In this episode of The Science of Leadership, host Tom Collins sits down with Amanda Schagane, an expert in leadership and organizational development at the University of Kentucky HealthCare. They explore the idea that effective communication is the most vital leadership skill, calling it a "superpower" that is often underdeveloped.

Amanda defines effective communication not just as the ability to convey a message, but as the ability to do so in a way that is understood and inspires the right actions. She asserts that communication is the "delivery system for leadership" , and a reflection of a leader's mindset. A leader's effectiveness as a communicator determines how well their vision, expectations, and feedback are received.

The conversation highlights key takeaways:

• Trust and Psychological Safety: Effective communication, which includes intentional listening and respectful debate, is essential for building trust and psychological safety.
• Beyond Words: Communication isn't just about what is said; it is also about tone, timing, and non-verbal cues. When a leader's tone is dissonant with their message, it can totally derail the intended communication.
• Actions Align with Words: The most effective leaders communicate through consistent behavior, where their actions match their words, which fosters a culture of integrity and trust.

Amanda shares a powerful story of a senior leader at UK HealthCare who, by modeling vulnerability and listening to her frontline managers, created a safe space that led to a significant increase in confidence and improved collaborative decision-making. The hosts conclude with practical tips for improving communication, including pausing before responding, asking open-ended questions, giving specific praise, and regularly following up. Also, I am excited to announce the release of my new book, "The Four Stars of Leadership," a culmination of over three years of dedicated work, and I'm confident it will be an immensely interesting and helpful guide on your journey to becoming a better leader. Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me!

Key References:

Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: Meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 611–628. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.4.611

Duhigg, C. (2024). Supercommunicators: How to unlock the secret language of connection. Random House.

Gallup, Inc. (2023). State of the global workplace: 2023 report. Gallup.

Goleman, D. (1998). What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review, 76(6), 93–102.

Ruben, B. D., & Gigliotti, R. A. (2016). Leadership as Social Influence. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 23(4), 467–479. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051816641876

In this episode of The Science of Leadership, host Tom Collins sits down with Rob Carter, a visionary leader who recently retired after a 31-year career at FedEx. They discuss the invaluable leadership skill of seeing around corners—the ability to anticipate what's coming before it arrives and lead through uncertainty with clarity and conviction.

Rob shares that the key to this skill is a willingness to embrace change, recalibrating our "risk meters" to recognize that the status quo is often the riskiest strategy of all. He illustrates this with two powerful examples from FedEx's history:

• The Internet Revolution: Rob recounts how a chance meeting in 1994 with Bill Joy of Sun Microsystems led FedEx to build the first transactional website, long before other companies saw the internet as anything more than a communication platform. This innovation, which won a Smithsonian Award, fundamentally changed how the world thinks about business and logistics.
• The Wireless Revolution: Rob describes how FedEx strategically bought up radio spectrum and developed handheld computers in the late 70s to capture and transmit data from the "edge of interaction". This foresight created the foundation for modern supply chains and was a key driver of the company's global growth.

Drawing on scientific principles, Rob explains that this skill, known as strategic foresight, is a powerful predictor of superior organizational performance and profitability. The discussion introduces a new leadership metric, the Adaptability Quotient (AQ), which Rob describes as the antidote to a "leadership bug" of being stubborn and stuck in one's own paradigm. Rob also shares his personal leadership mantra: "Work hard, lead a balanced life, and have an undying respect for people."

Also, I am excited to announce the release of my new book, "The Four Stars of Leadership," a culmination of over three years of dedicated work, and I'm confident it will be an immensely interesting and helpful guide on your journey to becoming a better leader. Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me!

Key References

Day, G. S. & Schoemaker, P. J. H. (2005). Scanning the periphery. Harvard Business Review, 83(11), 135–148.

Rohrbeck, R. & Kum, M. E. (2018). Corporate foresight and its impact on firm performance: A longitudinal analysis. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 129, 105–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.12.013

In this episode of The Science of Leadership, host Tom Collins is joined by Dutch organizational change expert Jurriaan Kamer, co-author of unblock and Formula X. Jurriaan challenges the conventional wisdom that an organization's success depends on having the "right people on the bus". Instead, he argues that the key to building high-performing, thriving teams is a leader's focus on how the team works together.

Jurriaan explains that while individual talent is important, it is not a complete picture. He has found that great teams spend time making explicit agreements about crucial aspects of their collaboration. These agreements include:

• How success is defined

• Roles and accountabilities

• Decision-making processes

• How feedback is given and received

Without these clear guidelines, teams—regardless of individual talent—will underperform. He shares a powerful story of a high-performing leadership team at a bank that was underperforming because members were quick to blame other departments for failures. By intentionally facilitating a conversation about how they worked together and creating a team charter, the team was able to overcome its biggest obstacles and achieve its goals.

Drawing on scientific evidence, Jurriaan cites a well-known Google study that found a team's effectiveness was not determined by the number of top performers or average intelligence, but by factors like psychological safety, social sensitivity, and conversational turn-taking. The conversation concludes with actionable advice for leaders, including shifting from a "traffic cop" mentality to a "road designer" mentality, and building the organizational muscle to constantly reflect, experiment, and improve.

To learn more about Jurriaan's work, visit his LinkedIn page or check out his book, unblock, on Amazon.

Also, I am excited to announce the release of my new book, "The Four Stars of Leadership," a culmination of over three years of dedicated work, and I'm confident it will be an immensely interesting and helpful guide on your journey to becoming a better leader. Don't miss out on this essential resource—order your copy today at Amazon or Barnes & Nobles and share your thoughts with me!

To learn more about the Science of Leadership, visit https://www.fourstarleaders.com/

Key References

Google. (2016). What Google learned from its quest to build the perfect team [Project Aristotle research summary]. The New York Times Magazine. In re:Work from Google: Understand team effectiveness. Retrieved from Google re:Work website.

Kamer, J. (2024). Unblock: Clear the Way for Results and Develop a Thriving Organization. Kajurria Publishing.