Month: May 2025

Ep 175: Organizational Psychologist Dr. Tasha Eurich on Moving Beyond Resilience and Becoming “Shatterproof”

Posted on May 27, 2025 by - Emotional Intelligence, Leading Others, Leading Yourself, Podcasts, Resilience, Wellness

Now introducing The Global Leadership Podcast presented by the Global Leadership Network.

SUMMARY 

What does it truly mean to be resilient? In this episode, GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft interviews top management thinker, organizational psychologist and self-awareness expert Dr. Tasha Eurich. Together they unpack Tasha’s latest book, Shatterproof, and discuss how leaders today—she calls them “stressed-out strivers”—can move beyond mere resilience and learn to thrive in our modern world.  

  

IN THIS EPISODE 

0:00 Intro 

02:30 Tasha’s path to her work.  

06:45 Helping people thrive in the midst of chaos. 

08:15 Where did Tasha start her research? 

13:45 A basic definition of “stress.”  

14:50 How human beings typically respond to stress.  

19:35 Is there a difference between stress and chaos?  

22:30 What happens when someone hits their resilience ceiling?  

28:35 Signs that someone has hit their resilience ceiling.  

31:35 Can some people handle more stress than others?  

33:30 Where does the idea of “burnout” fit into the discussion of resilience?  

37:45 Practical tools that leaders can use to help their teams thrive.  

39:45 Is our struggle with stress at work worse today than in the past?  

40:15 What it means to “thrive” in the midst of chaos. 

46:15 Outro 

 

 

LISTEN 

 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

 

STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS 

  • At the end of the day, every interaction is about making the other person’s life just a little bit better.
  • For “stressed out strivers,” chaos and stress come constantly and from all different angles.
  • “Resilience” has its time and place, but it cannot be our only coping strategy.
  • As humans, the real challenge for us is chronic stress across multiple areas of our lives. 
  • “Stress” can be any constraint that we are experiencing that we don’t have control over.
  • Our bodies react to stress in two ways: fight/flight or freeze/faint.
  • It is a myth that the more stress we encounter in life, the stronger we will be.
  • Regardless of who they are, all achievers have a “resilient ceiling”: the moment that their resilience resources run out.
  • Hitting your resilience ceiling and reacting badly does not mean you’re failure; you are merely experiencing your automatic responses to a world that our bodies were not designed to live in.
  • There are three signs that indicate someone has hit their resilience ceiling:
    1. They’ve lost their “mojo,” or enthusiasm
    2. Little things feel big
    3. Our top tools to navigate stress are failing 
  •  Even though some people can handle more stress than others, everyone has a limit. 
  • “Burnout” differs from hitting a resilience ceiling in that burnout tends to (a) be more directly associated with work; and (b) happens gradually over time.
  • Human beings have three fundamental needs:
    1. Confidence/growth
    2. Choice/agency
    3. Connection/belonging 
  • Leaders should ask themselves, “What am I doing to fulfil or frustrate the three basic needs of my people?”
  • Becoming “shatterproof” means going beyond “white knuckling” through tough moments to acknowledge our cracks and struggles and use them to point us towards how we can be stronger.
  • True strength is not saying, “I’m not breaking.” It’s saying, “I’m breaking, and I’m going to use that to become the best version of myself.”  

 

LINKS MENTIONED 

Ep 174: Jo Saxton on Engaging Next Generation Leaders

Posted on May 20, 2025 by - Character, Collaboration, Communication, Confidence, Conflict Management, Diversity, Leadership Development, Leading Others, Leading Yourself, Podcasts, Relational Intelligence, Servant Leadership, Wellness

Now introducing The Global Leadership Podcast presented by the Global Leadership Network.

SUMMARY 

A quick survey of Jo Saxton’s life would tell you that she is deeply passionate about developing leaders. Whether it’s through speaking, her leadership of the Ezer Collective and Bethel University’s “The 25,” her podcast or her books, her mission is easy to see. Fresh off the stage at the 2024 Global Leadership Summit, she sat down with Jason Jaggard to talk about her work, and shared wisdom on what young leaders bring to the workplace and how seasoned leaders can engage this emerging generation.  

 

IN THIS EPISODE 

00:00 Introduction. 

03:30 “The 25,” why it’s so important, and how Jo came to be involved. 

05:45 How can established leaders can invest in developing leaders? 

07:15 Understanding “unconscious competencies.” 

10:30 What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of this new generation of leaders?  

17:45 Finding authenticity in a world of AI and “deep fakes.”  

20:15 What is “workplace betrayal,” and how can you navigate it?  

27:00 Mistakes people make when they are betrayed that can make the situation worse.  

32:00 Some of Jo’s current self-care practices.  

34:30 Comments and Takeaways. 

  

LISTEN 

 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

 

STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS 

  • It’s not enough to graduate with good grades; over 80% of jobs are found through networks.
  • An entire community can benefit when established leaders invest in the next generation.
  • Proximity is an easy place to start investing in emerging leaders.
  • An unconscious competency is simply something that you don’t know that you know, usually because you’ve been living it.
  • Our unconscious competencies usually emerge through questions.
  • The emerging generation of leaders has been through a lot, and we probably don’t even know all of how they’ve been affected.
  • One of the qualities that marks the next generation is “intermittent confidence.”
  • One of the ways to connect with younger generations is to invite curiosity.
  • The definition and understanding of “authenticity” differs across generations.
  • The best way to recognize a counterfeit is to know the real thing, and established leaders can help younger people learn to identify what’s real (for them) through conversation.
  • You can say, “I don’t like that,” but if you don’t know why you don’t like it, there’s a conversation (not a lecture) that needs to happen. 
  • Don’t ask questions just so you can give an answer.
  • Workplace betrayal can include people stealing your ideas, being undermined by your leader or being tokenized.
  • Even when you feel the pressure to deliver something, don’t underestimate the impact of workplace betrayal.
  • You don’t actually lose anything by celebrating an idea that someone else brings to the table; you become the person who collaborates, and who can spot talent/good ideas.
  • If you don’t know where an idea comes from, just be honest and say, “I don’t know.”
  • When you are betrayed, watch what happens with your bitterness.
  • Don’t let self-care get in the way of self-improvement. 

Ep 173: Arthur C. Brooks on How to be Happier

Posted on May 13, 2025 by - Emotional Intelligence, Leading Others, Leading Yourself, Podcasts, Relational Intelligence, Replenishment, Wellness

Now introducing The Global Leadership Podcast presented by the Global Leadership Network.

SUMMARY 

Recorded live at last year’s Global Leadership Summit, Erwin Raphael McManus sat down to interview Harvard Business School Professor Arthur C. Brooks. Arthur takes us on a deep dive of science and physiology of happiness and gives us an introduction on how to leverage meta-cognition to start becoming happier people. As Erwin mentions in the interview, Arthur is a firehose of information, and you will definitely want to take notes as you listen in to this conversation. 

 

 IN THIS EPISODE 

00:00 Introduction. 

02:20 The connection between Harvard and “happiness.” 

06:00 Which came first: Arthur experiencing happiness or studying happiness?  

08:40 What drives Arthur to pursue expertise in the areas of his life?  

11:00 How meta-cognition relates to our inner world. 

18:00 The relationship between meta-cognition and emotional contagion. 

21:00 For people moving towards happiness, what is one of the most important and easily transferable ideas, and what is one of the most difficult?  

26:20 How is our view of happiness related to our view of work? 

29:30 What Arthur is working on now.  

33:30 Comments and Takeaways. 

  

LISTEN 

 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

 

STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS 

  • “Discernment” is a structured process that begins in prayer, asking God to guide your path (and really meaning it). 
  • About half of our natural happiness is genetic.  
  • There is a three-part formula for becoming a happier person: learn it, practice it and teach it.
  • Excellence is its own reward.
  • All responsible adults need to know how to manage their emotions so that they are not managed by their emotions.
  • Emotions are nothing more than data, telling you that something is a threat or an opportunity.
  • There are only four negative emotions: fear, anger, sadness and disgust.
  • There are only three positive emotions: joy, interest and surprise.
  • There are no bad feelings; you simply want to learn to manage your emotions so that they don’t become maladaptive.
  • Your emotions aren’t a switch; they are a dial, and you should learn to control the dial.
  • Meta-cognition helps people become less “limbic”: to give them a set of techniques to help move their emotions into their pre-frontal cortex and to give them time and opportunity to reflect on those emotions, decide what they mean, and make conscious decisions that make sense for their lives.
  • Journaling and prayer are also forms of meta-cognition.
  • Emotions are contagious: the closer you are relationally to somebody, the more likely it is that you will pick up on their emotions and start feeling similarly.
  • You can’t simply be “happy;” you will experience negative emotions. However, you can become happier. You can make progress. 
  • Olympic gold medalists are very likely to suffer a clinical depression in the month following their victory. They were convinced that winning would make them happy.
  • Happiness doesn’t come from arriving anywhere; it comes from progress.
  • Work, faith, family and friends are all necessary ingredients for a happier life.
  • Work was present in the garden before the fall.
  • We are wired to enjoy and appreciate complex problems, but the world enjoys giving us complicated solutions to complex problems.  

 

LINKS MENTIONED 

Ep 172: GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft on Well-Being for Leaders

Posted on May 11, 2025 by - Calling, Leading Others, Leading Yourself, Podcasts, Productivity, Relational Intelligence, Replenishment, Team Building, Wellness

Now introducing The Global Leadership Podcast presented by the Global Leadership Network.

SUMMARY 

How can leaders stay holistically healthy amidst demands for high-performance and the constant chaos of the modern world? GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft sits down with Whitney Putnam to share his thoughts on what leaders can do to care for themselves so they can stay in the game for the long haul.  

 

IN THIS EPISODE 

0:00 Intro 

02:50 Patterns or habits that helped David sustain his leadership. 

04:05 How David prioritizes his time in busy seasons. 

06:15 What would David say to someone who is just trying to do too much?  

08:10 The role vulnerability has in leaning into what you are good at. 

10:00 How a well-rounded team contributes to individual well-being.  

15:30 Outro 

  

LISTEN 

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

 

STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS 

  • The idea of a well-balanced life is a fallacy; embrace the idea that life ebbs and flows.  
  • When you know a busy season is coming, take advantage of that awareness to prepare.
  • To be considered an expert, you simply have to put in the extra hours.
  • We can’t be great at everything, so get clear on what your particular strengths are. Then learn to say, “No.”
  • Most of us need to become specialists in something. The moment we start specializing, we will most likely be out of balance for a season.
  • Taking time to wisely assemble a team of specialists who can do the things you aren’t good at is critical to expanding your capacity and maintaining your well-being.
  • The point leader serves as a “gatekeeper,” keeping everyone focused on the main thing, and ensuring that everyone is working in their own particular area of strength.
  • “Good” is the enemy of “best.” By helping people focus on the best thing, they can be freed up to become specialists in that area.
  • Pace yourself: It’s easy to believe that whatever you currently working on is the most important thing you’ll ever do, but chances are that there will be other opportunities in the future.
  • Leaders do not need to immediately respond to every single situation. Take some time to consider the right way to react (and whether or not you should respond at all).  

 

LINKS MENTIONED