Get the Elephant Out of the Room: Make Difficult Conversations Easy

In this episode, Martin le Comte shares insights on leadership, giving and receiving feedback, something he calls "The F Word" and managing difficult people.
We talk about our leadership errors, how you can avoid them and how to make people feel special. 
Key Headlines
Never negotiate on behaviour—address issues privately immediately.
Know your people—understand their motivations and preferences.
Use positive reinforcement and catch people doing things right.
Be authentic and consistent in your leadership approach.
Create operating principles as team rules to foster culture.
Key Words
Leadership, Feedback, Team Culture, Difficult People, Management, Leadership Development
Martin Le Comte
Facilitator, keynote speaker and author of ‘The ten Golden Rules of Leadership, Martin has over 30 years’ experience of leading and managing teams in both financial services and SME businesses.
He is passionate about developing leaders and organisations to effectively motivate, develop, and inspire individuals and teams, valuing practical solutions over theoretical ideals. He has worked with range of global clients in finance, media, FMCG’s, transport and education in USA, Kenya, Australia, Singapore, Armenia and the Netherlands.
In the conversation Martin shares his personal experience, both when he got it right, but more importantly when he got it wrong, to help avoid others falling into some of the same traps as he did.
Chris Webber
I am an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. My mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work.I talk about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. I deliver 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise their own or their team's performance at work. I run training programmes for groups and offer advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. Ways to Stay Informed:➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📚 Buy my book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work✅ For exclusive content behind-the-scenes insight and commentaries, follow my WhatsApp Channel📧 Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠Working with me enables my clients to gain an edge, increase revenue, and drive productivity because the communication skills I teach empower them to build trust, build strong partnerships, and make an impact where competitors fail.
 
 
 

In this episode, Scott from Inspiring Change shares insights on organisational culture, dealing with difficult people, and the importance of intentionality in leadership. Discover practical strategies to foster a strong, aligned culture and handle challenging behaviours effectively.
Key Topics
The importance of intentional culture in organisations
How behaviors reflect and shape culture
Dealing with difficult people at work
The impact of high-performing individuals on culture
Strategies for creating and maintaining a strong culture
Lessons for Individuals and Leaders 
Culture is a vehicle for strategy, not just a feel-good factor.
The worst behaviour you're willing to tolerate defines your culture.
Creating a strong, aligned culture takes 3-5 years of consistent effort.
Behavioural clarity and accountability are key to cultural change.
High performers can negatively impact culture if their behaviour is misaligned.

If you are passionate about developing people to their full potential this is an essential listen. Amazon through their culture, processes and programmes force out ego and politics and develop people. In this episode we hear one of their success stories. 
Jenny Schumacher is a Director at Amazon after starting 14 years ago as an Executive Assistant. She did not believe her manager who kept telling her to take on more. But with support and courage she developed into a respected leader. 
In this episode she shares her inspiring journey and tells us about how she coped with disrespectful leaders and how Amazon deals with that type of behaviour to stamp it out. 
More About Chris Webber
Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. 
He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. 
Ways to Stay Informed
Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work
For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel
Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

We might not realise it, but when we are discussing plans and strategies with colleagues and customers we are trying to predict the future. People who have authority are people we trust to predict the future accurately 
 
If you are trying to influence others, you need to build your credibility as someone with knowledge that others need to listen to . 
 
In this episode I talk about how and why this matters  
 
More About Chris Webber
Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. 
He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. 
Ways to Stay Informed
Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work
For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel
Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

If you have ever wanted to deliver a strategy that would truly change the performance of your business but were unsure how to start, this episode is for you.
Andy Gibson tells us about how he completely transformed a business in Australia. He expanded the category, stopped selling units, started selling fridges and turned a ready-to-drink spirit into a phenomenon. 
He challenged perception, built alliances, set a vision and was courageous in execution . He tells us about the 'fierce' conversations that helped and how building momentum through 'wins' really matters when the vision is HUGE.
Andy Gibson is a business and marketing consultant who transforms global businesses and brands with world class brand-building tools and processes honed from 25+ years of global experience. 
He has worked with some of the worlds biggest brands leading their marketing teams and today is a consultant in demand around the world from businesses seeking to get an edge in performance. 
More About Chris Webber
Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. 
He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. 
Ways to Stay Informed
Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work
For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel
Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

Challenging situations are easy to avoid because we can deflect them to other people. But the people we really admire and the moments we are truly proud of are the ones who take personal accountability for doing hard things. 
In this episode I talk about what is required to take personal accountability for tough moments and share some lessons we have heard from previous guests. 
More About Chris Webber
Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. 
He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. 
Ways to Stay Informed
Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work
For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel
Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

Great salespeople turn doubters into advocates. In this episode, we learn how it can be done under incredibly challenging circumstances.
How can you build trust with a customer who thinks you are exploiting them over price because they have no other options? 
That is what Anthony Carter was able to do, despite being unable to cut the price. 
He was faced with an angry customer, desperate to get a better deal and who's ego and status was threatened. 
He was patient, empathetic and demonstrated vulnerability to turn this angry customer into a long term partner who delivered sustained value to the business. 
Listen to find out how.
Anthony Carter is an established sales leader currently building a team ahead of an exciting launch. His vision is a team of commercial people who can unlock difficult markets and solve customer problems. He joins us to talk about his experience of creating strong relationships and how deeper understanding and empathy can deliver opportunities for everyone. 
More About Chris Webber
Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. 
He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. 
Ways to Stay Informed
Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work
For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel
Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

How can you build powerful partnerships and drive loyalty in markets where prices should dominate?
Michael Lange is a Sales Leader who has excelled in selling commodities for decades. 
How?
He finds value based on true needs, not just costs. Then he is relentless in ensuring his teams deliver excellence. 
In this episode he shares his insights, wisdom and experience in sales and lets us in on the secret to sustained success when the products are the same. 
More About Chris Webber
Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. 
He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. 
Ways to Stay Informed
Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work
For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel
Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠

How to cope when a colleague shouts at you and becomes parental! 
In this episode I talk to Mary Gregory who shares her experience from the past. 
The lesson is that timing matters, but also that you need to respond with intention, not emotionally. 
The patience to allow them to vent and to allow them to exhaust the emotion is a great start. It is important to let them feel heard, but not to allow them to win. 
We discuss the mechanism of Transactional Analysis and how power can affect culture, with some very interesting currency! 
Mary talks about how meeting rooms can be used as a power lever.
Mary Gregory is an award winning Executive Coach and author of the book Ego:Get Over Yourself & Lead. 
She works with senior leaders who want to lead with authenticity, navigate complexity with clarity, and grow real, grounded confidence. Much of her work focuses on supporting women and those navigating systemic barriers, but she also coaches male leaders committed to conscious, inclusive leadership.
Follow Mary Gregory on LinkedIn
Chris Webber - Founder Foxleigh Commercial Performance
Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Buy my book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work
www.gettheelephantout.com
For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel
I share my experiences and insights into various profiles of difficult people at work. Through stories and my personal experiences, I explain how you can achieve success despite them. 
Receive my Newsletter⁠⁠⁠
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Paula Tully is dedicated to creating leaders with intention, but her journey of success is an inspiring one littered with grit and vision.
In this episode we discuss the 6 “C’s” that form the heart of her coaching, but we delve into some of the toughest times in her life and share how Paula’s grit and optimism fuelled her through some very tough moments and set her on the path to today. Now she shares her wisdom with others and her focus on happiness and the dance of life is an inspirational message to her dozens of senior clients.”
 
More information about Paula:
Website : https://escentia.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-tully-18367313/
More About Chris Webber
Chris is an author, business performance adviser and former sportsman. His mission is to give everyone the confidence they need to overcome the difficult moments at work. He talks about influence, negotiation, inspiring action and performance culture at work. 
He delivers 1:1 performance development programmes to executives, leaders and business people who want to raise performance at work. He runs training programmes for groups and offers advice for organisations preparing for key moments such as price changes, negotiations and launches. 
Ways to Stay Informed
Follow Chris on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Buy the book - Get the Elephant Out of the Room. Outsmart Difficult People at Work
For exclusive content and behind the scenes insight and commentaries follow the WhatsApp Channel
Receive the Email Newsletter⁠⁠⁠
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