ImprovMindset LLC

08/20/2026

Great leaders don’t just know what to say. They know when to stop talking.

Leaders face dozens of challenges every day, but few have more impact than how well they listen.
When leaders fail to listen, the consequences pile up: damaged trust, disengaged teams, missed ideas, and problems that stay hidden until they become much bigger.

When leaders truly listen, something different happens.
People speak up. Trust grows. Better information surfaces. And better decisions follow.

So how do leaders learn to listen more and speak less?
Practice.

Listening isn’t something you either have or you don’t. It’s a leadership skill. And like any skill, it gets stronger when you intentionally work at it.

That’s the idea behind my book "Listening Without Agenda" and the work I do with leadership teams.

A question for your next meeting:
How much are you actually listening—and how much are you simply waiting for your turn to speak?

08/13/2026

I hear a lot of leaders talking about transaprency.
It's not about saying more. It's about listening. It’s about understanding more.

I find people tend to focus on delivering the message. However, the best leaders get curious first.
- What does my team need to hear?
- What are they worried about?
- What am I missing?
When leaders listen before they speak, communication becomes clearer, more relevant, and more trusted.

Transparency is about clarity and consistency. It’s aligning your words with your actions.
And that all starts with listening.

In today's fast-changing workplace, that’s not a soft skill.
It’s a leadership advantage.

Send me a message if you want a free chapter of my book...

08/11/2026

SXSW is doing it's Panel Picker for the next round of talks.

I am one of the choices.... Choose me!!!! My talk is called "Listening: The Human Skill"

I would LOVE it if people would vote for me....

PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

08/11/2026

I find there is a point in leadership when you realize results alone aren’t enough.

True leadership is about alignment between what you say, what you do, and what your people need from you.

We don’t create stronger teams by pushing harder or having all the answers. We create them by listening deeply, staying curious, and building the trust that allows people to speak honestly.

Trust can’t be demanded. It grows when people feel heard, understood, and connected to a shared purpose.

Today's leadership challenge: not simply getting people to follow, but creating the conditions where they WANT to contribute. Where they feel comfortable to contribute.

08/06/2026

A lack of listening isn’t necessarily our fault. It's a byproduct of our education system.
Listening is a learned skill, and not one that is taught in schools.

Most good leaders pick up the skill - and some never do.

It's time to change that.
Reach out to me for tips and exercises to support your best lsitening skills.

08/04/2026

Great Article in INC Magazine:
Most Leaders Think They’re Good Listeners. The Research Says Otherwise.
The leadership skill that matters most is also the hardest to master.

The author makes a cool relationship between being self-aware and listening skills.

https://www.inc.com/moshe-engelberg/most-leaders-think-theyre-good-listeners-the-research-says-the-truth-is-hard-to-accept/91380791

Need help? Call me.

The strongest leaders create cultures where people feel safe telling the truth, and that begins with listening to themselves first.

07/31/2026

African proverb: “A leader who does not listen will not be listened to”

Authority is not just given by position, but earned through behavior.

07/29/2026

When people think of technical leadership, they often picture deep expertise, smart solutions, and the latest technology.
Those things matter.
But great technical leadership starts somewhere else: LISTENING.

The best technical leaders do more than recommend solutions. They become trusted advisors to customers and partners who understand the client’s business, challenges, priorities, and long-term goals.
Success doesn't always, and sometimes rarely begins with the technology.
It begins with understanding people. It begins with LISTENING.

07/27/2026

Organizations are investing heavily in communication training, leadership development, and collaboration tools.

Yet meetings multiply, decisions slow down, teams remain misaligned, and trust continues to erode.

One reason: most communication training focuses on how clearly we SPEAK and not on how effectively we LISTEN.

Listening is not passive, and it is not something we automatically improve with experience. It shapes what we notice, how we interpret information, which assumptions we make, and how we respond.

Listening directly affects decision-making, conflict, engagement, collaboration, and performance.

The next breakthrough in organizational communication may not come from saying more.
It may come from understanding how we listen.

07/24/2026

Inclusive leadership starts with LISTENING, especially to perspectives that challenge your own.
And remember, listening is only the first step.

Remove the barriers.
Invite different voices into the conversation.
Help those voices actually shape the decision.
Listen without agenda.

Inclusion cannot be something we simply talk about. It has to show up in how we hire, promote, develop, and retain people.

That is how we create workplaces where more people have the opportunity to stay, grow, and lead.