When Capable Leaders Go Quiet: Turning Public Speaking into a Leadership Advantage

Imagine a continuum with “Love It” on one end and “Leave It” on the other. 

If you were asked to deliver a presentation, facilitate a town hall, or speak at a conference, where would you place yourself on that continuum?

Would you eagerly volunteer and gravitate toward the “Love It” side? Or would the thought of standing in front of the room make you want to find the nearest exit?

Most of us live somewhere in the middle.

Here's what I've come to believe after decades of working with executives and teams: public speaking is one of the most valuable leadership skills in today’s workplace! 

Whether you or someone on your team is leading a meeting, presenting to senior executives, facilitating a community gathering, or speaking at an industry event, your ability to communicate clearly and confidently influences credibility, impact, and effectiveness. 

And yet, despite its value, many talented leaders and team members avoid public speaking whenever possible, and it is costing the organization more than most leaders realize. 

The Cost of Avoidance

When capable leaders avoid speaking opportunities, something subtle happens.

The people with the deepest expertise stay silent. Influence drifts toward whoever is most comfortable at a microphone, not necessarily whoever has the best thinking. Succession pipelines weaken, because visibility is part of how organizations identify who's ready to lead.

So let me ask you what I ask the executive teams I work with:

If your most capable people felt confident speaking up, what would your organization gain?

Would good ideas surface earlier?

Would decisions move without layers of second-guessing?

Would your bench look deeper than it does today?

In organization development, we'd call avoidance like this a limiting pattern, one that lives in individuals but shapes the whole culture. The encouraging part is this: it's a practice that leaders can change.

The Reality of Speaking Anxiety

One of the most common reasons people shy away from public speaking is anxiety. Surprisingly, a certain amount of nervousness is actually beneficial.

That surge of energy before a presentation can sharpen your focus, increase your enthusiasm, and help you connect with your audience. The goal isn’t to eliminate nervousness. It’s to manage it effectively.

Several factors influence how much anxiety you experience:

• Your level of preparation

• Your familiarity with the topic

• The amount of trust you have in your own expertise and experience

• The thoughts and assumptions you bring into the situation

More often than not, our greatest obstacle isn't the audience. It's the story we're telling ourselves about what might happen when we are in front of an audience.

When Fear Takes the Microphone

You may have heard FEAR described as False Evidence Appearing Real. It’s true…

How many times have you imagined the worst possible outcome, only to discover that reality was far less dramatic?

Maybe you've worried you'll lose your train of thought, forget a point, or receive a question you can't answer. FYI, audiences are usually supportive and forgiving. They’re focused on what they can learn, not on catching your mistakes.

This is the same pattern I see in trust work. The story we tell ourselves shapes how we show up. When fear leads, anxiety grows. When preparation and perspective lead, confidence follows.

I know this one personally. During an audition for a seminar leader role, I expected to walk into a room full of people but found only a camera operator in an empty auditorium. After the initial shock, I chose to adapt, imagining a full audience and delivering the presentation I prepared with energy and humor. I left feeling proud of my effort and was asked to join the team of seminar leaders. The experience reinforced an important lesson: confidence grows when we adapt to unexpected circumstances rather than rely on ideal conditions.

Remember, confident speakers aren't fearless. They've simply learned how to make nervous butterflies fly in formation. 

Three Phases of Managing Speaking Nerves

Managing speaking anxiety happens in three stages:

1. Before the presentation

2. During the presentation

3. After the presentation

Let’s focus on the first stage: preparation before the presentation.

1. Say “Yes” More Often

The fastest way to build confidence is through experience.

When a chance to speak shows up, consider taking it, even if it scares you. Growth is about stretching oneself, which rarely happens inside familiar territory.

Once you've committed, start practicing intentional, positive self-talk. Trade "I hope I don't mess up" for something that reinforces why you're there.

Try:

• “I am excited to share this message.”

• “I bring valuable experience and insight to this audience.”

• “I connect effectively with people when I speak.”

• “My goal is to serve, not to be perfect.”

At first, these statements may feel awkward or untrue. With practice, however, they can shift your focus from fear to contribution. After years of training and coaching workshop participants and would-be speakers, I’ve witnessed how managing anxiety begins with mindset. Helping people become aware of their thoughts—and choosing those that serve you—can reduce fear and build confidence. It's a process that may not be easy at first, but it is rewarding. The accomplishment and pride of just doing it is a confidence builder. What follows are suggestions to help with mindset shifts.

2. Prepare with Purpose

Twelve to twenty-four hours before you speak, at a minimum:

Organize your materials.
Knowing where everything is reduces uncertainty and last-minute stress.

Avoid major revisions.
Resist the urge to rewrite significant portions of your presentation at the last minute. Familiarity breeds confidence.

Review your content aloud.
Record yourself, or simply practice out loud. Hearing the flow reinforces your key points and strengthens recall.

Create conditions for success.
Prioritize rest, hydration, and a calm environment. Peak performance begins long before you step in front of an audience.

The Bottom Line

Confident speakers are not necessarily fearless speakers. More often, they are individuals who have learned how to prepare, manage their thoughts, and channel nervous energy into meaningful communication.

Public speaking isn't a talent reserved for a lucky few. It's a leadership skill, one that strengthens with practice, preparation, and perspective. And when more people develop it, the whole organization speaks with a clearer, steadier voice.

Closing Thought

Public speaking gets easier when you stop focusing on performing and start focusing on serving the room in front of you.

If developing confident, credible communicators across your leadership team is a priority this year, I'm glad to have that conversation. Schedule a conversation

How You Recover From a Mistake Matters More Than the Mistake

"My bad."

Years ago, I had a humbling "my bad" experience. At 11:00am on day two of a three-day workshop, I received a frantic call from my client. 

"Where are you? Is everything okay?"

Somehow, I convinced myself that the session I was supposed to lead began at 2:00 pm. For someone who strives to be organized and professional, the embarrassment and panic I felt were immediate.

Fortunately, the team knew this was out of character. They checked on me first, then kept the workshop moving from the materials I had prepared. I arrived before the close and contributed where I could. The session went well, but the guilt I felt stuck with me for days.

Leaders know how easy it is to ruminate over what went wrong, particularly when you’ve made a mistake. There’s a tendency to over-apologize as you take the blame. But your team is watching how you handle mistakes more than they are paying attention to the mistake itself. Staying hyperfocused on one’s mistakes or getting lost in "fixing it" doesn't lead to the sustainable or desirable outcomes that move you and your team forward. So what do we do when we make a mistake? How do we handle it?

What does this say about me?

That was the question in my mind. Not "How do I recover to serve the client?" My ego took over, which turned a mistake into a character flaw.

So, what happened? Why was the mistake made in the first place? Well, the night before, I'd opened an email about a disputed invoice that was unresolved for months. There was nothing I could do about it but I let the frustration in, and it followed me into the next morning. This mistake came about because I (mentally) carried a problem I had been struggling with into the next day, where a self-imposed distraction commanded my attention.

Leaders, you set the tone for how mistakes get handled across teams and within the organization. When you handle it calmly, you give others permission to do the same. When you spiral, your team does as well. Eventually, they start telling you less, with more hedging — and you hear about the problem when it has gotten bigger or out of control.

So the next time you make a mistake — and there will be a next time, pause, take a couple of deep breaths.  Ask, “What's the one thing I can do right now?” Maybe it’s acknowledging what happened, such as: "I missed the start time." Maybe it’s an acknowledgment or apology. Maybe it’s saying what you'll do next. Maybe it’s all of that. The key is to repair, learn, then act. That’s it.

Build Resilience Before It's Needed

Back to my example…the session stayed on track because the team had what it needed to keep moving. Support from the administrative team, shared materials, clear documentation, facilitation notes, practical checklists, and a group ready to continue. That was a tremendous help.

Here's the truth: I wasn't at my best that morning, but the team being able to do what they needed to do wasn’t dependent on my being the best.

That's the whole thing. When a team recovers well, it isn't solely because someone kept their composure. It's because the underlying systems were strong — defined roles, accessible documentation, and clear coverage so others can step in with confidence. Resilience lives in the system, not in one person's composure on a hard day.

This is worth a harder look if you're the one accountable for the whole organization. If your continuity depends on particular people being steady, you don't have resilience. You have luck. Every leader has a bad moment. The question is whether resilience is built in before it’s needed. So, is your team prepared when things go off course?

Mistakes are information

Treat mistakes as information to learn from. Consider them as brief interruptions that point to a gap in the system. Own the mistake, learn from it, and move forward.

That's the kind of leadership that shows a team that it’s okay to make a mistake and how to handle them in a healthy way when they do.

How does seeing mistakes in this way help you become a stronger leader and team?

Closing Thought

Mistakes are opportunities to do it differently, and better.

Trust Is Built in the Moments That Feel Uncertain

In the US, this winter has proven how quickly weather conditions can change.
Snow topped with ice. Unexpected shutdowns. Ongoing delays. The need for quick/continual pivots.

In those moments, people aren’t just watching the forecast.

They’re looking for timely updates.
Clear direction about what’s expected.
Consistency in decisions.
Evidence that someone is thinking ahead.

They’re asking:

Can I rely on what I’m being told?

That same instinct shows up inside your organization.

When conditions shift because of market pressure, AI integration, regulatory change, budget cuts or internal transformation, your team is watching leaders to see how you communicate, how you decide, and how you follow through.

Make no mistake, your team is watching:

Are updates clear?
Are decisions consistent?
Does leadership follow through?
Are we being told the truth, even if it’s incomplete?

They’re deciding whether leadership feels steady and/or trustworthy.

That decision shapes how openly team members speak and how confidently they move forward.

So let me ask you what  I ask the executive teams I work with:

If trust is honored, prioritized and valued in your organization, what would your team feel safe to say or do?

Would they say it earlier? 

How would that improve the work, relationships, and desired outcomes?

Would concerns surface before they become crises?

Would tension stay focused on the work instead of becoming personal?

Would decisions move without layers of second-guessing?

For leaders in 2026, the question is not whether trust matters.

It’s whether your daily behaviors are building trust, or unintentionally eroding it.

What You’ll Take Away

In this article, I invite you to reflect on:

• Where trust actually begins

• How your own story shapes how you build or withhold trust

• A simple leadership compass I use with executive teams

• What trust looks like in practice

• The one question that consistently changes conversations

• Why resistance is often information, not defiance

Where Trust Actually Begins

Trust doesn’t start with policy.

It starts with how people experience you.

Early in my career, I worked for a leader who was extremely capable and extremely hard.

I learned something important that year.

When people are constantly bracing, they don’t bring their best thinking.

They bring protection.

Since then, I’ve worked with leaders across government, law enforcement, the public and private sector.

Some assumed trust was strong until a restructuring revealed how much hesitation had been hiding under the surface.

Others inherited fractured teams and rebuilt trust slowly not through speeches, but through consistency.

Your capacity to build trust is shaped by your own story:

• Your personal experiences

• Your beliefs

• How you trust. For example, do you tend to trust easily or cautiously?

• How you interpret risk

Those beliefs don’t disappear when you walk into the workplace.

They travel with you.

And they influence how you show up.

If trust has been violated before, caution becomes natural.

When trust is broken, suspicion creeps in and progress stifles.

But trust can be rebuilt.

With sincere intention.
With time.
With forgiveness.
With a willingness to move toward harmony for all.
With consistent behavior.

Which brings me to a simple framework I use often.

The Trust Triangle: A Leadership Compass

When executive teams ask me, “How do we know if we’re building trust?” I offer something simple.

I call it the Trust Triangle.

Care. Clarity. Consistency.

Before making a decision, sending a message, or entering a difficult conversation, ask yourself:

• Care – Have I demonstrated genuine concern for the people impacted?

• Clarity – Have I clearly explained what’s happening and why?

• Consistency – Do my actions match my words over time?

If even one of those elements is missing, trust is compromised.

When all three are present, even difficult news can land with stability.

One CEO I coached realized he was strong on clarity and follow-through but the idea of care eluded him, he rarely made care explicit. Once he realized what he was not doing, a small shift changed how his team responded to him.

Trust grows when people see alignment repeated.

How Trust Shows Up in Leadership

You don’t need a formal assessment to know whether trust is present.

You can feel it in the room.

Here’s what I look for when I’m working with a leadership team.

Trust is present when:

• People are willing to say what they really think, not what they think is safest.

• Leaders are comfortable asking for support instead of pretending they have it all handled.

• When someone makes a mistake, the focus is on learning, not blaming or shaming.

• Disagreements are focused on the issue. They don’t quietly become personal.

• Sensitive conversations stay private. People don’t worry that what they shared will travel.

• Team members trust that if they raise a concern, it won’t be used against them later.

• There’s room to talk honestly about what’s working and what isn’t without fear of being labeled “difficult.”

• And perhaps most importantly, people rely on one another. They assume fairness. They expect follow-through.

If some of that feels fragile in your organization, that’s not a failure.

It’s information.

And information is something leaders can work with.

Why Clarity Is Often the First Repair

I see this pattern often.

Leaders delay communication because they want certainty.

Meanwhile, silence fills the space with one’s own interpretation.

Clarity doesn’t require perfection.

It requires honesty.

Explain the “why.”
State what you know.
Acknowledge what you don’t.
Follow up when you say you will.

When words and actions align, people relax.

When people relax, they think more clearly.

When they think clearly, execution improves.

Trust grows when people feel heard, even if the final decision doesn’t change.

The One Question That Changes Rooms

If I could influence every leader to do one thing consistently, it would be this:

Ask: What do you need right now that would make a difference in your work?

Ask it sincerely.

Pause long enough for reflection.

Sometimes you’ll hear something practical.

Sometimes you’ll hear something uncomfortable.

But when you respond thoughtfully, even if the answer is, “I can’t do that, and here’s why” trust strengthens.

Not because you solved everything.

Because you listened.

Questions I’m Often Asked

Is trust really an executive issue?
Yes. Trust determines how quickly risk surfaces and how directly conversations happen.

What if trust has already eroded?
Name it. Silence prolongs damage. Acknowledgment begins repair.

Does being transparent weaken authority?
No. Inconsistency weakens authority. Alignment strengthens it.

How long does rebuilding trust take?
Longer than breaking it. Faster when behavior is consistent.

Why This Matters in 2026

With AI integration, economic pressure, regulatory scrutiny, and evolving workforce expectations, organizations have less margin for hesitation.

When trust is strong:

• Risks surface early.

• Decisions accelerate.

• Collaboration strengthens.

• Innovation expands.

When trust is weak:

• Information is filtered.

• Conversations are delayed.

• Energy shifts toward self-protection.

You cannot eliminate uncertainty.

But you can decide how you show up inside it.

You can decide how consistently you demonstrate:

Care.
Clarity.
Consistency.

Trust is built long before you need it.

And it’s built one conversation at a time.

If strengthening trust across your executive team is a priority this year, I’m glad to have that conversation. Reach out here.

The Nuances of Networking: What Leaders Need to Prepare for in 2026

Why connection—not contacts—is the real advantage in the year ahead!

Let me say this right up front:

In 2026, leaders are going to need a different kind of network.

Not the “collect a bunch of business cards” kind.

Not the “show up and smile and pretend you’re excited to be here” kind.

I mean the kind of connections that are built on trust, genuine connection, curiosity, and paying attention to people.

The kind that actually helps you navigate the volatility we’re living in. The kind that opens doors you didn’t even know were there.

So what does this require?

What we’re really talking about here

Here’s what you’ll take away as you prepare your team for 2026:

• Why networking is a key leadership behavior

• What mindful networking looks like (and why it feels different)

• How to engage people without feeling like you’re invading their space

• How connection fuels innovation, collaboration, and talent decisions

• Practical steps your leaders and teams can start using right now

Networking is really about connection

Some folks love networking. Some folks do anything possible to avoid it.

The real difference isn’t personality or any superficial interactions; it’s how you understand connection.

When you take away the awkwardness, networking comes down to the same skills leaders need every single day: listening, noticing, speaking with clarity, and showing genuine care.

That’s leadership communication. That’s presence. That’s how people decide whether they can trust you or follow you.

And with everything coming at leaders—AI, new expectations, shrinking resources, more complexity—how you show up in the small moments is just as, if not more important as, how you show up in the big ones.

So here’s how you may think about networking in 2026.

1. A mindful networking mindset

Definition: Mindful networking
Showing up with presence, curiosity, and awareness—without performing, pushing, or trying to appear impressive.

If you sense hesitation before you walk into a room, meeting or conference, ask yourself:

• Why does this feel uncomfortable for me?

• What’s the story I’m telling myself?

• Where is the resistance coming from?

You may be feeling one of these beliefs:

Belief 1: “I don’t have time for small talk.”
The Truth: Small talk is never small. That’s where psychological safety begins.

Belief 2: “I don’t want to seem self-centered.”
The Truth: Mindful networking is curiosity-based, not self-praise-based.

Belief 3: “I don’t know what to say.”
The Truth: You don’t need perfect phrases. You just need to be present and genuinely interested.

Here are simple ways to build comfort and confidence:

• Stay aware of what’s happening in the world.

• Pay attention to non-verbal cues.

• Keep a few neutral topics in your back pocket.

Mindful networking isn’t about “working the room.” It’s about being a real person in the room.

2. Engage and exchange—don’t invade

Definition: Executive networking
Intentionally building trust-based relationships across industries, roles, and functions to support the decisions and resilience your organization needs.

Here’s what makes you different:

Stop performing. Start noticing.

Don’t enter conversations with a speech. Enter with a question.

Don’t try to fix people. Listen for what matters to them.

You don’t need to chase every conversation. Just spend enough time to understand the context, not to deliver a monologue.

Remember: the more interested you are, the more interesting you become.

And please hear me on this—true networking is an exchange, not a one-way dump of information. It shouldn’t exhaust you. It should energize you.

Common questions leaders ask me about networking

These come up all the time in my coaching conversations and workshops:

Q: Karen, how do I network when I barely have time to eat lunch?

A: Micro-moments. Five minutes here, ten minutes there. Time invested in others builds trust.

Q: How do I make sure I’m not coming across as transactional?

A: Flip the ratio. Ask two questions for every story or example you share. And LISTEN!

Q: What matters most in networking for senior leaders?

A: Presence, awareness, listening, and the ability to create safety quickly.

Practical ways to strengthen your network in 2026

1. Reconnect with cross-functional peers

Reach out to someone whose work touches yours—just one person a week will do.

2. Bring someone with you

Give a rising leader the chance to join you in external conversations. That’s leadership development in real time. What do they have to share?

3. Look outside your industry

What are some of the best (applicable) ideas from the most unexpected places and conversations?

4. Practice presence

Put the phone down when someone is talking; minimize distractions. People notice…they always notice.

5. Follow curiosity, not hierarchy

Some of the biggest insights come from people who don’t have fancy titles. What are you curious about?

Why this matters for leaders and teams preparing for 2026

Your network influences:

• who collaborates with you

• who calls you back

• the partnerships you form

• the talent willing to join your mission

• the ideas you hear in time to act on them

• the trust people feel when they look to you for direction

Connection is not optional anymore. It shapes your culture. It shapes your performance. And it shapes whether your team can navigate the year ahead with clarity and confidence.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: A mindful mindset + a genuine exchange can change everything.

Closing thought

If you want stronger collaboration and deeper trust across your organization, start strengthening your network now.

And yes—as I always say—the art of small talk really does reap large rewards.

Would you like support in implementing these strategies with your executive team? Let’s talk. Reach out here to schedule a conversation.