Influence & Impact for Leaders

Conflict at work doesn’t have to be scary. In this episode of Influence & Impact for Leaders, I talk with Alice Driscoll and Louise Van Haarst, authors of Smart Conflict, about why avoiding tough conversations harms teams — and how to do them better.  You’ll hear the difference between task and relational conflict, learn their 5R model (Reflection, Regulation, Readiness, Response, Repair) and pick up quick, practical tips you can use to calm my nerves, land your message and repair relationships.  Alice Driscoll and Louise van Haarst are the founders of The Power House, a global leadership development and cultural transformation business on a mission to unlock human and organisational potential. They work with organisations including BBC Studios, PwC, Deutsche Bank, LVMH, Johnson & Johnson, ProperCorn, Bethnal Green Ventures and Zinc VC.  Their new book ‘Smart Conflict - how to have hard conversations at work’ is a highly practical, evidence-based guide to getting good at conflict and hard conversations at work. Whether your default conflict style is avoidant, inflexible or aggressive, this book will give you the tools to embrace Smart Conflict and transform your leadership, your team and maybe your life.  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.  Resources mentioned in this episode:  Buy Smart Conflict, How to have hard conversations at work: https://mybook.to/SmartConflict   Download free resources including our read-along workbook: https://thepowerhouse.company/resources  Take the default conflict style and team diagnostics: https://thepowerhouse.company/diagnostics  LinkedIn: Alice Driscoll  LinkedIn: Louise van Haarst   Work with Carla: Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get support to help you get your voice heard at work and develop your career. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.   Mentioned in this episode:https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/

In this episode, I’m joined once again by the brilliant Eleanor Tweddell, coach and change consultant and author of the new book Another Door Opens. You might remember her from an earlier episode where we talked about her first book on redundancy. This time, we’re diving into her fresh take on navigating change—one that acknowledges how messy and human it really is.  Eleanor introduces us to her five-step Change Mastery model, a practical and powerful framework designed to help leaders process change themselves before they try to lead others through it. We explore why traditional approaches to change often fall short, the emotional complexity leaders face in transition, and how we can show up more intentionally and empathetically during uncertain times.  This episode is for any leader navigating change themselves or trying to lead a team through transformation. Whether you’re facing restructures, technological shifts, personal crossroads—or simply the everyday micro-changes of life—this conversation offers clarity and compassion.  Episode highlights: Why change is rarely linear and almost never neat The difference between managing change and mastering it How leaders can work through change themselves before leading others The five steps of Eleanor’s Change Mastery model for leaders: Pause – Start by stopping. Create space to rest and think. Mess – Acknowledge the emotional complexity and personal impact. Play – Get curious and explore possibilities without pressure. Try – Take small, intentional steps forward. Restart – Begin again, but with clarity and intention.  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder. About Eleanor Tweddell: Eleanor Tweddell is a coach, change consultant, facilitator, keynote speaker and author. After over two decades working in senior corporate management roles, including Whitbread, Virgin Atlantic and Vodafone, she founded Another Door with the mission of helping individuals, teams and businesses navigate change.   Website: Another Door LinkedIn: Eleanor Tweddell Book: Another Door Opens (Coming 4th September 2025)  Work with Eleanor: Eleanor now offers Change Mastery for Leaders and Change Mastery for Teams—high-impact workshops designed to help people navigate transition with intention and resilience.   Work with Carla: Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.   Mentioned in this episode:https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/

In this episode, I’m excited to introduce my brand new co-host, Lara Cullen, as we launch a new series within the podcast: Impactful Teams.   We’re diving into what really makes a team impactful - not just in terms of performance, but in how aligned, influential, and sustainable their success is.  Lara and I share our brand-new Impactful Teams framework to help teams grow their impact. We talk about why psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and shared purpose are essential ingredients, and why even high-performing teams can still have hidden challenges holding them back.  We also share the story behind how Lara and I started working together and how our different but complementary strengths have shaped the way we support leaders and teams.  If you’re leading a team—or want to take your already successful team to the next level—this episode will give you practical insights and a clear starting point to increase your team's influence and impact.  In this episode, you’ll hear: Why I’ve invited Lara Cullen to co-host episodes focused on Impactful Teams The story of how we met and why we decided to collaborate Our Align–Amplify–Embed framework for building Impactful Teams What really drives team success (hint: it’s not just the individuals) The 5 key elements of team alignment using our TEAMS model How to amplify your team’s voice and influence across your organisation The importance of embedding change to make it last How you can find out how impactful your team really is right now  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.  Work with us: Impactful Teams Scorecard – It takes just 2 minutes to discover where your team is strong and where you might want to focus next. You’ll get personalised results—and for a limited time, you can also book a free 30-minute call to talk through them. Visit our new Impactful Teams website Work with Carla: 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – get the support you need to thrive in your role. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated… Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.   Mentioned in this episode:https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/

Are you a leader who’s ever been told you’re too nice, too collaborative, too emotional, or just too different to fit into senior leadership?  Or perhaps you’ve never been told that but at some level you sense that you don’t fit the typical leadership mould.   In this episode, I’m flipping the script on outdated leadership expectations and exploring how your difference is actually your strength.  What You’ll Learn: What “the leadership mould” really is — and who it was built for The hidden cost of trying to fit into a leadership style that doesn’t align with your values Why traditional feedback like “you need more gravitas” often reflects bias, not fact The power of leading with empathy, reflection, and authenticity Real-life examples, including Jacinda Ardern’s leadership style and Carla’s own journey 3 practical shifts to help you embrace your leadership identity and develop to the next level of leadership  This is Influence & Impact for Leaders, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.   Mentioned in This Episode:  Impactful Teams Scorecard – Discover how your team measures up and how you can grow your team’s impact. 1:1 Leadership Coaching with Carla – Define your unique leadership brand and thrive outside the mould. Book a discovery call  📢 If This Resonated…  Please share this episode with a fellow leader who needs to hear it.  Leave a review to support the show or reach out to me directly — I’d love to hear what landed most for you.   Mentioned in this episode:https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/

Work can be a lot sometimes! How often do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by all the things you need to do and how much work it’s going to take to do them properly? It’s making me stressed just thinking about it!    In this mini episode, I’m going to share with you a simple but truly effective way to dial back that overwhelm and make things simpler for yourself.    This is Influence & Impact for Leaders with Carla Miller, the podcast that helps leaders like you increase your impact and build a happy and high performing team. Each episode delivers focused, actionable insights you can implement immediately, to be better at your job without working harder.  Stay in Touch: If you're tuning in on Apple Podcasts, click follow so you never miss an update.  Spread the Love: On June 16th or 17th, share the podcast on social media or leave a review on Apple podcasts. Snap a screenshot and send it to hello@carlamiller.co.uk, and I'll send you an exclusive pack of my Influence & Impact affirmation cards as a thank you.  Work with Carla: To chat about hiring Carla as your coach or to work with your team book a call or visit carlamiller.co.uk.  Mentioned in this episode:https://carlamiller.co.uk/newsletter/

Many leaders struggle with making tough decisions and dealing with their aftermath. In this episode Sarah Miller, CEO at leading global ethics consultancy Principia, shares how ethics can provide a set of resources and tools to use within decision-making, guiding how we lead as individuals from our own place of values, but probably more critically, how we engage with others who bring their own sets of values. In our conversation we discuss… How to weigh different perspectives and ‘effectively deliberate’ The ‘transparency and fairness tests’ you can apply to decisions Creating safe spaces for difficult discussions after hard decisions The concept of the ‘moral remainder’ and how it will help you navigate hard decisions and their aftermath What we can learn from philosophy about leadership How having a ‘challenger role’ could make your leadership team’s decisions better My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author and trainer. And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders, helping you confidently navigate the ups and downs of leadership and feel less alone on your journey as a leader. In fortnightly episodes I share practical tools and insights from myself and my brilliant guests that will help you succeed in your career. Other news: I’m taking a 3 month pause from the podcast and we will be back in June. Do explore the back catalogue of 180 episodes if you are looking for some practical leadership inspiration and make sure you are signed up to my newsletter to be notified when the podcast starts again. Sponsor my 50th birthday Great North Run to find a cure for diabetes Influence & Impact: Join the May cohort of Influence & Impact to learn how to tackle self-doubt, increase your impact and become brilliant at influencing. It’s a small cohort working closely with me and includes 6 workshops and 2 peer coaching sessions. About Sarah Miller: Sarah Miller is the Chief Executive at Principia, the leading global ethics consultancy. She is a senior client partner and advisor with leading global companies on values-based leadership, culture and decision-making, primarily working across technology, financial services, energy, construction, professional services and non-profit sectors. Sarah has twenty years’ experience in global leadership roles in complex international settings, including significant strategy, governance, multicultural team management and operational oversight responsibilities. An organizational development expert, much of her career has involved designing and...

Workplaces and meetings are not set up to get the best out of introverts so it’s no wonder that many people who identify as introverts can experience self doubt at work even in leadership roles. Sarah Manley built a highly successful career in marketing as a deep introvert but was growing tired of being ‘always on’ and visible and increasingly felt like she was in the wrong place. It ate at her confidence. Then she discovered ‘Quiet’; by Susan Cain and she understood herself and her strengths fully for the first time. Sarah approached work with a new mindset and embraced being an introvert at work. In her book ‘The Quiet Catalyst’ Sarah shares her insights, tools and strategies to thriving as an introvert at work. In our conversation we discuss… How to network successfully as an introvert How to navigate working with an extraverted manager How to gather feedback that works for you as an introvert and how to make it useful Why energy management is so important for introverts and Sarah’s tools for managing your energy effectively Top tips for presentations My name’s Carla Miller, leadership coach, author and trainer. And this is the Influence & Impact podcast for women leaders, helping you confidently navigate the ups and downs of leadership and feel less alone on your journey as a leader. In fortnightly episodes I share practical tools and insights from myself and my brilliant guests that will help you succeed in your career. Sponsor my 50th birthday Great North Run to find a cure for diabetes FREE RESOURCE - How To Say No Challenge: If you struggle to say ‘no’ then this free 5 day challenge is for you. You’ll receive a short email each day containing a short video taking you through the 5 steps of my How To Say No framework. We’ll get you happily saying no in just 5 days! Influence & Impact: Join the May cohort of Influence & Impact to learn how to tackle self-doubt, increase your impact and become brilliant at influencing. It’s a small cohort working closely with me and includes 6 workshops and 2 peer coaching sessions. Be Bolder My Be Bolder 4 week confidence and assertiveness course will be running again in February. In it we cover: ⭐ Tackling imposter feelings and self-doubt ⭐ Mastering your mindset ⭐ Courageous conversations <p class="Paragraph SCXW75450459 BCX0"...