Leveraging Leadership
Are you ready to up your leadership game? Tune in to Leveraging Leadership, where Chiefs of Staff, executives, and business professionals find the tools, strategies, and insights they need to excel. Hosted by Emily Sander, a C-suite executive turned leadership coach, this podcast delivers practical and tactical takeaways every week.
Whether you're tackling tough conversations, fine-tuning your KPIs, or mastering delegation, this show offers new perspectives and actionable advice to help you feel confident and thrive in your role.
Each Monday, enjoy interviews with leaders from diverse fields—primarily business, but also from military, politics, and higher education. Every Wednesday, catch a solo episode where Emily shares concise, actionable insights on a specific topic you can apply immediately.
If you appreciate relatable, informal conversations that pack a punch with no fluff, you’re in the right place. While especially valuable for Chiefs of Staff and their Principals, the insights are useful for any leader aiming to grow.
Don’t miss your chance to advance as a leader.
Episodes
264 episodes
Giving 100% of Your 70%: Leading on Days That Feel Blah
The episode tackles what to do when you feel a case of the "blahs" at work, making sure to distinguish it from burnout. Chief of Staff tips include taking a walk, stretching (like the doorway stretch), listening to motivational music or intervi...
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8:16
Decoding the Modern Chief of Staff and Their Essential Responsibilities
Rachael Goldfarb shares real-life stories from her time supporting the Chief of Staff to President Clinton and leading at the Gates Foundation. She breaks down what a Chief of Staff is and isn’t, highlights why the role is senior and not admini...
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Season 1
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Episode 263
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49:39
Growth Isn’t Always Obvious - Give Yourself Credit
Emily Sander shares stories about a former coaching client worried his current job stress might cause health issues like it did ten years ago, and a military veteran adjusting to planning her first personal vacation after years of work travel. ...
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Episode 262
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9:42
How Coaching Transforms Leadership at Every Level
Brian Miller, president of Coach Approach Ministries, explains the difference between coaching, consulting, and therapy, and why a "coach approach" helps people solve problems by seeing new perspectives. The discussion includes practical exampl...
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Season 1
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Episode 261
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44:28
Q&A: How to Handle Changing Directions at Work Without Losing Your Cool
A listener asks how to handle frustration when work on a project is dropped because directions change. Emily Sander shares that this happens often to Chiefs of Staff and explains the value of understanding the reason behind changes, reframing “...
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Season 1
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Episode 260
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9:24
Leadership Lessons from the Beehive: Productivity, Decision-Making, and Organizational Wisdom
Philip Atkinson shares how being a Chief of Staff inspired his work as a beekeeper and his book, "Be Wise." He explains leadership lessons from bees, like avoiding busywork, practicing servant leadership, and making decisions through consensus....
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Season 1
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Episode 259
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38:29
The Critical Role of Clear Expectations in Team Success
A Chief of Staff shared how her boss thought a high-talent sales team wasn’t meeting expectations, but no one could clearly say what those expectations were. Emily Sander highlights the importance of clearly defining what success looks like for...
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Season 1
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Episode 258
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4:46
The Four Sides of Culture: A Framework for Business Leaders
Matthew Person explains his Square Management System, a framework for building high trust, high performance organizations by aligning employees and processes. He discusses culture as an output, shares the importance of having a "complete square...
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Season 1
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Episode 257
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39:19
Q&A: How to Run an Internal Campaign That Changes Hearts and Minds
Emily Sander explains how to change a workplace narrative by running an internal campaign, using catchy phrases, visuals, and repeated communication across multiple channels. She shares examples like NFL coach Mike MacDonald’s slogans “chase th...
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Season 1
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Episode 256
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12:09
Clarifying Requests: A Guide to Effective Stakeholder Conversations
Bill Shander explains how understanding what stakeholders really need leads to better results at work, especially for roles like Chief of Staff. He shares stories about clients asking for things like blue buttons or “ballets of data,” and how a...
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Season 1
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Episode 255
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34:21
Why Bringing Half-Baked Ideas to Your Boss Can Make You a Better Leader
Emily Sander explains why bringing “half baked” work to your boss - especially when you're new in a Chief of Staff role - can save time, spark valuable conversations, and help you calibrate quickly to your boss’s preferences. She gives real exa...
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Season 1
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Episode 254
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12:50
The CEO Perspective on Managing Chaos, Growth, and Building Strong Teams
Chris Blauvelt shares his journey as a multi-time entrepreneur, how he hired his first Chief of Staff after learning about the role from House of Cards and leadership books, and why setting top three priorities every quarter changed his effecti...
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Season 1
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Episode 253
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32:32
Judgement vs Assessment: Creating a Positive and Productive Leadership Culture
This episode lays out the difference between judgment and assessment at work, especially for leaders like the Chief of Staff. Emily shares real examples, from firing and hiring decisions to handling challenging team meeting behavior, showing ho...
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Season 1
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Episode 252
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13:41
Running Better Meetings with Improv: Fix Wasteful Meetings and Team Disconnect
Andrew Davies shares how his theater and improv background helps teams run better meetings and build trust. He explains practical improv games like “Breaking News” and “Speech” that boost listening and support. Andrew also talks about tailoring...
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Season 1
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Episode 251
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37:30
Designing the SYSTEM for Achieving Your Goals (Part 3)
Emily Sander explains how to set up systems that make it easier to stick to New Year's goals, like laying out workout clothes by the door or using food tracking apps with preloaded meals. She shares personal examples, including her efforts to i...
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Season 1
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Episode 250
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15:09
Fitness, Finance, and Leadership: A Blueprint for Effective Chief of Staff Roles
Jared Stein shares his unconventional path from running CrossFit and Orange Theory gyms to becoming a Chief of Staff at a virtual investment firm. He talks about managing operations, streamlining team roles, and implementing the Entrepreneurial...
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Season 1
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Episode 249
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34:39
Prioritizing Time, Energy, and Attention for Leadership Growth (Part 2)
Emily Sander explains the "wheel of life" exercise, a tool to review different areas like career, relationships, community, hobbies, and physical or spiritual life. She gives examples of focusing on being a better parent, manager, or entreprene...
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Season 1
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Episode 248
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6:45
How Municipal Leaders Foster Community Impact and Build Effective City Governance
Nicholas Richard-Thompson shares his journey from creative intern to Deputy Chief of Staff for Aurora, Illinois, discussing the importance of building relationships, working with nonprofits, and navigating local government. He gives examples li...
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Season 1
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Episode 247
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44:40
SMART Goals or Mantras? Choosing Your Approach to New Year’s Success (Part 1)
This episode talks about how to set New Year's goals by comparing specific targets like losing 15 pounds by June 1st with broader intentions such as choosing a word for the year like "hello" or "lightness." Emily Sander shares how different peo...
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Season 1
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Episode 246
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6:52
The Power of Purposeful Success: Insights for Business Leaders
Emily Sander talks with John Knowlton about what real success means, why it's an ongoing process, and how to use your natural talents at work. They share practical ideas for Chiefs of Staff, like focusing on tasks that give you energy, trimming...
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Season 1
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Episode 245
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36:55
The True Causes of Burnout: Beyond Workload and What Leaders Can Do About It
This episode breaks down practical ways to diagnose burnout beyond just heavy workloads, like checking if team members actually have the right training or system access, clarifying real versus perceived expectations, and considering outside-of-...
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Season 1
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Episode 244
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17:32
Building Trust and Leadership Lessons from the World of Baseball
Joel Goldberg shares stories from over 30 years in broadcasting with the Kansas City Royals, focusing on how small actions and building trust lead to big results. He explains the importance of routines and relationships, gives insight into work...
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Season 1
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Episode 243
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41:31
Q&A: How to Delegate Without Guilt and Still Get Promoted
A Chief of Staff named Samir asks for advice about being overloaded at a startup, struggling to delegate, and never taking real breaks. Emily Sander suggests Samir update his boss on his workload, start delegating in small steps, and actually s...
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Season 1
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Episode 242
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12:48
Building Trust and Delivering Excellence for High Net Worth Individuals
Nashid Braswell shares how he became a Chief of Staff, starting with personal shopping for friends in Italy and moving on to high-stakes roles supporting executives and managing billion-dollar projects. He explains building trust with his princ...
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Season 1
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Episode 241
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30:19
Clarifying Your Role and Goal for Leadership Success
This episode breaks down the "What's your role, what's your goal" framework, with Emily Sander sharing practical examples like a Chief of Staff running a post-mortem, facilitating meetings, or just observing and debriefing with their principal....
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Season 1
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Episode 240
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8:48