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Lead the PeopleLead The People is your guide to unlocking your true potential as an authentic leader. Author: Matt Poepsel, PhD
Lead The People is your guide to unlocking your true potential as an authentic leader. Hosted by Dr. Matt PoepselThe Godfather of Talent Optimizationthis podcast dives deep into the art and science of what it takes to lead at the next level. With insightful conversations and practical strategies, each episode equips executives, strategic HR pros, and aspiring leaders with the tools it takes to boost performance, inspire teams, and drive meaningful impact. Whether exploring the latest workplace trends or tackling real-world leadership challenges, Lead The People offers an enlightened approach to leadership. Embark on a rewarding journey to become the leader your people deservethe leader you were meant to be. Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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#183 How to Hear the People Who Never Speak Up (feat. Jess Britt)
Episode 182
Thursday, 6 August, 2026
Culture shows up in the small moments, and few moments are smaller, or more revealing, than a meeting. Most managers treat meetings as a scheduling problem to survive rather than a leadership opportunity to design. But for Jess Britt, leadership coach and meeting design expert, the real cost of a badly run meeting isn't wasted time; it's the leadership behavior you're modeling every time you fail to use the room well.In this episode, Matt Poepsel sits down with Jess Britt, leadership coach and author of the newsletter Set the Agenda, to dig into why every meeting is a test of leadership, why the opportunity cost of a bad meeting goes far beyond payroll, and how a simple four-part framework can turn any meeting into a chance to develop your team. Jess challenges the idea that meetings are just something to get through, making the case that how you run a meeting communicates exactly what you value: whose input counts, whether you've thought ahead, and what behavior gets tolerated. Together, they explore how to draw out quieter voices, run hybrid meetings without losing half the room, and use AI as a tool without letting it excuse bad meeting design. In this episode, you'll learn:The Opportunity Cost of a Bad Meeting: It's not just about the meeting itself; it's about what your team could have been doing instead, and what value gets left on the table when you don't make the most of the time you already have.The Four Building Blocks: Every effective meeting runs on housekeeping, warm-up, content, and close, and naming them makes it easier to run them with intention.Drawing Out Quiet Voices: Structuring engagement through pair-shares, written reflection, or simply asking who hasn't spoken yet gets you input you'd otherwise miss.Leading Hybrid Without Losing the Room: Starting with remote participants first, setting clear norms, and assigning an in-room advocate keeps hybrid meetings from splitting into two experiences.Highlights:(00:00) Meet Jess Britt(01:05) What drew Jess to meetings and fixing them(02:37) Meetings as a leadership skill set(04:42) The opportunity cost of a bad meeting(08:14) The four building blocks of a meeting(9:06) Why every meeting should have an agenda(11:36) What happens during the warm-up(14:02) What an actual intentional close looks like(17:32) The difference between a personal meeting objective vs an agenda item(20:45) Being a leader means developing other leaders(23:50) Drawing out the quieter voices in the room(26:25) Running hybrid meetings without losing half the room(28:00) Is AI making our meetings better?Resources:Follow Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-britt/ Subscribe to Jess's newsletter, Set the Agenda : https://settheagenda.com/Learn more about Jess's work: jessbritt.comFollow Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattpoepsel/Subscribe to The Predictive Index on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePredictiveIndexCreated in partnership with Share Your Genius: shareyourgenius.com
