Leveraging Leadership

The episode breaks down how skill-based assessments can help make better hiring decisions, whether you’re hiring for an entry-level analyst, a digital marketing specialist, or a software engineer. Emily Sander shares real-life examples like using SEO quizzes, press release writing tasks, and real client scenarios to test candidates’ technical abilities. The advice is to create assessments that match the actual job and adjust them for the level of the role, especially if you’re a Chief of Staff leading the process.Get in touch with Emily:Want help designing skill-based hiring assessments? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here. Free Leadership Resources LinkedInWebsiteNewsletter Who Am I?If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. Time Stamps:00:25 Why Skill Assessments Matter01:04 Hiring as Chief of Staff01:31 Two Assessment Principles02:45 Digital Marketing Hiring Story04:12 Quizzes Plus Real Scenarios07:02 Comms Tests and AI Concerns08:41 Engineering Whiteboard Pressure10:40 Assessing Senior Leaders14:00 Be Selective and Trust Process

Emily Sander talks with Keosha Lucas about whether the Chief of Staff role is a career destination or a stepping stone. Keosha shares her path from Lyft, where she did Chief of Staff work under different titles, to startups and eventually becoming a Senior Vice President and co-founding a fintech company. She gives practical advice on gaining experience, handling imposter syndrome, and how Chief of Staff skills prepared her to run a business.Get in touch with Emily:Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here. Free Leadership Resources LinkedInWebsiteNewsletter Who Am I?If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. Time Stamps:00:28 Meet Keosha Lucas02:05 Doing CoS Work Without Title06:05 Growing Pains and Processes08:57 Discovering the CoS Title16:04 Confidence and Imposter Syndrome19:12 Career Arc to SVP and Founder25:46 CoS as Destination and Advice

The episode looks at jargon and acronyms in the workplace, using examples like ARR (annual rate of return) and CPA (cost per acquisition or certified public accountant), and talks about ways to learn or clarify business lingo. It emphasizes that asking questions doesn’t make you look stupid and highlights the Chief of Staff’s role in creating a shared language across teams, especially during mergers or integrations. Tips include using tools like Google or ChatGPT, paying attention to context, and not overcomplicating things with unnecessary jargon.Get in touch with Emily:Confused by business jargon? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here. Free Leadership Resources LinkedInWebsiteNewsletter Who Am I?If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. Time Stamps:00:25 The Acronym Anxiety01:34 Step Back and Normalize Jargon04:05 Learn by Context and Quick Lookups06:45 Ask Anyway You're Not Dumb09:45 Why Clarifying Helps Everyone12:12 Chief of Staff Shared Language17:38 Communicate Clearly Avoid Buzzwords21:47 Key Takeaways and Wrap Up

Emily Sander talks with Maren Perry, founder and CEO of Arden Coaching, about what HR really does beyond paperwork, why leadership development should start early, and the habits of high-performing teams. They cover tips for giving and receiving feedback, how emotional intelligence works in day-to-day situations, and how small changes - like starting meetings on time - can improve team culture. Maren Perry also explains Arden Coaching’s assessment tools and approaches for building better leaders at all stages of their careers.Links Mentioned:Arden Coaching websiteFree assessment (organizational quiz)Get in touch with Emily:Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here. Free Leadership Resources LinkedInWebsiteNewsletter Who Am I?If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. Time Stamps:00:59 Why Arden Coaching04:20 Develop Leaders Earlier08:24 Feedback and EQ Skills17:41 Align With The Leader20:52 Small Shifts Big Impact22:04 Common Team Breakdowns32:59 Assessment Services And Wrap

Practical tactics for Chiefs of Staff to collaborate across teams are explored in short, actionable ideas. Tips include quick workflow fixes, small thoughtful gestures, and owning cross-department projects like KPI dashboards. Automation and training to sustain improvements are highlighted. Strategies for handling and overcoming peer resistance with empathy and measurable wins are discussed.

Emily talks with performance coach Benjamin Smith about using sports psychology and mindfulness for better leadership. They cover tools like visualization, breathwork, and grounding exercises for handling pressure, and discuss the importance of play, self-compassion, and knowing your core values. Benjamin also shares why striving for endless self-improvement isn’t always the answer and how feeling “whole” is key to real performance.Links Mentioned:Benjamin Smith's WebsiteBenjamin Smith’s SubstackGet in touch with Emily:Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here. Free Leadership Resources LinkedInWebsiteNewsletter Who Am I?If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. Time Stamps:01:04 Sports Psychology Basics02:27 Quarterback Pressure Tools09:35 Flow State And Mindfulness17:01 Conflict And Body Awareness23:06 Body Based Calming Tools25:09 Reframing Threat as Safety26:20 Compassion in High Performance27:48 Beyond Self Improvement Mindfulness40:01 Play Joy and Closing

Emily answers a listener named Dallas, a longtime tree company owner, who’s struggling to get traction applying for Chief of Staff roles after his business closed. She talks about being seen as overqualified, how to preempt concerns on a resume and in interviews, and ways to use founder experience as an advantage. Emily gives examples like using a simple explanation on LinkedIn and resumes, referencing candidates moving from CEO roles, and how to address the “overqualified” issue directly with hiring managers.Get in touch with Emily:Want help repositioning your founder experience for a Chief of Staff role? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here. Free Leadership Resources LinkedInWebsiteNewsletter Who Am I?If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.Time Stamps:00:25 Listener Question Setup01:22 Why You Seem Overqualified02:57 Resume and LinkedIn Reframe04:25 CFO Story Example05:57 Practice a Calm Talk Track06:53 Founder Experience as an Asset08:22 Family Business Dynamics09:44 Get Feedback and Target Fit11:52 Disarm Concerns and Wrap Up

Veer Soni, Chief of Staff at an investment firm and former personal aide at the White House, brings high-pressure ops and strategic support experience. He recounts running comms and events, translating government skills to venture work, protecting principals’ focus, and expanding into diligence and founder support. Short, practical stories about trust, anticipation, and scaling impact.

Tips for keeping conversations going as Chief of Staff, like following up after a listening tour and spotting ways to help teammates. Examples include offering to QA an automated process or noticing patterns such as a lack of people management experience, then coordinating training. Early on, it's important to follow up on small things, even if they're only a big deal to one person.Get in touch with Emily:Want to turn conversations into action as a Chief of Staff? Book a clarity call w/ Emily here. Free Leadership Resources LinkedInWebsiteNewsletter Who Am I?If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.Time Stamps:00:25 Why Listening Tours Matter00:58 Setting Up Intro Meetings01:59 Avoid One and Done Chats03:21 Research Then Reconnect04:50 Turn Insights Into Initiatives07:19 Right Size Your Follow Ups09:40 When to Relaunch the Role

Audley Stephenson shares his journey from basketball fan to podcast host and sports league commissioner, highlighting how audacity shaped his life and career. He explains the BOLD Framework for living audaciously, discusses meeting Kobe Bryant, and debunks myths about audacity by showing it's not reserved for elite achievers or reckless acts. Audley also talks about building self-awareness, celebrating small wins, and the importance of taking action.Links Mentioned:Audley Stephenson’s PodcastAudley Stephenson’s WebsiteGet in touch with Emily:Want to chat with Emily? Book a quick clarity call here. Free Leadership Resources LinkedInWebsiteNewsletter Who Am I?If we haven’t met before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want. Time Stamps:02:07 Origin of Audacity04:09 Basketball Podcast Breakthrough06:26 Pandemic Pivot to Purpose10:29 Bold Framework and Myths23:20 Affirmations Need Action24:47 Courage Before Confidence25:20 Reframing Failure as Data27:51 Bold Leadership Decisions35:11 Audacity Myths and Legacy