Creating Meaningful Work with Wes Adams and Tamara Myles

What makes work meaningful, and how can leaders create that experience for their teams? Kevin is joined by Wes Adams and Tamara Myles, who state that their research shows nearly 50% of an employee's experience of meaning at work is tied to what their leaders do or fail to do. Meaningful work is the upstream factor that drives engagement, productivity, innovation, and the bottom-line results that organizations want. The conversation centers around the Three C’s of Meaningful Work: Community – Creating authentic connections and a sense of belonging among team members, even in remote or hybrid work environments. Contribution – Helping employees see the impact of their work and making clear connections between daily tasks and larger organizational goals. Challenge – Supporting team members as they grow, learn, and take on meaningful tasks, balancing stretch assignments with strong support. Listen For 00:00 Intro: Why Meaningful Work Matters 00:45 Welcome to the Remarkable Leadership Podcast 01:35 Sponsor: Flexible Leadership Book 02:30 Guest Introductions: Wes Adams and Tamara Myles 04:01 The Origin of the Book and Their Research 05:35 The Leader’s Role in Creating Meaning 06:13 Why Meaning is Crucial for Performance 07:50 Leaders as a Leverage Point for Meaning 08:50 The Three C’s of Meaningful Work 09:53 C1: Community – What It Is and Why It Matters 11:12 Building Community in Hybrid and Remote Work 12:12 Inside Scoop Practice for Deeper Connections 13:16 Home Base Teams: Dropbox’s Neighborhood Model 16:59 High Purpose vs Low Purpose Team Activities 18:22 Empowering Employees to Build Community 20:06 C2: Contribution – Driving Greater Impact 21:33 Purpose vs Meaning – Understanding the Difference 22:11 Calendly’s Mission: Saving Time as Meaning 23:03 Storytelling and Making Work Personal 24:12 Highlighting the Impact of Individual Roles 25:07 C3: Challenge – The Growth-Minded Definition 26:04 Balancing High Challenge with High Support 27:40 Everyday Examples of Meaningful Challenge 28:43 Why All 3 C’s Matter – Not Just Contribution 29:32 Immediate Leadership Action: Give Positive Feedback 30:51 Meaning Can Happen in Any Job, Every Day 31:24 Fun Question: What Do You Do for Fun 32:39 What Are You Reading 34:25 Where to Learn More: makeworkmeaningful.com 35:33 Final Thought: Now What Will You Do Wes Adams and Tamara Myles are the authors of Meaningful Work: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee.  Wes is the CEO of SV Consulting Group. He partners with Fortune 500s and scaling companies to develop high-impact leaders and design operating structures that support high-performing teams. He is also a positive psychology researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies the leadership practices and organizational structures that help employees thrive. Tamara Myles is an accomplished consultant, author, and international speaker with over two decades of experience helping leaders improve business performance. She is the author of The Secret to Peak Productivity, which introduced her proprietary Peak Productivity Pyramid framework. Tamara’s insights have been featured in leading publications such as Forbes, Fast Company, USA Today, and Business Insider. She has worked with clients such as Microsoft, KPMG, MassMutual, and Google. Tamara has a master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she also serves as an instructor in the master’s program and a trainer for the world-renowned Penn Resilience Program. She is a professor in the Master of Science in Leadership program at Boston College, where she integrates cutting-edge research into practical applications for leadership and organizational success. She lives in Concord, Massachusetts.  https://www.makeworkmeaningful.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesadams1/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaramyles/ https://www.instagram.com/tamaramyles/ This Episode is brought to you by... Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.  Book Recommendations Meaningful Work: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee by Wes Adams and Tamara Myles Lessons from Plants by Beronda L. Montgomery Shift: Managing Your Emotions--So They Don't Manage You by Ethan Kross Like this? Thriving at Work with Gabriella Kellerman Wiring the Winning Organization with Gene Kim Mastering the Art of Being All In with Lisa Danels Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group   Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes    Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP  

Are you drowning in meetings? In this episode of Remarkable TV, Kevin Eikenberry explores a common leadership challenge: How many meetings are too many? The answer may not be a number—but a shift in mindset, purpose, and effectiveness. Discover: ✅ How to clarify your desired meeting outcome ✅ How to decide whether a meeting is truly necessary ✅ How to choose the right people for your meeting ✅ Tips to stay focused and finish strong ✅ Why meetings ARE part of your real work If you're tired of unproductive, time-wasting meetings, this episode is for you. Make your meetings more intentional, effective, and meaningful. My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast. I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button. Learn more about our offerings: ➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/  Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/ About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s). About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.  

How can you be authentic in a way that strengthens your leadership and personal success? Kevin sits down with Jeanne Sparrow to chat about what authenticity truly means, why it matters for leaders, and how you can live it out with courage and confidence. Jeanne explains that being authentic isn't simply about being yourself; it's about knowing yourself deeply, having the bravery to express it, and using it to advance your work and connect with others meaningfully. Kevin and Jeanne explore the relationship between authenticity and confidence, the role of leaders in creating environments where team members feel safe to be themselves, and the transformational power of understanding your value and values. Listen For 00:00 Introduction: What is authenticity? 02:02 Meet Jeanne Sparrow 03:38 Jeanne’s media career highlights 04:59 How Jeanne’s podcast led to her book 07:09 The “inside knowledge” of broadcasting 08:03 Why this is still a leadership book 08:40 Jeanne’s definition of authenticity 09:46 A powerful example of authenticity at work 12:46 Creating safety for authenticity 13:49 Why "fearless" authenticity matters 16:00 Jeanne’s junior high story 18:00 Her dad’s three truths about authenticity 20:08 The link between identity, value, and service 21:14 What does authenticity sound like? 23:08 Code-switching and being real 24:16 The foundation Live it Tell it Sell it 26:08 Authenticity and confidence 29:18 Clarity as the source of confidence 30:41 Authentic leaders give others permission 31:02 Why authenticity matters at the top 32:17 We don’t have time to be inauthentic 33:34 Jeanne on food, wine, and salsa dancing 33:39 What she’s reading Atomic Habits 35:05 Where to find Jeanne and her book 36:05 Kevin’s final question Now what? 36:45 Wrap-up and next week’s teaser Jeanne's Story: Jeanne Sparrow is the author of Fearless Authenticity: Lead Better, Sell More, and Speak Sensationally. She is a multi-hyphenate communicator. Her extensive repertoire includes hosting her own daily morning TV talk show for seven years, co-hosting daily radio shows with media giants Steve Harvey, George Wallace, and Doug Banks, and interviewing hundreds of Hollywood heavyweights. She now hosts a weekly radio show on V103, the top-ranked iHeart Radio station in Chicago, and hosts the “Fearless Authenticity with Jeanne Sparrow” podcast on the iHeart Podcast Network. She appears regularly on top-rated Chicago TV stations as a fill-in host and guest. She’s a long-time voiceover artist, doing hundreds of commercials for national brands, and an actor in commercials and on broadcast television, including Fox’s “Empire,” and NBC’s “Chicago Med, and Magnum P.I.” Jeanne has spoken to and consulted for many nonprofit organizations and corporations including: AES, Women in Insurance Leadership, AT&T, Guaranteed Rate, Ravinia, iHeartRadio, and Governors State University. She’s a respected faculty member at Northwestern University, teaching at the graduate level in the School of Communication This Episode is brought to you by... Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.  Book Recommendations Fearless Authenticity: Lead Better, Sell More, and Speak Sensationally by Jeanne Sparrow  Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear Like this? Leading with Authenticity with Sabrina Horn How to Find Your True Self in a Noisy World with Joshua Berry Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes   

We’re great at celebrating birthdays and personal milestones—but are we celebrating enough at work? In this episode, I explore why workplace celebrations matter and how we can make them more intentional and meaningful. I share questions you can ask yourself and your team to determine what’s worth celebrating and how to do it in a way that reinforces your culture, motivates your people, and aligns with your organizational goals. Whether you lead a remote team, a hybrid team, or a traditional office-based one, you'll walk away with ideas to bring more purposeful recognition and joy into your workplace—without forced fun or awkward moments. My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast. I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button. Learn more about our offerings: ➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/  Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/ About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s). About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.   Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes    Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group  

Are you thriving or just surviving? Steve Magness joins Kevin to discuss how many of us operate in psychological survival mode far more often than we realize, treating everyday workplace challenges as threats rather than growth opportunities. They explore the psychological traps of modern stress responses, protective systems, and the impact of flattening our identities. They also cover accepting “messiness”, the balance between short-term comfort and long-term growth, redefining success, and why authenticity must go beyond performance to resonate. Listen For 00:00 Introduction to The Remarkable Leadership Podcast 01:33 Introducing Guest Steve Magness 02:25 Steve Magness' Background and New Book 03:15 Steve’s Journey from Running to Coaching 05:02 The Dangers of Win at All Costs Mentality 05:24 From Survival to Thriving The Purpose of the Book 06:09 The Modern Survival Mode Explained 07:14 The Four Protective Systems of the Brain 08:53 Why We Struggle to Accept and Learn 11:25 The Challenge of Moving Past Natural Responses 12:15 Leadership and Survival Mode in Everyday Life 13:07 Flattening the World Simplifying People and Ourselves 16:09 How Flattening Ourselves Makes Us Fragile 18:09 Accepting the Messiness of Who You Are 19:05 Resilience Through Embracing Complexity 21:24 Instagram vs Real Life Identity Example 22:15 Leadership Accountability and Avoiding Deflection 23:16 Real vs Performative Authenticity 24:40 Why Actions and Words Must Align for True Leadership 25:07 Authenticity vs Using It as an Excuse 26:13 Defining Thriving Autonomy Significance Belonging 28:02 Thriving at Work and Intrinsic Motivation 28:46 Advice for Leaders Start with Yourself 30:54 Learning to Lose and Resilience in Leadership 31:11 Steve’s Book Recommendation The Science of Storytelling 32:21 Final Thoughts and Steve’s Contact Info 34:00 Kevin’s Now What Call to Action 35:26 Closing Steve's Story: Steve Magness is the author of Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving and Free Yourself Up to Perform. He is a world-renowned performance expert as well as the bestselling author of Do Hard Things and The Science of Running, and coauthor of Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox. He is the co-host of the podcast, Farewell, and co-founder of The Growth Equation. He has written for The Atlantic, Runner’s World and Sports Illustrated, and he has been featured in The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, NPR, and others. Magness has served as a performance coach and speaker for teams and individuals in the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, the US military, and numerous companies and organizations. He lives in Houston, Texas. Book Recommendations Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving, and Free Yourself Up to Perform by Steve Magness Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness by Steve Magness A Story is a Deal: How to use the science of storytelling to lead, motivate and persuade by Will Storr Like this? Building a Peak Performance Organization with Chris McGoff The Inner Journey of Leadership with Dan Rockwell How to Play for Greatness with Skip Bowman Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group   Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes    Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP  

What can a tree teach you about being a better leader? More than you might think. In this episode of Remarkable TV, Kevin Eikenberry draws powerful lessons from the natural world—specifically trees—to help you become a more stable, adaptable, and effective leader. Learn how to stay rooted in your values while remaining flexible in your approach to leadership challenges. 🌳 🌟 Key Takeaways: - The importance of being rooted in principles, values, and purpose - How flexibility in your leadership approach strengthens your effectiveness - Why true leadership is about balance: being both strong and adaptable 💬 Got a word you want Kevin to connect to leadership? Drop it in the comments or email us at [email protected]. If we use your word, you’ll get a free journal and a shoutout in a future episode! My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast. I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button. Learn more about our offerings: ➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/  Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/ About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s). About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.  

What if your well-intentioned leadership style is holding your team back? Kevin sits down with Sabina Nawaz to discuss the illusion of "bad bosses," the myth of singular authenticity, and the impact of pressure on leadership behaviors. Sabina introduces the idea that it’s pressure, not power, that corrupts and outlines the three primary pressure pitfalls leaders fall into: controlling, abdicating, and automating. They talk about why delegation often fails and how unexamined internal “hungers” sabotage our best efforts and intentions, as ell as how leaders can learn to shift their identity to better serve their teams. Listen For 00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview 00:37 Join the Community Live on Facebook/LinkedIn 01:28 About Flexible Leadership (Book Promo) 02:22 Meet Sabina Nawaz 03:04 Sabina’s Career Journey and Background 03:56 Becoming a “Bad Boss” After Parental Leave 05:49 Are There Really Bad Bosses? 06:48 Pressure vs. Power What Really Corrupts? 07:41 Myth of Singular Authenticity 09:08 Identity and the Limits of Authenticity 10:41 Promotion and the Danger of Strengths 11:44 The Power Gap in Leadership 13:01 Understanding the Impact of Your Authority 15:36 Pressure Pitfalls Overview 16:27 Pitfall 1 Unmet Hungers 17:43 The Trap of Needing Approval 18:40 Sole Provider Syndrome 20:22 Pitfall 2 Abdicating Responsibility 21:51 The Delegation Mistake Most Leaders Make 23:32 Abdication vs. True Delegation 24:01 Sabina’s Self-Diagnostic Questions 25:28 Avoiding the “Yeah, But” Trap 26:27 Communication Fault Lines Just Shut Up 27:56 The Power of Listening in Leadership 29:01 Every Action Has a Reaction 30:10 Sabina’s Personal Interests and Books She’s Reading 32:10 Where to Connect with Sabina and Get the Book 32:52 Final Leadership Challenge and Episode Wrap-Up  Sabina's Story: Sabina Nawaz is the author of You’re the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need). She is an elite executive coach who advises C-level executives and teams at Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and academic institutions around the world. Sabina routinely gives speeches each year and teaches faculty at Northeastern and Drexel Universities. During her fourteen-year tenure at Microsoft, she went from managing software development teams to leading the company’s executive development and succession planning efforts for over 11,000 managers and nearly a thousand executives, advising Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer directly. She has written for and been featured in Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes. This Episode is brought to you by... Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.  Book Recommendations You're the Boss: Become the Manager You Want to Be (and Others Need) by Sabina Nawaz Autumn: A Novel (Seasonal Quartet) by Ali Smith Martyr!: A Novel by Kaveh Akbar The Founder's Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup by Noam Wasserman Like this? Becoming the New Boss with Naphtali Hoff Becoming a Successful Manager with Lisa Haneberg Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group   Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes    Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP  

How patient are you with yourself? In this episode of Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast, I’m challenging you to reflect on an important leadership skill: giving yourself the same patience and grace you extend to others. We’ll explore: - What your self-talk says when things don’t go as planned - How to zoom out and gain perspective when you feel stuck - Why staying in the present moment builds patience and confidence - How building personal patience strengthens your leadership and reduces stress for you and your team Leadership is a journey, not a destination. These practical questions and insights will help you be kinder to yourself while still striving for excellence. My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast. I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button. Learn more about our offerings: ➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/  Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/ About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s). About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.   Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes    Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group   Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP  

Do you know how to effectively communicate with someone in a higher position, such as your boss, a board, or anyone in a position of authority? Kevin welcomes Melody Wilding, who shares strategies and conversation frameworks to help professionals at all levels navigate complex relationships with their leaders. Melody and Kevin discuss the concept of “managing up”; not as sucking-up or people-pleasing, but to take ownership of your success by fostering productive and respectful relationships with those in charge. They also discuss the critical conversations outlined in her book and dive into three in particular: the boundaries conversation, the feedback conversation, and the styles conversation. Melody emphasizes the "triple win" philosophy, which focuses on finding solutions that benefit you, your boss, and the organization. She offers practical advice for leaders on how to facilitate managing up for their team members, such as asking, "What do you need from me?" Listen For 00:00 Introduction 01:23 Guest Introduction: Melody Wilding 02:16 Welcome and Opening Question 03:05 The Psychology of Managing Up 04:11 Everyone Has a Boss 05:18 The “Why Isn’t My Boss in This Class?” Problem 06:08 Managing Up Isn’t About Excusing Bad Leadership 07:11 Managing Up Is for You 08:20 The 10 Conversations Framework 09:01 Boundaries Conversation 10:28 Setting Expectations and Clarifying Priorities 12:06 Creating Win-Win Outcomes 14:20 Feedback Conversation 16:25 Building Trust Through Positive Feedback 17:27 From Labels to Behavior: The ABC Model 19:33 Constructive Proposals, Not Complaints 20:28 Styles Conversation 22:49 It’s About Them, Not You 24:54 Avoiding Labels and Confirmation Bias 26:05 Meet the Needs of Your Boss 27:09 Ethical Visibility and Remote Work 28:37 Help Your Boss Help You 29:42 Make it Easier for People to Manage Up to You 30:38 One-on-Ones as Strategic Tools 32:14 The Leadership Book Question 33:12 What Do You Do for Fun 34:23 Learn More: ManagingUp.com 35:15 Final Thoughts: What Will You Do Melody's Story: Melody Wilding is the bestselling author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work and Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge. She is a licensed social worker with a master’s degree from Columbia University, a professor of human behavior at Hunter College in New York City, and a former emotions researcher at Rutgers University. For more than a decade, she’s helped top performers and leadership at the world’s most successful companies to communicate more clearly, prevent burnout, and transform complicated workplace dynamics into powerful alliances that impact the bottom line. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, to name a few. She’s a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, and CNBC. https://melodywilding.com/ http://managingup.com/ https://www.instagram.com/melodywilding/ This Episode is brought to you by... Flexible Leadership is every leader’s guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.  Book Recommendations Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge by Melody Wilding  Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work by Melody Wilding Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World by Anne-Laure Le Cunff Flex Your Feelings: Train Your Brain to Develop the 7 Traits of Emotional Fitness by Dr. Emily Anhalt Like this? Managing Up with Mary Abbajay Trusting Yourself with Melody Wilding Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group   Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we’d be thrilled if you’d let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here’s a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes    Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP  

How patient are you with others—especially as a leader? In this episode of Remarkable TV, Kevin Eikenberry explores why patience is more than just a virtue—it’s a leadership skill that impacts trust, engagement, and your effectiveness as a coach. Kevin walks through the common triggers that test our patience (like stress, urgency, and mood), and he offers practical steps to help you respond more thoughtfully—even in high-pressure situations. Discover how understanding your own mindset can help you show more grace and build stronger, more productive relationships. My name is Kevin Eikenberry and I’m here to help you reach your goal as a leader and a human being with Remarkable TV and the Remarkable Leadership Podcast. I am also the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. We provide speaking, training, consulting, and coaching services to organizations who believe in investing in their most valuable assets – their people. Whether we are leading a training workshop, speaking to a group, facilitating a planning meeting, consulting with a leadership team, helping with team building, writing or developing products, our vision will be clear in everything we do – We want to be Your Leadership Help Button. Learn more about our offerings: ➡️ FREE NEWSLETTERs: Sign up for any of our newsletters: https://kevineikenberry.com/newsletters ➡️ LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS: Sign up for any of our online workshops to help you become a better leader: https://kevineikenberry.com/store/?product_type=Workshops ➡️ SPEAKING: Learn more about our Speaking opportunities for your next event: https://kevineikenberry.com/how-we-can-help-speaking/  Connect with Kevin Eikenberry on Social Media:  https://kevineikenberry.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry https://twitter.com/KevinEikenberry https://instagram.com/kevineikenberry https://www.facebook.com/KevinEikenberryFanPage/ About Kevin Eikenberry: Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of the Kevin Eikenberry Group, a world expert on leadership development, best-selling author, sought-after speaker, popular blogger, husband and dad, a fan of Purdue athletics and antique tractors (especially John Deere’s). About The Remarkable Leadership Podcast: The Remarkable Leadership Podcast with Kevin Eikenberry is dedicated to all things leadership. Twice a week Kevin shares his thoughts about leadership development and ideas to help you lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those you lead. He also has weekly conversations with leadership experts discussing a wide range of topics including teamwork, organizational culture, facilitating change, personal and organizational development, human potential and more.