About this episode

Scott Lamb discusses a new model for leadership that emphasizes curiosity and human connection over traditional executive stereotypes.

The stereotype of the hard-charging executive is hurting performance. Scott Lamb moved to NYC to pursue journalism, but ended up joining Buzzfeed when it was just five people and has been on the startup path ever since. In this episode, Scott sits down with Annie Riley to explore a different model for leadership– one rooted in curiosity, steadiness, psychological safety, and real human connection. They discuss what’s really behind vague feedback about “executive presence”, how management is a learnable craft, and how to have hard conversations that don’t FEEL bad.  Time Stamps: 00:00 — Why management matters 02:07 — Scott’s leadership style 04:08 — Joining BuzzFeed at five people 06:13 — Management is a skill 08:47 — The problem with “executive presence” 10:02 — Visibility vs. impact 13:21 — Directness over aggression 17:20 — Tough conversations done well 19:42 — Leading through layoffs 22:19 — Avoiding emotional dumping 24:56 — How to fire someone clearly 29:29 — The power of “say more” 37:22 — Listening and accountability 43:04 — Why humor matters at work 48:06 — Reps over perfection Join us on Substack  Level up your leadership skills with Fort Light  Connect…

People in this episode

Host: Annie Riley

Guest: Scott Lamb

Topics covered

• executive presence
• leadership
• management skills
• psychological safety
• hard conversations

Keywords

• executive presence
• leadership style
• management as a skill
• hard conversations
• psychological safety

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Buzzfeed

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