Mini-Episode 10#: Four Communication Skills that Make or Break All Leaders

In this insightful mini-episode, we break down four foundational communication skills that fuel stronger collaboration, trust, and performance across teams. Exploring key interpersonal dynamics, our hosts reveal how leaders and team members alike can elevate workplace connection with simple yet powerful strategies.

Blending emotional intelligence, behavioral science, and practical guidance, this episode shows why intentional communication isn’t just helpful—it’s transformative. You’ll learn how small shifts in listening, questioning, and engagement can unlock better understanding and deeper workplace relationships.

Whether you’re coaching leaders, onboarding new talent, or improving day-to-day team culture, this episode gives you the tools to strengthen communication and build a Wake Up Eager workforce—one skillful interaction at a time.

Key Takeaways from Mini-Episode #10 --- 

• Trust Begins with How You Communicate – Communication is the pipeline that connects a leader’s vision with a team’s potential. It’s not just about what you say—it’s how you inspire belief in what's possible
• C.A.L.L. is a Leadership Game-Changer – The episode introduces the C.A.L.L. framework—Cultivate positivity, Address problems with facts, Lead by inviting input, and Listen aggressively. These four skills are foundational to building trust, collaboration, and stronger performance
• Listening Aggressively Builds Deeper Trust – “Listen aggressively” means tuning in beyond words—picking up on emotion, intention, and what’s left unsaid. It’s a high-trust behavior that transforms relationships
• These Are Learnable Skills—Not Traits – Great communication isn’t an innate talent—it’s a skillset anyone can develop. With consistent practice and intention, any leader can elevate their influence and connection
• Real-World Results Prove the Power of Communication – Gallup research cited in the episode shows that engaged teams—built through strong communication—drive over $80K more monthly revenue, higher profits, better retention, and stronger client loyalty

Episode Transcript:

[00:00:00] Suzie Price : welcome to this wake up eager workforce podcast mini episode where we share in 10 minutes or less our monthly article from LinkedIn in a new audio format courtesy of our AI co host as they walk through the article and share additional insights exclusively for you I am Susie Price I'm your podcast host and the founder of Priceless Professional Development and whether you're listening to one of our long form episodes or something like this mini episode our focus is always to provide everything to you related to helping employees in your organization build a high commitment low drama wake up eager workforce we're focused on creating great hiring creating great teams helping leaders and individuals wake up eager you can find all of our episodes long form and short form at Wake Up Eager workforce.com and you can subscribe anywhere that you get your podcasts so let me know if you have any questions if you are enjoying these mini episodes or any of our other episodes or if I can help you in any way you can find me at Susie at priceless professional. com Susie Price on LinkedIn and of course our contact information if you go to wake up eager workforce.com thanks for tuning in appreciate you very much and go out and have a wake up eager kind of day take care

[00:01:24] AI 1 : has you ever been in that spot where you just you feel like you could be a better leader or maybe more influential even just day to day maybe prepping for something big or just wondering what that uh secret sauce really is

[00:01:36] AI 2 : absolutely it's a common feeling

[00:01:38] AI 1 : well if that sounds familiar you're definitely in the right place because today we're doing a deep dive into something absolutely fundamental for leadership communication

[00:01:47] AI 2 : the bedrock really exactly

[00:01:49] AI 1 : and our mission here is well it's pretty straightforward we want to cut through all the noise and get straight to the most impactful stuff for you mm hmm we've focused on this really insightful analysis it's called 4 Communication skills that make or break all leaders

[00:02:05] AI 2 : yeah it's a good one

[00:02:07] AI 1 : and we're going to break it down distill it to you know the core ideas think of it like your fast track to understanding what really makes great leaders tick

[00:02:15] AI 2 : and what's great about this source is how it really nails what inspires people what actually motivates them to act positively it's definitely not about that old command and control style it's more about building an environment where people feel genuinely empowered

[00:02:30] AI 1 : that makes me think of a quote the analysis brings up from Ralph Waldo Emerson it's our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be powerful isn't it

[00:02:40] AI 2 : it really is and if you think about it communication is basically the pipeline for that inspiration the pipeline I like that yeah it's how leaders connect potential with reality they paint that picture that vision and crucially make others feel like yes they can achieve it

[00:02:55] AI 1 : okay so how do you actually do that that's the big question

[00:02:58] AI 2 : well that's where this framework comes in

[00:03:00] AI 1 : right the analysis gives us this framework it's simple but pretty powerful an acronym actually

[00:03:05] AI 2 : C a L L C a L L yeah see you remember yeah and it's designed to help grasp these key skills you know the ones for building trust strengthening relationships inspiring that confidence ready to unpack C a L L let's do it okay first up c it stands for cultivate a positive sense of self in others now this isn't just like flattery right oh definitely not it's much deeper it's about actively empowering people seeing their potential recognizing their contributions and doing it authentically authentically

[00:03:36] AI 1 : that's key absolutely leaders who get this right they don't just praise tasks they build the sort of deep seated confidence in the person and that makes the whole team stronger

[00:03:47] AI 2 : exactly much stronger more cohesive more effective ultimately it's helping people see their own best qualities

[00:03:54] AI 1 : okay so cultivating positivity is crucial but what about when things go wrong problems pop up which they always do right so that brings us to the a N C a L address problems quickly by focusing on behaviors and facts this sounds potentially tricky how do you do that without making things worse

[00:04:14] AI 2 : yeah it's a really critical skill the analysis stresses sticking only to facts and observable behaviors no assumptions no judgments precisely you take out the emotional interpretation that you always or you never kind of language it keeps the conversation focused constructive

[00:04:28] AI 1 : so it's about the what not the why or the who in a blaming sense

[00:04:32] AI 2 : exactly it pays a much clearer path to actually solving the problem rather than just you know creating more conflict

[00:04:39] AI 1 : okay that makes sense moving on then from tackling problems to working together the first L is lead by inviting input and participation this feels very collaborative

[00:04:50] AI 2 : it is totally the best leaders they know they don't have all the answers they just don't right so instead they focus on creating this space this environment where people feel safe psychologically safe is the term often used

[00:05:03] AI 1 : safe to share ideas even maybe disagree

[00:05:06] AI 2 : yes safe to share ideas perspectives unique insights even challenges and this isn't just nice it demonstrably leads to better decisions

[00:05:15] AI 1 : and people feel more invested

[00:05:17] AI 2 : I imagine huge difference they feel ownership because they help shape whatever it is the outcome the plan the solution

[00:05:23] AI 1 : got it okay last letter the second L in C a L L is listen aggressively that phrase aggressive listening it sounds intense

[00:05:32] AI 2 : it does sound a bit intense doesn't it but it's not about being confrontational

[00:05:36] AI 1 : so what is it about more than just you know not talking

[00:05:39] AI 2 : oh much more it's about going way beyond just hearing the words it's about tuning in to understand the real intent behind the words the emotion yeah the content exactly the unspoken stuff the full picture when you really practice that kind of focused empathic listening it's a game changer for trust in any relationship any relationship professional personal doesn't matter you're not just waiting to jump in you're genuinely trying to understand where the other person is coming from

[00:06:06] AI 1 : okay so C a L L cultivate positivity address problems factually lead by inviting input and listen aggressively if you actually do these things consistently what's the payoff

[00:06:18] AI 2 : well the analysis is pretty clear on this it gives you a real competitive edge how so people want to work with you your team your clients your colleagues things just get easier

[00:06:28] AI 1 : easier like less friction

[00:06:29] AI 2 : less friction more natural flow more authenticity think about work projects sales conversations they feel less like a struggle and more like a collaboration and beyond work does it spill over absolutely if you zoom out it impacts pretty much every part of your life you build deeper trust you have more honest conversations just better connections all around

[00:06:50] AI 1 : okay that all sounds great in theory but you know people might be thinking where's the proof does this stuff really work in the real world

[00:06:58] AI 2 : great question and the analysis tackles that head on it looks at what actual employees say about their leaders they gathered feedback from thousands of people all sorts of industries too aviation healthcare sales tech really diverse

[00:07:14] AI 1 : and what did they find were there common themes about the best leaders

[00:07:18] AI 2 : oh yeah very consistent themes people constantly use words like great listener fair knowledgeable listening again always comes up also things like gave me confidence or believed in me and interestingly gave me confidence in their company or believed in their product

[00:07:33] AI 1 : so confidence in the person and the mission exactly

[00:07:36] AI 2 : other common phrases were inspired me to my best I trusted this person often followed by that she had my best interests in mind

[00:07:44] AI 1 : trust is huge

[00:07:45] AI 2 : crucial also was straight with me telling the truth good or bad made sure my goals were understood looked out for my development and back to collaboration asked for my opinion and input

[00:07:57] AI 1 : wow it paints a really clear picture

[00:07:59] AI 2 : it does and there's this one quote the source highlights that really sums it up an employee said I wanted to work with this person I never dreaded our meetings I did more for this person than I did for others because of the confidence and trust I felt

[00:08:13] AI 1 : that says it all really doing more because you feel that trust

[00:08:16] AI 2 : it really does and what this feedback shows is that people universally value these things trust feeling supported fairness clear communication

[00:08:25] AI 1 : leadership greatness isn't some magic formula

[00:08:28] AI 2 : no it's about understanding what people fundamentally need from their leaders to be effective themselves it comes from them

[00:08:35] AI 1 : and this isn't just based on stories right you mentioned data earlier

[00:08:38] AI 2 : correct these anecdotal findings these human experiences they're strongly supported by hard data the analysis points specifically to Gallup research Gallup they do massive studies right huge this one involved nearly 8,000 teams 7,935 to be exact across 36 countries wow and they proved quantitatively the bottom line impact of mastering these skills trust building relationship building yeah it hits the numbers

[00:09:06] AI 1 : okay so what kind of numbers are we talking about what's the tangible impact

[00:09:08] AI 2 : well Gallup looked at what happens when you have say a 25% team that's genuinely motivated and inspired what they call engaged right engaged teams what's the difference it's pretty staggering those engaged teams they brought in over $80,000 more in monthly revenue 80,000 a month per month plus 1 to 4% higher monthly profits success rates were 103% higher

[00:09:31] AI 1 : 103% that's more than double

[00:09:33] AI 2 : exactly and on top of that stronger customer loyalty and significantly lower unwanted turnover people stick around

[00:09:41] AI 1 : those aren't small differences that's major impact

[00:09:43] AI 2 : it absolutely is so the big takeaway here for you is that trust strong relationships they aren't just nice to have they are critical for better performance higher profits happier teams and it all circles back to communication better communication from leaders drives this

[00:10:00] AI 1 : okay this is all incredibly compelling but here's the thing that might feel daunting can anyone actually learn this stuff or are some people just you know born with it

[00:10:11] AI 2 : that's the best part maybe the analysis makes it really clear these are not traits reserved for some mythical natural born leader no no these are skills and like any skill they can be Learned they can be practiced and yeah they can be mastered anyone can do it if they put in the effort

[00:10:27] AI 1 : that's really encouraging so it's not about changing your personality it's about honing specific skills

[00:10:31] AI 2 : precisely and that leads to a kind of challenge the material poses directly to you the listener hey what's the challenge it asks what would happen if you focused on just one of these skills maybe cultivating trust or addressing challenges clearly or inviting input or that deep listening just one in every interaction you have this week just pick one and focus just one see what changes it's a simple starting point but potentially really transformative

[00:10:59] AI 1 : so really if you want to step up your leadership it doesn't need to be overly complex

[00:11:04] AI 2 : it's not complex no but it does need intention right

[00:11:07] AI 1 : intention practice and really committing to connecting meaningfully with people that's the heart of it okay so let's quickly recap what we've dug into today the big insight is that communication it's not a soft skill definitely not it's the absolute cornerstone of effective leadership it's the engine driving real measurable results revenue profit loyalty morale

[00:11:31] AI 2 : you name it and the truly empowering piece is knowing these skills aren't some innate gift they're learnable they're actionable

[00:11:38] AI 1 : the power is literally in your hands

[00:11:40] AI 2 : exactly you can start cultivating these skills today and genuinely transform not just your leadership but all your relationships

[00:11:46] AI 1 : so as we wrap up here's something to think about considering everything we've unpacked today what's one small shift you could make in your communication just one thing that could start a ripple effect of trust and engagement right where you are starting today

Connect with Suzie:

• LinkedIn: Suzie Price
• LinkedIn: Priceless Professional Development
• LinkedIn: Wake Up Eager Workforce Podcast

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