Rethinking Executive Presence with Scott Lamb

The stereotype of the hard-charging executive is hurting performance. Scott Lamb moved to NYC to pursue journalism, but ended up joining Buzzfeed when it was just five people and has been on the startup path ever since. In this episode, Scott sits down with Annie Riley to explore a different model for leadership– one rooted in curiosity, steadiness, psychological safety, and real human connection. They discuss what’s really behind vague feedback about “executive presence”, how management is a learnable craft, and how to have hard conversations that don’t FEEL bad.

Time Stamps:

00:00 — Why management matters

02:07 — Scott’s leadership style

04:08 — Joining BuzzFeed at five people

06:13 — Management is a skill

08:47 — The problem with “executive presence”

10:02 — Visibility vs. impact

13:21 — Directness over aggression

17:20 — Tough conversations done well

19:42 — Leading through layoffs

22:19 — Avoiding emotional dumping

24:56 — How to fire someone clearly

29:29 — The power of “say more”

37:22 — Listening and accountability

43:04 — Why humor matters at work

48:06 — Reps over perfection

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