208. Ambiguity to Action: Tensions and Trade-Offs of Leadership and Communication

208. Ambiguity to Action: Tensions and Trade-Offs of Leadership and Communication

Amidst constant change, clear communication is the key to navigating uncertainty.


How do you communicate with others when you’re confused yourself? For Rob Siegel, leadership isn’t about avoiding uncertainty, it’s about embracing the clarity that ambiguity can bring.

"What if ambiguity is the new normal?" asks Siegel, a venture investor and lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business. From rapidly evolving AI to ratcheting geopolitical tensions, every day brings a “crisis du jour,” he says. “I may like it, I may not like it. That doesn't really matter, but I've gotta get my team through it."

In his latest book, The Systems Leader: Mastering the Cross Pressures That Make or Break Today's Companies, Siegel explores how leaders today are “living in dualities,” caught between managing existing processes and adapting to emerging disruptions. “The sooner we get comfortable with [change] in the sense of ‘I don't have to like it, but I can deal with it,’ then [we can] lead our teams and give them the calm to know they can get through this.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Siegel and host Matt Abrahams explore how to communicate effectively amidst constant change. From preparation strategies for spontaneous speaking to building trust through candid conversations, Siegel offers practical tips for communicating with clarity when nothing is certain but change.

To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium

Episode Reference Links:

Connect:


Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:39) - Adapting Leadership for Uncertainty
  • (03:44) - Systems Leadership and Cross Pressures
  • (05:06) - Communication and Context
  • (05:52) - Framing Complex Ideas
  • (06:47) - Innovation vs. Execution
  • (08:37) - Leading Through Ambiguity
  • (09:59) - Short-Term vs. Long-Term Focus
  • (13:10) - Balancing Strength and Empathy
  • (15:52) - Leadership with Humanity
  • (17:08) - Engaging Students Effectively
  • (20:26) - The Final Three Questions
  • (25:17) - Conclusion

********
Thank you to our sponsors.
These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.

This episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Let Grammarly take the busywork off your plate so you can focus on high-impact work. Download Grammarly for free today

Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

Episoder(279)

93. All the Feels: The Personal and Professional Power of Emotional Awareness

93. All the Feels: The Personal and Professional Power of Emotional Awareness

How are you feeling right now? According to Celine Teoh, we all need to ask ourselves that question more often — and be more precise in how we answer it.Teoh is a facilitator of the course Interperson...

6 Jun 202320min

92. No Regrets: How to Take Risks in Your Communication, Relationships, and Career

92. No Regrets: How to Take Risks in Your Communication, Relationships, and Career

“What people regret over time are things they didn't do. They didn't take that trip, they didn't ask that person out on a date. They didn't start that business,” says former political speech writer an...

30 Mai 202329min

91. Um, Like, So: How Filler Words Can Create More Connected, Effective Communication

91. Um, Like, So: How Filler Words Can Create More Connected, Effective Communication

We’re often advised not to use “um” or “uh”, or “so” and “you know” in our communication. But linguist Valerie Fridland might argue otherwise. “Language is about how we encode both the linguistic mess...

23 Mai 202332min

90. Rethinks:  Brains Love Stories – How Leveraging Neuroscience Can Capture People’s Emotions

90. Rethinks: Brains Love Stories – How Leveraging Neuroscience Can Capture People’s Emotions

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with David Eagleman, a neuroscientist and the host of the PBS series The Brain, to discuss why our brains a...

16 Mai 202323min

89. Listen, Listen, Listen: How to Build Deep Connections

89. Listen, Listen, Listen: How to Build Deep Connections

Whether you’re trying to build a romantic or professional connection, Rachel Greenwald’s advice is exactly the same. “Focus on how you make someone feel more than you focus on the words that you're sa...

9 Mai 202327min

88. Rethinks: Leading From Home – How to Create the Right Environment for Communication

88. Rethinks: Leading From Home – How to Create the Right Environment for Communication

*This episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart won "Best Business Podcast Episode" at the 2023 Webby Awards.* “You’re not going to hit the mark with everybody, but you still need to be mindful of everybody,”...

2 Mai 202323min

87. Know What You’re Saying: How Communicating Tests Our Understanding

87. Know What You’re Saying: How Communicating Tests Our Understanding

We’ve all been there — we think we understand something, but when it comes time to explain it to someone else, we flounder.According to Gregory LaBlanc, a lecturer in management at Stanford GSB, attem...

25 Apr 202323min

86. Building Habits: The Key to Lasting Behavior Change

86. Building Habits: The Key to Lasting Behavior Change

Whether you want to read more books or exercise more regularly, BJ Fogg has good news. “Habits are easier to form than most people think,” he says, “If you do it in the right way.”As the founder and d...

18 Apr 202322min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
pengesnakk
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
finansredaksjonen
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
pengepodden-2
utbytte
rss-sunn-okonomi
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
liberal-halvtime
lederpodden
rss-markedspuls-2
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse
rss-investering-gjort-enkelt