Permission to Speak Podcast. Hosted by Leadership Communications Expert Kelly Vandever. Episode #52 - Melissa Karz. Permission to Speak is the video blog and podcast that loiters at the intersections of leaders who want their people to speak up, technology that facilitates connections, and results that serve an organization’s higher purpose. 

About Melissa Karz:

Melissa believes that success is fueled as much by personal factors as by professional ones.  She helps clients understand the depth of their potential, and the steps they can take to achieve personal and professional success.

Melissa is an executive and career coach. She partners with her clients to leverage and develop the strengths, competencies, and knowledge necessary for success in assimilating into new and expanded roles, effective leadership, successful career transition and team effectiveness. Her clients have included Sony Pictures Entertainment, Edmonds.com, First Republic Bank, Warner Brothers, and lots of growing startups.  Melissa has spoken widely and written on professional relationship building. Her book, Invisible Bridges: Building Professional Relationships for Results,has been featured in Fortuneand The Los Angeles Times.

For more information or to work with Melissa, email her at [email protected]

Topics Discussed:

The Leadership Circle Profile 

Feedback for leaders

360 degree feedback

“The 360 feedback phase of an engagement or the assessment phase is where a lot of the insight happens and the coaching phase is where a lot of the change happens.”  Melissa Karz

Coaching leaders to be their best self

Executive coaching

Team effectiveness

Active listening

Melissa’s book, Invisible Bridges: Building Professional Relationships for Results

Leadership skills can be learned

60% of leaders are introverts

Being authentic is what’s most important for good leadership

Relationship building competency becomes more important as leaders move up the food chain

Collaboration, good listening skills, being more strategic – are skills that grow in importance as leaders progress  

Importance of a growth mindset and coachability

Questions to ask yourself to see if you’re open to feedback:

When was the last time I got feedback?

How open was I to the feedback?  

What was my response? 

Create a feedback culture, where feedback is normalized

Fear around feedback

Create a ritual around asking for feedback

Check yourself before you wreck yourself

Ask yourself, “What holds you back from being more open to feedback?”

Harvard Business Review articles on feedback

Fear of Feedback – universally held fear

But there are even better reason to do it

Feedback builds trust

Feedback is a growth tool

Craft experiment to integrate feedback

Making changes

We’re always doing our best

For more information or to work with Melissa, email her at [email protected]

Questions Answered:

What holds me back from being more open to feedback as a leader?

Why am I afraid to hear feedback?

Why am I afraid to give feedback to my leader?

What can I do as a leader to get better feedback from my team?

Recommended Book:  

Invisible Bridges: Building Professional Relationships for Results