What would change in your culture—and your revenue—if people didn't have to put on "work armor" just to show up?

In this LinkedIn Live edition of Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick sits down with Claude Silver, the world's first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX, to unpack the contents of her new book "Be Yourself at Work" and what it looks like when the pace is fast, the stakes are high, and the workplace is more human than ever.

Claude's thought leadership is practical, not performative. She isn't selling "soft." She's building the conditions for performance: psychological safety, real connection, and a culture where people can speak up, belong, and do their best work.

You'll hear how Claude creates language and frameworks that spread. Not as slogans, but as usable tools—like "emotional optimism," her belief-based approach to empathy and accountability that teams can actually practice.

This conversation also goes where most leadership content won't. If "bring your whole self" is the invitation, what happens when someone's "self" is disruptive? Claude breaks down how healthy cultures don't tolerate consistent bad behavior—and how leaders can address "death by a thousand paper cuts" moments like chronic interruption, contempt, and the slow erosion of trust.

Claude's message is clear: you are the CEO of you. Self-awareness isn't a vibe. It's a leadership requirement. And when people stop pretending—stop performing "credible" and start showing up real—the organization gets stronger, faster, and more resilient.

She also shares how she measures success as a thought leader: not just book sales, but whether her language, models, and exercises enter the zeitgeist—and whether her work can be taught, scaled, and adopted through curriculum and "train-the-trainer" pathways.

And for leaders still clinging to old rules ("check your life at the door"), this episode is a timely reset. The workplace changed. Expectations changed. The best leaders will change too—without losing standards, accountability, or results.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Culture is a performance system, not a perk. Claude's core idea is that "heart" work (belonging, psychological safety, trust) isn't soft—it's the infrastructure that allows teams to move fast, collaborate cleanly, and deliver consistently.

• "Bring your whole self" still requires standards. You can invite authenticity while refusing behavior that erodes the room. Claude calls out the real culture-killers—chronic interruption, contempt, the "death by a thousand paper cuts"—and treats addressing them as leadership, not HR.

• Your thought leadership scales when it becomes usable language. Claude's impact isn't just the role title—it's the frameworks and phrases people can adopt (like "emotional optimism") and the intent to embed them through teachable curriculum and train-the-trainer paths so the ideas spread beyond her.

If Claude Silver's message resonated—lead with heart and hold the line on standards—your next listen should be Susan Scott's "Fierce Thought Leadership" episode.

They share the same core conviction: culture is built in conversations. Claude gives you the human-centered leadership lens. Susan gives you the conversation discipline to make it real—especially when stakes are high and tension is in the room.

Listen to both and you'll walk away with a powerful one-two punch: how to create psychological safety and how to speak with clarity and courage so accountability doesn't become conflict—and performance doesn't come at the expense of people.

What happens when you walk away from the big logo—and discover that your thought leadership gets sharper, not smaller?

In this episode, Peter Winick sits down with David Lancefield, host of Lancefield on the Line podcast, a strategy coach to CEOs, C-suite leaders, and founders who has advised more than 50 CEOs and hundreds of executives over three decades. David writes on strategy, leadership, and culture for outlets like Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan, and he's deeply focused on what strategy looks like in practice, not just on slides.

David breaks down what thought leadership actually does when it's done well: it differentiates you, attracts the right conversations, and creates a platform for real debate. But he's equally blunt about what it becomes when it's done poorly—a "glorified brochure" sitting on top of a product. If you've ever wondered why some "insights" feel alive and others feel like marketing copy, this is the distinction.

You'll hear how David approaches thought leadership now that it's tied to his name, not a firm's brand. He's intent on building a credible voice in a cluttered marketplace by staying rooted in the work he cares most about: strategy as an operating system for day-to-day decisions, leadership behaviors that actually move outcomes, and culture as a lever—not a poster. His writing isn't just content. It's credentialing. It's a signal. And yes, it drives leads—though he's candid about the reality: quality varies, and discernment matters.

The conversation also goes deep on collaboration as a serious thought leadership growth strategy. David argues that one voice is rarely enough anymore—and that co-creating with the right partner can make 1+1=3, if you do it intentionally. He lays out what "good collaboration" looks like: shared premise, distinct lenses, complementary audiences, and—most importantly—operating standards. Deadlines. Quality. Mutual ownership. No babysitting. No chaos. Just professional chemistry that produces better ideas faster.

Finally, David unpacks a subtle but important shift many leaders miss when they move from institution to independence: the definition of "enough." Inside big organizations, "enough" rarely exists—there's always another growth target, another push, another rung. Outside, you can reverse-engineer your needs, design your capacity, and choose work that fits your life without losing intensity or impact. It's not about working less. It's about working with agency.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Thought leadership is either a differentiator—or a brochure. At its best, it creates a platform for debate, positions you as an originator, and connects directly to real services and outcomes. At its worst, it's "a glorified brochure on top of a product."

• Independence forces clarity on your voice, not your résumé. When you leave the big brand, people care less about who you were and more about who you are now—and what you stand for. Your writing becomes proof of credibility, not just content.

• Collaboration can be a growth strategy—if your operating standards match. The upside is 1+1=3: shared premise, complementary lenses, expanded audiences. The risk is misalignment on deadlines, quality, and effort—so you have to set expectations early like pros.

If you liked David Lancefield's take on credibility and differentiation, listen to Episode 9 with Charles H. Green ("The Trusted Advisor").

Charles shows how trust is the real engine that turns thought leadership into better conversations, faster decisions, and stronger client relationships. It's the perfect companion to David's message: don't just sound smart—become the advisor buyers believe and choose.

• Your work won't speak for itself—amplification is part of the job. Do good work, yes. But you have to shepherd it into the right rooms, at the right time, with the right message. PR is the tool that helps that happen

• Authority is built by consistency, not a one-time splash. Waiting until you "have something to promote" costs you money, recognition, and momentum. Start now. Show up regularly. Trust compounds when people see your ideas repeatedly across formats.

• PR is story + packaging for short attention spans—and it can't be a black box. The core job is uncovering what's interesting about your expertise, why it matters now, and presenting it in a way people will actually pay attention to. Then put systems around it (including tracking) so it ties back to real outcomes.

If this episode got you thinking about amplifying expertise into authority, go cue up Episode 13 with Pete Weisman next.

You'll get a practical playbook for turning strong ideas into executive-level visibility—including how to diversify your offerings, focus your audience, and claim a clear niche so your thought leadership lands with the people who can say "yes."

It aligns perfectly with the themes you just heard: amplification over hoping, consistency over one-off wins, and strategy over random activity—all aimed at building recognition that actually supports growth.

What if the biggest lever you have today isn't another action plan—but one decision?

In this episode, Bill Sherman talks with Apollo Emeka, who calls himself "the big decisions guy," and traces how that identity started early—when Apollo was effectively handed the power to choose school or not as a kid, and felt the real-world consequences of deciding either way.

Apollo's path is anything but linear: military service, Iraq deployment, an FBI internship, and a mindset shaped by high-stakes environments where "what could go wrong?" isn't drama—it's a discipline. He shares a vivid example: after his family was impacted by the Eaton fire in Altadena and evacuated, they stress-tested a radical idea (moving to Panama) by asking that question seriously, researching risks, and acting fast once no deal-breakers showed up.

A turning point came when Apollo commissioned a third party to interview his clients and surface where his real impact was. The message was consistent: decision-making. That clarity gave him permission to drop the "other consulting stuff" and go all-in on helping leaders make better decisions faster—then validating the shift publicly and operationally (including flipping his website).

You'll hear practical tools, not theory. Apollo describes how most leaders' stated goals score shockingly low on a fulfillment scale—often a 6 or 7—because they're inherited, socially pressured, or "sensible," not energizing. That insight becomes the doorway to choosing goals you actually want, not goals you can defend.

He also lays out what he calls a "big decision" framework: it must be a 10/10 on fulfillment, read like a toddler's run-on sentence (because it forces your competing life priorities onto the same page), make other decisions easier, and be bold enough that people might call you crazy. Apollo reads his own big decision statement—including the ambition to build scale through a best-selling book, a top podcast, and bigger stages, while protecting what matters at home.

Finally, Apollo names the hidden saboteurs that keep smart people stuck: the "decision monsters." He trains clients to stop living in "can / should / could," and to recognize three common blockers—feasibility, worthiness, and social judgment—so leaders can choose with intention instead of permission.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Make one "big decision" that simplifies everything else. A real big decision is designed to be high-fulfillment (a 10/10), bold enough to feel uncomfortable, and specific enough that future choices get easier because they can be measured against it.

• Stop chasing goals you can defend and start choosing goals you actually want. Apollo argues many leaders rate their current goals at only a 6–7 on fulfillment because they're inherited, socially expected, or "sensible." The fix is to re-select goals based on energy and meaning—not optics.

• Name the "decision monsters" before they run the meeting in your head. He calls out the common traps—living in "can/should/could," fear about feasibility, doubts about worthiness, and worry about social judgment. Once you label the blocker, you can choose directly instead of negotiating with it.

If this week's episode got you thinking about making one clear decision that cuts through noise, you'll get even more value from Lee Caraher's conversation—because it lives in the same territory: clarity under pressure and the choices leaders make when the old playbook stops working. Lee digs into how to lead across generations without the drama, how to shift your approach when talent and expectations change, and what to do when a business model needs a reset. Listen to sharpen your decision filters, reduce second-guessing, and walk away with practical moves you can use immediately.

What happens when your AI strategy moves faster than your team's ability to trust it, govern it, or explain it?

In this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, Peter Winick sits down with Kate O'Neill—Founder & CEO of KO Insights, author of "What Matters Next", and globally recognized as a "tech humanist"—to unpack what leaders are getting dangerously wrong about digital transformation right now.

Kate challenges the default mindset that tech exists to serve the business first and humans second. She reframes the entire conversation as a three-way relationship between business, humans, and technology. That shift matters, because "human impact" isn't a nice-to-have. It's the core variable that determines whether innovation scales sustainably or collapses under backlash, risk, and regret.

You'll hear why so many companies are racing into AI with confidence on the surface and fear underneath. Boards want speed. Markets reward bold moves. But many executives privately admit they don't fully understand the complexity or consequences of the decisions they're being pressured to make. Kate gives language for that tension and practical frameworks for "future-ready" leadership that doesn't sacrifice long-term resilience for short-term acceleration.

The conversation gets real about what trust and risk actually mean in an AI-driven world. Kate argues that leaders need a better taxonomy of both—because without it, AI becomes a multiplier of bad decisions, not a generator of better ones. Faster isn't automatically smarter. And speed without wisdom is just expensive chaos.

Finally, Kate shares the larger mission behind her work: influencing the decisions that impact millions of people downstream. Her "10,000 Boardrooms for 1 Billion People" initiative is built around one big idea—if we want human-friendly tech at scale, we need better thinking at the top. Not performative ethics. Not buzzwords. Better decisions, made earlier, by the people with the power to set direction.

If you lead strategy, product, innovation, or culture—and you're feeling the pressure to "move faster" with AI—this episode gives you the language, frameworks, and leadership posture to move responsibly without losing momentum.


Three Key Takeaways:
• Human impact isn't a soft metric—it's a strategy decision.
Kate reframes transformation as a three-way relationship between business, humans, and technology. If you don't design for the human outcome, the business outcome eventually breaks.

• AI speed without trust creates risk.
Leaders feel pressure to move fast, but trust, governance, and clarity lag behind. Without a shared understanding of risk and responsibility, AI becomes a multiplier of bad decisions.

• Better decisions upstream create better outcomes at scale.
Kate's "10,000 Boardrooms for 1 Billion People" idea drives home that the biggest lever isn't the tool—it's leadership judgment. The earlier the thinking improves at the top, the safer and more scalable innovation becomes.

If Kate's "tech humanist" lens made you rethink how you're leading AI and transformation, your next listen should be our episode 149 with Brian Solis. Brian goes deep on what most leaders miss—the human side of digital change, the behavioral ripple effects of technology, and why transformation only works when it's designed for people, not just performance.

Queue it up now and pair the two episodes back-to-back for a powerful executive playbook: Kate helps you decide what matters next—Brian helps you understand what your customers and employees will do next.

What happens when a keynote doesn't just inspire your people…but actually changes how they show up at work and at home?

In this episode, Peter Winick sits down with Tara Renze—author, keynote speaker, podcaster, and an emotional intelligence + positive intelligence practitioner—whose message is as simple as it is disruptive: "Be who you came to be."

This conversation is about more than motivation. It's about the business case for human growth. Tara breaks down how emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and confidence aren't "soft skills"—they're performance drivers. The kind that shape culture, fuel innovation, and boost retention because people feel seen, valued, and supported.

Peter pushes into a real thought leadership challenge: you don't just serve the audience in the seats—you have to serve the economic buyer who funds the initiative. Tara shares how she positions her work so it lands with both. The individual walks away with a mindset shift they can use immediately. The organization gets stronger talent, better leadership, and a healthier culture.

Then Tara introduces one of her sharpest ideas: Butterfly Goals. Not the usual SMART goals. Not productivity targets. These are transformational, identity-level goals that reignite creativity and personal ownership. And here's the kicker—companies benefit when employees pursue them, because it strengthens connection, belonging, and momentum across teams.

You'll also hear how Tara designs her keynote to be actionable, not just energizing. Tools. Simple shifts. Real-world application. Plus follow-through resources like a downloadable workbook and ongoing "Terrace Tuesday" tips—so the message sticks after the applause.

If your thought leadership lives at the intersection of performance, people, and purpose—this one will hit. Because "be who you came to be" isn't a slogan. It's a strategy for better humans and better business.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Stop chasing better habits. Start building a better identity. The biggest breakthroughs don't come from doing more—they come from becoming someone who leads, performs, and decides differently.

• Confidence isn't a trait. It's a skill you can train. When you build emotional intelligence and self-awareness, you create repeatable tools people can use under pressure, not just in perfect conditions.

• Culture improves fastest when people bring their whole selves to work. When individuals feel safe to grow and contribute authentically, teams get stronger engagement, better collaboration, and results that actually stick.

If this episode sparked ideas around emotional intelligence, confidence, and creating real culture change—not just a great moment in the room—your next listen should be the Melissa Davies episode. It's a practical follow-on that goes deeper into how leadership development actually sticks inside organizations, and how to turn insight into consistent behavior change. Queue it up next and keep the momentum going.

What does it look like when a leadership legend actually lives the principles he teaches?

In this episode, Peter Winick sits down with Martha Lawrence, author of the new biography "Catch People Doing Things Right", and longtime collaborator with Ken Blanchard—the leadership icon behind "The One Minute Manager". Martha offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of how Blanchard's ideas became timeless, scalable, and globally adoptable.

This is not a "how he got started" story. It's a masterclass in thought leadership that works in the real world. Martha breaks down why Ken's approach—simple, human, and relentlessly practical—still wins in today's noisy, distracted, algorithm-driven world. The message holds because it's built on what never changes: people.

Peter and Martha go deep on what has shifted in publishing and platform-building over the last 40 years. Fewer gatekeepers. More fragmentation. Less time. More pressure on authors to act like CEOs. Podcasting replaces book tours. Brand clarity beats broad exposure. And the book isn't the business—it's the business card for a larger value ecosystem.

They also explore what separates a "famous author" from a durable thought leadership enterprise. The Blanchard organization didn't just depend on Ken as the rock star. It scaled the IP, built culture around it, and created a leadership brand that outlives any single personality. That's rare. And it's instructive.

If you care about creating a thought leadership platform that drives real business outcomes—without losing the humanity—this conversation will give you both strategy and signal. It's a reminder that servant leadership isn't soft. It's scalable. And it's still a competitive advantage.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Simple wins when it's built on real principles. Ken Blanchard's genius wasn't complexity—it was accessibility. The One Minute Manager style made leadership ideas easy to absorb, apply, and share. That "human" voice is now the playbook for today's biggest thought leaders.

• The message is timeless because leadership is still about people. Even with everything changing—technology, AI, publishing—the core truth remains: performance comes from people. The episode reinforces Blanchard's central idea that people matter as much as results, and that the best leadership is servant leadership: serve, don't be served.

• The strongest thought leadership platforms scale beyond the thought leader. Blanchard wasn't built around a "rock star founder." It was built around IP, culture, and systems—so the work lasts even when Ken isn't in the room. That's how you move from "guru business" to a durable enterprise.

If today's conversation with Martha Lawrence resonated—especially the idea that simple leadership principles can scale, stick, and drive results—you'll want to go straight to our episode with Ken Blanchard.

It's the "source code" behind the philosophy. You'll hear Ken unpack what servant leadership really looks like, why it works, and how to build a leadership approach that people actually adopt. No theory. No fluff. Just practical, proven leadership you can use immediately.

Listen to the Ken Blanchard episode next and connect the dots between the story Martha shared and the thinking that built a global leadership platform.

What if "thriving" isn't a soft concept—but a measurable performance advantage?

In this episode, Peter Winick sits down with Jon Rosemberg, Founding Partner of Anther and author of "A Guide to Thriving: The Science Behind Breaking Old Patterns, Reclaiming Your Agency, and Finding Meaning", to break down what thriving really is, what it is not, and why leaders should care right now.

Jon draws a sharp line between thriving and "success." Success can be the big house, the title, the milestones. Thriving is different. It's a state where you're calm, connected to others, and able to create. It's when you can access the best of your thinking and show up as yourself—not as a reactive version of yourself.

They explore the practical business implications. Jon frames thriving as the condition that makes proactive leadership possible. Less reactivity. More intentionality. Better decisions. He also positions "flow" as a subset of thriving—useful, but not the whole story.

Then the conversation gets strategic. Jon introduces agency as the lever that moves people from survival mode to thriving: the capacity to make intentional choices. And he connects it directly to strategy. Real strategy is not doing everything. It's making clear choices—and just as importantly, choosing what you will not do.

For leaders building teams, Jon highlights the shift from productive value to relational value. Your job stops being "do the work." Your job becomes "enable others to do their best work." When teams are thriving, performance rises. When organizations treat well-being as a KPI, it becomes a competitive advantage—not a perk.

Finally, Jon reframes thriving as a spiral, not a finish line. Markets change. Crises hit. AI reshapes work. The goal isn't to "arrive" at thriving. The goal is to build the capacity to return to it faster—and lead through uncertainty with more clarity, nuance, and adaptability.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Thriving has a precise definition. It's not "success" or status; it's being calm, connected, and creative—able to access better thinking and show up authentically.

• Agency is the lever. Moving from survival mode to thriving starts with the capacity to make intentional choices—and that maps directly to strategy in business.

• Thriving changes performance at the team level. Leaders shift from their own productivity to relational value—enabling others to do their best work—which increases team performance.

If Jon's episode got you focused on thriving through agency, go next to Episode 156 with Linda Henman for the "now what?" Linda is all about making tough, high-stakes decisions—fast and well—so you can turn intentional choice into real strategy. Together, they pair thriving as the mindset with decision-making as the skill that makes it real.