family time, becoming a better listener, never arguing again, and finding a way to help people communicate better. The E-Colors framework taught Lewis to separate personality from perception, so a disagreement stops feeling personal once you understand where someone's wiring is coming from. Responding instead of reacting starts with a decision not to let things into your head that you can't control. A simple $2 wristband with a "pause and play" button gave people permission to stop and speak up instead of staying silent. Leaders are always being watched, so what they choose to talk about, and what they stop talking about, quietly sets the tone for everyone underneath them.

Chuck Howard is widely recognized as the leading legal authority on ombuds confidentiality in the United States. His introduction to the profession began in 1990, when he was retained as independent counsel for a multinational corporation's ombudsman office in a federal court case with almost no precedent to draw on. He won, asserting an ombuds confidentiality privilege grounded in Federal Rule of Evidence 501 and an implied contract of confidentiality, and that case became a seminal one for the profession. That win led to decades representing ombuds clients and organizations across the country and internationally, defending litigation and helping build ombuds offices from the ground up. Chuck eventually became the inaugural Executive Director of the International Ombudsman Association, helping shape the standards the profession still relies on today. He's also the author of two leading books on organizational ombuds, published by the American Bar Association, drawn from his experience advising programs at every level, including building one himself as general counsel of a large Connecticut law firm.   Additional Resources: Learn more about Chuck Howard Read Chuck's full bio Connect with Sana on LinkedIn Learn more about OmbudSana Subscribe to Spoken in Confidence on YouTube for more content! Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network   Key Takeaways: Early in his career, Chuck caught a partner in malpractice and had no confidential place to raise it, so he simply wrote a memo and locked it in his desk, a moment that later shaped his lifelong case for ombuds programs. Individuals may only need an ombuds once or twice in a career, but that one moment can determine whether they stay or leave an organization entirely. Retaliation isn't always direct. Chuck describes "under the radar" and "ripple" retaliation as quieter forces that keep people from speaking up. Ombuds are separated from formal channels like HR, compliance, and hotlines by having no managerial authority and no duty to report, which is what makes people trust them enough to talk. Ombuds programs aren't just for junior employees. Chuck has seen CEOs, general counsel, and senior leaders use them, and middle managers are often the most vulnerable group of all.   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:07 – Katherine introduces Chuck Howard 03:44 – Chuck's origin story: catching a partner in malpractice 07:58 – Setting up an ombuds program at his own law firm 12:01 – The travel and expense reports story 14:48 – Ombuds vs. formal channels like HR and hotlines 18:37 – Confidentiality and internal vs. external ombuds roles 21:21 – Why the charter is what protects confidentiality 24:33 – Building trust through an ombuds program 28:06 – Ombuds isn't just for junior employees 29:45 – Chuck's advice for leaders 33:03 – Chuck's one tool for staying calm: hiking and blacksmithing 36:52 – Outro

Jen Marr is the author of Showing Up and Lifting Up, two books that have become touchstones for building real resilience in the workplace. Her path into this work started in an unexpected place, supporting the Sandy Hook Elementary community and then finding herself 700 yards from the finish line when the bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, four months apart. Watching how people in crisis felt isolated even when money and resources were poured into helping them sent her on a decade-long study of what people actually need when they're destabilized, distressed, or overwhelmed, and how that need is showing up more and more in today's workplaces. In this conversation, Jen and Sana dig into why self-care and clinical support alone aren't enough without the relational piece, why a quick five-minute check-in beats a long agenda-driven one-on-one nobody has time for, and why screens have quietly turned communication into just informing. They talk through the generational divide between "native analogs" and "native digitals," and how leaders can meet both where they are. The centerpiece of the conversation is Jen's "awkward zone," a framework for the four ways good intentions miss their mark, and why being a good person doesn't automatically mean your impact lands the way you meant it to.   Additional Resources: Connect with Jen on LinkedIn Learn more about Jen Marr's books, "Showing Up" and "Lifting Up" Learn more about Showing Up LLC Connect with Sana on LinkedIn Learn more about OmbudSana Subscribe to Spoken in Confidence on YouTube for more content! Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network   Key Takeaways: Self-care and clinical support matter, but without relational connection at work, neither one holds up. A five-minute "what do you need today" check-in beats a long agenda-driven one-on-one nobody has time for. Words only account for a small fraction of communication, so screen-only messages easily get misread. Leaders need to recognize the real skill gap between native analogs and native digitals rather than dismissing either. Good intent doesn't guarantee good impact. The "awkward zone" is where that gap shows up most.

Kristina Broumand is the former Chief Legal and People Officer of Zappos and currently a part-time faculty member in Legal Studies at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. She earned her BSBA in Accounting and Computer & Information Systems from Robert Morris University, and her JD and MBA from Georgetown University. Since graduating Georgetown, she has grown her legal, commercial, and people expertise at organizations across several industries and sectors, including at Troutman Pepper Locke, the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission, and Caesars Entertainment. She is a dedicated volunteer for the Junior League and currently serves as the Secretary for the Junior League of Las Vegas Endowment Fund Board of Trustees. In addition to her career and volunteer accomplishments, she takes the greatest pride in her role as a caretaker for three generations of her family.   Additional Resources: Connect with Kristina Broumand on LinkedIn Connect with Sana on LinkedIn Learn more about OmbudSana Subscribe to Spoken in Confidence on YouTube for more content! Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network   Key Takeaways: Presence is the foundation of trust, whether that means walking the office floor, responding to emails promptly, or sending a simple message to check in. Employees will always be hesitant to bring concerns to someone who represents the company, which is why neutral, independent resources are so valuable. Empathy means putting yourself in the other person's shoes and taking time to understand what is really going on in their life before reacting. Leaders can only show up as their best selves when they are also taking care of themselves. The ripple effects of workplace conflict extend far beyond the people directly involved, and leaders need to consider the impact on everyone around them.

Welcome to Spoken in Confidence, the podcast dedicated to transforming how we approach workplace tension and building healthier organizational cultures. Hosted by a former HR leader, employment lawyer, and organizational ombudsman with over 25 years of experience, this show serves as a safe space for navigating the tricky situations we all face at work. Each month, we will sit down with leaders who chose to handle conflict differently, sharing real-world scenarios, hard conversations, and practical tools to help you stay calm and manage your responses effectively. Whether you are an executive looking for the fuller picture, a compliance leader, a manager tackling a difficult issue, or an employee unsure of how to raise a concern, this podcast is your invitation to help build a workplace where everyone feels safe to share their perspectives and bring their best selves to work.   Additional Resources: Connect with Sana on LinkedIn Learn more about OmbudSana Subscribe to Spoken in Confidence on YouTube for more content! Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn Learn more about PeopleForward Network