Coaching for Leaders

Ludmila Praslova: The Canary Code

Ludmila Praslova is a Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California and regularly writes for Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Psychology Today, and Forbes. She’s the recipient of the 2025 Talent Award from Thinker50 and has been named a LinkedIn Top Voice. She is the author of The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

We’ve all seen career paths that sound like this: analyst 1, analyst 2, senior analyst, lead analyst, manager of analysts, etc. Those paths to leadership work for some people, but they don’t work for others. In this conversation, Ludmila and I explore how to create leadership paths that work for everyone.

Key Points

Canaries were used in coal mines because they were more sensitive to early indicators of problems – in a way that helped everyone. The same is often true for neurodivergent leaders in organizations.

The “ideal leader” is a myth. If we are honest, no individual fits the ideal profile.

Having different paths to leadership makes more sense in a complex world. Many of the best leaders are specialists in something.

Instead of looking for “culture fit,” challenge yourself and your organization to do a “culture add.” Neurodiverse leaders can be less susceptible to bias and have higher levels of divergent thinking – huge benefits strengths for many organizations.

In addition to people management, consider paths for leadership that focus strength and skill on system and process, strategy, expertise, though leadership, global leadership, and creative ideation.

Making the workplace more accessible and equitable for one population almost always makes it better for everyone.

Resources Mentioned

The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work by Ludmilla Praslova (Amazon, Bookshop)*

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

The Mindset Leaders Need to Address Burnout, with Christina Maslach (episode 608)

The Neurodiversity Edge in Organizations, with Maureen Dunne (episode 694)

How to Motivate Younger Employees, with David Yeager (episode 775)

Discover More

Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Joanna Stern: I Am Not a Robot

Joanna Stern is an Emmy Award-winning technology journalist who was previously the personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal. For many years, she has been one of the most recognizable and entertaining voices in consumer tech, and she just recently launched her own media company and YouTube channel called New Things. Her new book is I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

What if you decided to go to AI first for virtually everything in your life? Joanna Stern decided to do exactly that and captured it all in her recent book. In this episode, we explore how those implications are showing up for a lot of us in the workplace.

Key Points

Customer service functions are one of many places where organizations are already using AI to supplement or replace work that people used to do.

Some aspects of AI work are preferred by both customers and employees. For others, having people in the loop is essential.

AI may eliminate some jobs and hiring. It also presents an opportunity to create work that is more interesting.

For many aspects of work and research, AI is useful as a “first pass” that helps the human spend more time doing the things that humans do.

The AI pushback is real and helpful. It allows us to grapple with how we use new technology and the best way for it to show up in our work and lives.

Resources Mentioned

I Am Not a Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything by Joanna Stern (Amazon, Bookshop)*

New Things by Joanna Stern

Related Episodes

Principles for Using AI at Work, with Ethan Mollick (episode 674)

Becoming an AI-Savvy Leader, with David De Cremer (episode 710)

Using AI to Make Networking Easier, with Ruth Gotian (episode 766)

Discover More

Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Daniel Coyle: Flourish

Daniel Coyle is the New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code, which was named Best Business Book of the Year by Bloomberg, BookPal, and Business Insider. He has served as an advisor to many high-performing organizations, including the Navy SEALs, Microsoft, Google, and the Cleveland Guardians. His newest book is Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

When teams really thrive, it isn’t about luck or simply optimizing systems. Instead, it’s about intentionally creating spaces for connection, agency, and shared growth. In this conversation, Daniel and I discuss where to begin to help a team flourish.

Key Points

Life (and leadership) is treasure creation, not a treasure hunt.

Flourishing environments encourage experimentation, agency, and even mistakes, allowing ownership and innovation to thrive.

If leaders think like designers, using questions and constraints, they will more likely unlock people’s full potential.

Simple acts such as little “thank you’s” build psychological safety and lay the foundation for flourishing groups.

Some of the world’s greatest innovations emerged from environments that welcomed surprise, cross-pollination, and flexibility.

Value the art of asking good questions over having all the answers.

Resources Mentioned

Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment by Daniel Coyle (Amazon, Bookshop)*

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

What Innovative Leaders Do Differently, with Linda Hill (episode 774)

How to Help People Flourish, with Marcus Buckingham (episode 778)

The Counterintuitive Secret to Creativity and Focus, with David Epstein (episode 789)

Discover More

Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

David Epstein: Inside the Box

David Epstein is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Range and The Sports Gene, both of which have been translated into more than 30 languages. He was previously the host of Slate‘s popular “How To!” podcast and a science and investigative reporter at ProPublica. His TED talks have been viewed more than 12 million times. His newest book is also a New York Times bestseller: Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

It seems like we should be the most focused, creative, and innovative when we are the freest to do whatever we want. Turns out, it’s pretty much the exact opposite. In this conversation, David and I discuss why constraints make all the difference.

Key Points

Myth: we are most creative and innovative when we are most free. In fact, it’s the opposite.

Given complete freedom, we tend to follow the path of least resistance. The Einstellung effect: employing only familiar methods even if better ones are available.

General Magic (the most important technology company that nobody’s ever heard of) had virtually no constraints and ultimately produced nothing.

Write down hypotheses and make commitments visible before you begin. Give people agency in creating constraints.

If your organization or team was being handed off to someone else tomorrow, what’s the first thing the new leader would change? Consider making that change now.

To avoid over-indexing on constraints, ask this question: “Could I still surprise myself?”

Resources Mentioned

Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better by David Epstein (Amazon, Bookshop)*

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

How to Transform Your Limitations Into Advantages, with Mark Barden (episode 207)

Help Your Brain Learn, with Lisa Feldman Barrett (episode 513)

Get People Reading What You’re Sending, with Todd Rogers (episode 666)

Discover More

Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.

Leanne ten Brinke: Poisonous People

Leanne ten Brinke is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, where she directs the Truth and Trust Lab. Her research investigates trust, deception, and dark personality traits across diverse populations—from incarcerated individuals to hedge fund managers and politicians. She reveals how dark personality traits shape our institutions and relationships, while offering practical strategies to recognize and counteract their harmful influence. Her book is titled Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life (Amazon, Bookshop)*.

If you are a leader, you are going to deal with poisonous people. Sometimes they will show up as clients, sometimes your boss, sometimes your peers, and sometimes the people you manage. Regardless of where they show up, this conversation with Leanne will help you handle this tough dynamic.

Key Points

Dark traits exist on a spectrum. While only 1% of the population rises to a clinical level of psychopathology, 10-20% of the population has a dark personality profile.

There are many more people with psychopathy per capita in senior management positions than in the general population.

Poisonous people generally aren’t interested in shifting their personality. As such, you will not change them. Given that reality, aim to better manage the relationship.

Establish clear boundaries with poisonous people and put things in writing you might normally assume. Dark personalities are really good at exploiting unspoken norms.

Find ways to create win-wins with poisonous people. They don’t do well with trade-offs, because they don’t like to lose anything.

Avoid face-to-face negotiations with them. Their charm and charisma will win you over in the moment. Text-based dialogue will help you objectively negotiate better.

Use the carrot instead of the stick. Reward good behavior when it happens (just not by giving them power over others).

Resources Mentioned

Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life by Leanne ten Brinke (Amazon, Bookshop)*

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

How to Handle a Boss Who’s a Jerk, with Tom Henschel (episode 164)

How to Start Better With Peers, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 635)

How to Show Up Authentically in Tough Situations, with Andrew Brodsky (episode 727)

Discover More

Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.