The Look & Sound of Leadership Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office
Apr 2, 2026
Lois Frankel, a counseling psychologist and author who coaches women on leadership and workplace behavior. She discusses why many women hold back in senior meetings. Practical baby steps and scripts for speaking up are shared. Techniques for reclaiming ideas when others repeat them are highlighted.
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How Tom And Lois Started Coaching Together
- Tom met Lois over 30 years ago when she recruited him into Corporate Coaching International after leaving corporate HR.
- Lois built coaching as a perk for high performers and launched a successful coaching business that included Tom as a coach.
Nice Girls Was A Breakthrough Moment
- Lois' book Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office became a global phenomenon in 2004 and changed Corporate Coaching International's visibility overnight.
- The book has stayed influential, with a 2014 update and a newly published third edition discussed in this episode.
Start By Exploring Past Messages Then Use Baby Steps
- When a woman hesitates in senior meetings, explore whether people in the room represent past authority figures and address that backstory.
- Then give baby-step behaviors like amplifying others to build voice and alliances before speaking solo.
