Strong communicators make strong leaders. In this episode Lone Rock Leadership co founder Russ Hill shares three tips for more efficiently communicating in meetings and in one-on-one chats.

Meetings shouldn’t feel like a maze. We walk you through a simple set of moves that transform wandering discussions into sharp decisions: take a clear, movable position, ask direct questions that reveal where people really stand, and read the story their behavior tells beyond their words. These techniques are built from years of coaching senior executives and observing what actually accelerates results inside complex organizations.

We start by reframing the opening minutes of any meeting. Instead of circling the topic, set a pace by offering a concise position that others can react to. Then prime the room: ask for perspectives, pause to show you’re listening, fill a few seconds while people gather their thoughts, and invite someone to start. When the comments come, validate fast and keep the momentum with Who’s next? This small change expands participation, reduces awkwardness, and prevents the facilitator monologue that quietly shuts a room down.

From there, we show how direct questions cut weeks of guesswork. Whether you’re pricing a keynote, aligning on a product timeline, or negotiating priorities across functions, precision prompts like What range do you need us to be in? and What do you not like about this plan? reveal constraints early and save endless back-and-forth. Finally, we confront a hard truth: most people share only 60 to 75 percent of what they think. To access the rest, ask What else am I missing? and pay close attention to consistent behavior—follow-through, responsiveness, and initiative—as the real signal of commitment.

If you’re ready to lead faster and communicate with less friction, this playbook will help you run better meetings, make cleaner decisions, and raise your value as a leader. If it helps, share it with a teammate, subscribe for more practical tools, and leave a quick review so others can find the show. What’s the first question you’ll ask differently this week?

--
Visit the Lone Rock Leadership Website:
https://www.lonerock.io

Connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me a DM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russleads/

Tap here to check out my first book, Decide to Lead, on Amazon. Thank you so much to the thousands of you who have already purchased it for yourself or your company!

--
About the podcast:
The Lead In 30 Podcast with Russ Hill is for leaders of teams who want to grow and accelerate their results. In each episode, Russ Hill shares what he's learned consulting executives. Subscribe to get two new episodes every week. To connect with Russ message him on LinkedIn!

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve hit your ceiling, this conversation is your nudge to test it. We connect three simple moments—a chaotic drive-thru, a standout service interaction, and a gym set that pushed our limits—to the deeper truth that teams mirror their leaders and capacity grows where mindset allows it. You’ll hear how one bad customer experience reveals weak standards at the top, why a single friendly voice can signal a strong system, and how small, consistent stretches rewire what you and your team believe is possible.

We also pull back the curtain on Deliver: Why Some Leaders Get Results and Most Don’t, including an audiobook sneak peek and what it really takes to ship a book that reflects years of field work with executive teams. From edits and early readers to narration and launch, we share how the same principles we coach—clarity, pace, and tolerance for imperfection—show up in the creative process. That behind-the-scenes look sets up the episode’s core theme: stop treating capacity as fixed, and start treating it as a function of standards, coaching, and the example you set every day.

You’ll leave with practical shifts you can use immediately: hire for mindset and train for skill, remove tolerances that quietly drain performance, and set visible stretch goals that raise belief without burning people out. Think of it as a reset on how to lead with energy, ship before perfect, and build a culture that leans into challenge. If you’re ready to expand your impact and help your team do the same, press play, then tell us the one place you’ll add weight—at work or in life.

Enjoyed this conversation? Follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review so more leaders can find it. Your feedback helps us keep raising the bar.

--
Visit the Lone Rock Leadership Website:
https://www.lonerock.io

Connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me a DM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russleads/

Tap here to check out my first book, Decide to Lead, on Amazon. Thank you so much to the thousands of you who have already purchased it for yourself or your company!

--
About the podcast:
The Lead In 30 Podcast with Russ Hill is for leaders of teams who want to grow and accelerate their results. In each episode, Russ Hill shares what he's learned consulting executives. Subscribe to get two new episodes every week. To connect with Russ message him on LinkedIn!

Ever feel like your team is living inside a 24-hour breaking news cycle? We’ve been there—where every email, rumor, or policy tweak turns into a fire drill and the loudest voice sets the tone. Today we unpack a simple shift that changes everything: stop breaking glass, and start to breathe and elevate. It’s not about dialing down ambition; it’s about dialing down drama so urgency becomes productive, not performative.

We talk through how media-style panic hijacks leadership judgment and why a smaller, saner information diet actually boosts performance. Then we get practical. Breathe means pause on purpose—step away, regulate, and buy time so your brain can think instead of react. Elevate means zoom out—expand the time horizon, define the real problem, and map options you can’t see when you’re nose-to-glass with the issue. With that reset, you can run two clocks: stabilize quickly on the surface while you work the root under the hood.

Along the way, we share how calm leaders set culture by how they react. Label levels of urgency so not everything becomes a five-alarm. Swap gossip loops for clear ownership and timelines. Use simple, steady language—what changed, what we know, what’s next—to lower heart rates and raise signal. If your org values constant alarms, it might cap your growth; the market increasingly rewards leaders who deliver under pressure without turning every update into a spectacle.

If you’re ready to build trust, retain talent, and make sharper calls when things go sideways, this conversation will be your toolkit. Share it with a colleague who keeps the figurative hammer within reach, and try the breathe and elevate practice on your next “emergency.” Subscribe, leave a quick review, and tell us: what helps you zoom out when the heat rises?

--
Visit the Lone Rock Leadership Website:
https://www.lonerock.io

Connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me a DM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russleads/

Tap here to check out my first book, Decide to Lead, on Amazon. Thank you so much to the thousands of you who have already purchased it for yourself or your company!

--
About the podcast:
The Lead In 30 Podcast with Russ Hill is for leaders of teams who want to grow and accelerate their results. In each episode, Russ Hill shares what he's learned consulting executives. Subscribe to get two new episodes every week. To connect with Russ message him on LinkedIn!

They develop hundreds of thousands of leaders. And they were all in one room at Sundance, Utah. In this episode Lone Rock Leadership co-founder Russ Hill takes you inside the executive summit for HR and L&D leaders.

Some highlights:

When managers face a wall of competencies, bloated slide decks, and libraries of courses, they default to noise over clarity. The fix isn’t more content. It’s fewer, simpler systems that tie every action to real outcomes.

We start with a bold reset: lead with results, not soft skills. Soft skills matter, but only as tools to achieve measurable business outcomes like customer satisfaction, retention, and growth. From there, we unpack four core areas that consistently move the needle across industries and org sizes. First, deliver results through clear, memorable team key results everyone can recite. Second, lead through disruption with a practical Change OS: status quo, mourn, adapt, innovate. Third, accelerate decisions with a shared Decide OS so teams move fast, stay aligned, and avoid constant escalation. Fourth, rethink accountability as power—help people shift from helpless to proactive with habits that focus on what they can control.

Along the way, we address why private equity’s content flood often backfires, how environment shapes learning, and why networking across functions expands your playbook. Expect crisp frameworks, plain language, and examples you can deploy today—whether you run a unit of 50 or a division of 50,000. If you’re ready to cut the clutter and build a culture of clarity, alignment, and movement, this conversation is your blueprint.

Want to go deeper or join the next executive summit? Head to LoneRock.io, reserve your spot, and share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to simplify and scale. If one idea landed, leave a quick review and tell us which framework you’ll try first.

--
Visit the Lone Rock Leadership Website:
https://www.lonerock.io

Connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me a DM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russleads/

Tap here to check out my first book, Decide to Lead, on Amazon. Thank you so much to the thousands of you who have already purchased it for yourself or your company!

--
About the podcast:
The Lead In 30 Podcast with Russ Hill is for leaders of teams who want to grow and accelerate their results. In each episode, Russ Hill shares what he's learned consulting executives. Subscribe to get two new episodes every week. To connect with Russ message him on LinkedIn!

--
Visit the Lone Rock Leadership Website:
https://www.lonerock.io

Connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me a DM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russleads/

Tap here to check out my first book, Decide to Lead, on Amazon. Thank you so much to the thousands of you who have already purchased it for yourself or your company!

--
About the podcast:
The Lead In 30 Podcast with Russ Hill is for leaders of teams who want to grow and accelerate their results. In each episode, Russ Hill shares what he's learned consulting executives. Subscribe to get two new episodes every week. To connect with Russ message him on LinkedIn!

--
Visit the Lone Rock Leadership Website:
https://www.lonerock.io

Connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me a DM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russleads/

Tap here to check out my first book, Decide to Lead, on Amazon. Thank you so much to the thousands of you who have already purchased it for yourself or your company!

--
About the podcast:
The Lead In 30 Podcast with Russ Hill is for leaders of teams who want to grow and accelerate their results. In each episode, Russ Hill shares what he's learned consulting executives. Subscribe to get two new episodes every week. To connect with Russ message him on LinkedIn!

It’s never happened in our lifetime. The recent assassination of a major political figure highlights something troubling about our current environment - the increasing inability to peacefully coexist with those who hold different views. While one person bears responsibility for violent actions, we all contribute to the climate around us, especially as leaders.

What can we do to create healthier workplaces where people don't feel isolated, dismissed, or bitter toward those with different perspectives? In this special episode, I offer four practical principles that can help any leader foster environments where disagreement doesn't lead to division.

First, we must allow genuine space for different opinions. Too often, we minimize or dismiss alternative viewpoints in the name of efficiency, leaving team members feeling their expertise isn't valued. Second, we need to accept that we aren't always the decision makers. Learning to thrive despite disagreeing with leadership decisions is an essential skill that builds resilience.

Third, consider reducing the size of your world. Constantly consuming global news and social media often leaves us angry about circumstances we cannot influence while neglecting the spheres where we can make a difference. Focus more intentionally on your immediate environment—your family, neighborhood, workplace, and clients. Finally, break screen-dominated routines by incorporating outdoor time, movement, and alternatives to endless video meetings.

These principles won't solve all societal problems, but they offer practical ways for leaders to create healthier environments where people feel valued, connected, and able to thrive despite differences. What steps will you take to model these behaviors with your team today?

--
Visit the Lone Rock Leadership Website:
https://www.lonerock.io

Connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me a DM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russleads/

Tap here to check out my first book, Decide to Lead, on Amazon. Thank you so much to the thousands of you who have already purchased it for yourself or your company!

--
About the podcast:
The Lead In 30 Podcast with Russ Hill is for leaders of teams who want to grow and accelerate their results. In each episode, Russ Hill shares what he's learned consulting executives. Subscribe to get two new episodes every week. To connect with Russ message him on LinkedIn!

Trying to improve in too many areas simultaneously is the fastest path to nowhere. In this thought-provoking episode, Russ Hill tackles the widespread problem of focus dilution that plagues both organizations and individuals.

Drawing from his extensive experience coaching executive teams at major companies, Russ reveals how well-intentioned HR departments and leaders often sabotage progress by overwhelming their teams with too many priorities, resources, and development initiatives. He vividly describes the "whack-a-mole" approach that leaves people paralyzed by good intentions rather than empowered to make meaningful improvements.

Through personal anecdotes and organizational examples, Russ demonstrates how narrowing your focus to just 2-3 priorities creates the conditions for actual movement. Whether it's in your personal development journey (where trying to improve your fitness, relationships, spiritual life, and professional skills simultaneously leads nowhere) or in your leadership approach (where bombarding your team with constant new initiatives prevents any from taking root), the principle remains the same: less truly is more.

The episode offers a refreshing counterpoint to our culture's tendency toward information overload. Russ shares how a former boss challenged his habit of constantly reading new leadership books, suggesting instead that he read one book multiple times and fully implement its insights. This approach—studying fewer resources more deeply—creates sustainable change in a way that constant consumption never can.

Ready to break free from the paralysis of too many priorities? Listen now to discover how focusing on less can help you and your organization achieve more. Share this episode with colleagues who might be struggling with initiative overload in their organizations, and start creating real movement today by narrowing your focus.

--
Visit the Lone Rock Leadership Website:
https://www.lonerock.io

Connect with me on LinkedIn or to send me a DM:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/russleads/

Tap here to check out my first book, Decide to Lead, on Amazon. Thank you so much to the thousands of you who have already purchased it for yourself or your company!

--
About the podcast:
The Lead In 30 Podcast with Russ Hill is for leaders of teams who want to grow and accelerate their results. In each episode, Russ Hill shares what he's learned consulting executives. Subscribe to get two new episodes every week. To connect with Russ message him on LinkedIn!