The Visibility Factor

158. Choosing Likeability Over Respect

158. Choosing Likeability Over Respect
This episode discusses the critical balance leaders must strike between being liked and being respected. Explore the signs that indicate a leader may be prioritizing likeability over respect, such as avoiding tough conversations and withholding constructive criticism. The conversation delves into the challenges leaders face in decision-making and the importance of empowering team members. Sue emphasizes the need for consistent leadership and the impact of short-term harmony on long-term success. The episode concludes with actionable insights for leaders to reflect on their behaviors and create a visibility action plan for improvement.
In this episode:
Leaders often struggle with the balance of being liked versus respected.
Choosing likeability can lead to avoiding tough conversations.
It's essential to provide constructive feedback for team growth.
Leaders must make difficult decisions for the benefit of the team.
Promoting unprepared employees can harm team dynamics.
Withholding criticism does not help team members improve.
Praising subpar work can mislead employees about expectations.
Inconsistent leadership sends mixed messages to the team.
Empowering team members is crucial for their development.
Leaders should reflect on their behaviors and make necessary changes.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
The Visibility Factor Podcast Episode 90 - Should Leaders Be Liked or Respected  
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast! 

157. The Power of Leading Conversations

157. The Power of Leading Conversations
Today’s episode discusses the significance of leading conversations effectively and focusing on the importance of overcoming internal dialogue, being intentional in communication, and fostering collaboration to showcase value. The episode also highlights the need for strategic thinking in every interaction, whether in person or through written communication, to enhance visibility and leadership presence.
In this episode:
Leading conversations is crucial for demonstrating value.
Internal dialogue can hinder effective communication.
Planning conversations can enhance clarity and impact.
Collaboration fosters equality in professional relationships.
Emails should reflect intention and invite feedback.
Your boss should be viewed as a client for better engagement.
Every interaction is an opportunity for visibility.
Strategic communication can position you as a leader.
It's about leveraging existing work, not doing more.
Shifting focus to value addition can transform conversations.
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast! 

156. It’s Time to Empower Your Team

156. It’s Time to Empower Your Team
Today’s episode is focused on the four roles that you may see someone leverage in an organization. These are not career roles, but instead the roles that you choose from in various career situations with your team or other people in your organization. The four roles are mentoring, coaching, teaching and leading. Each of these roles plays a crucial part in your team's development. As a leader, you may find yourself switching between these roles depending on the situation and the needs of your team. The key is to adapt to what your team members need so you can motivate them to grow and develop.
In this episode:
Definitions of the four roles that leaders can leverage.
Depending on the level of experience and maturity of the employee, leaders will need to adapt to them and choose which role to use.
Leaders need to switch to different roles by situation and your team.
A client experience with his team and goal he has to shift more towards coaching.
What are the nuances between the four different roles?
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast! 

155. Key Skills for Leaders

155. Key Skills for Leaders
Today’s episode is exploring the key skills that leaders need to achieve success. I teach a class called Leadership Foundations and the intent is to open up the minds of the class to what leadership really is and what you need to be good at it. Some people have a gift of being “born leaders” but not everyone has that and it requires practice. Every experience that you have as a leader helps you gain confidence for the next situation you encounter.
In this episode:
What is the difference between leadership and management?
Definition of leadership.
Quotes from some famous leaders.
What are some of the key skills that leaders need to have?
Why are these skills needed?
Examples of guiding principles that leaders should live by.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
"20 Guiding Principles More Business Leaders Should Live By" by Forbes
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast! 

154. Are You Asking The Right Questions?

154. Are You Asking The Right Questions?
Today we're going to talk about asking the right questions. Now, as a coach, I have seen how powerful questions can make a difference in helping a client shift their perspective about a situation or even themselves. This episode is going to be focused on helping you understand the importance of asking the right questions as a leader, whether that be in a meeting, in a one on one, in a presentation, or in Whatever you're in, you can use questions to really drive different conversations.
In this episode:
Review of the different scenarios where you can use powerful questions.
The reasons why great leaders ask questions.
The importance of leaders asking the right questions to drive conversations.
The five different types of questions from a Dave Bailey article (see below link)
Sue’s two favorite questions from The Coaching Habit book by Michael Bungay Stanier.
Sue’s list of questions to use in meetings from The Visibility Factor
The importance of questioning the status quo in a company to innovate, improve and grow.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
"The Art of Asking Powerful Questions" by Dave Bailey
The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Visibility Factor by Susan M Barber
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast! 

153. Creating Visibility for Your Team

153. Creating Visibility for Your Team
Today's episode is about creating visibility for your team. And by default, that automatically creates visibility for you as well. And I think many times our teams are doing great things and there's just so much going on that we forget to share it. Or we don't take some intention to have the conversation with our boss or maybe other people in the organization who would benefit from knowing what our teams are doing. Think about the opportunities that you have to share what is happening with your team. See what ideas you can learn from or adapt for yourself in what is shared here.
In this episode:
Sharing the background of my interview for an article by Rebecca Knight for HBR titled, How to Make Your Team’s Work More Visible
Do you focus on gaining visibility for your team and their work?
Shared the lessons that I learned the hard way about off hand comments as a leader of a team.
Gave some background and details about the situations I referred to in the article with more context and details.
The weight of your words can create a positive or a negative perception for your team members.
The strategies that I used to ensure the team gained visibility and what I did to support them.
Some ways that you can show others that you believe in and support your team.
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast! 

152. Everyone Knows Someone Worth Knowing (with Janet Falk)

152. Everyone Knows Someone Worth Knowing (with Janet Falk)
Janet Falk, Ph.D., is a Communications professional with more than 30 years’ experience in-house, as a consultant and at public relations agencies. As Chief Strategist of Falk Communications and Research (www.JanetLFalk.com), she manages pro-active media outreach and has secured placement of executives and events in local, national and international print and broadcast media. Janet is a versatile writer who can prepare newsletters, articles, website copy, LinkedIn profiles, presentations and speeches, as well as marketing literature. She has a broad network of contacts among graphic designers, web developers, photographers and printers to meet related client needs. Speak with her for a complimentary Strategic Communication Session to assess your Communications activity and online presence. She guarantees TWO IDEAS.
In this episode:
Janet shared what she does and how that helps her clients to be more visible.
We talked about the various mediums of media that can be used to share what you do.
She shared the concept of content multiplication and how that one piece of content can be used in so many ways.
She believes there are people who have problems and others who have solutions. She helps connect them together.
What to do before, during and after a networking event to stand out.
How to help someone who doesn’t want to brag learn to see the value that they bring and talk about it with others in media and networking.
Janet shared her four As and how that has helped people in conversations.
Her book Improve Your Marketing RBI: Five Ways to Get Business Book leverages a baseball theme to remember the steps to follow! Listen in for her tip to make sure you are doing this each week!
Information on Janet:  
JanetLFalk.com
Janet Falk on LinkedIn (in/janetlfalk)
The Book that Janet Recommends:
Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast! 

151. Top 10 Lessons in Leadership

151. Top 10 Lessons in Leadership
I was thinking about some of my top 10 lessons in leadership as I read an article by another leader who had put theirs together. I thought this would be a great topic for the podcast, so here is my list to share with you.
In this episode:
My top 10 lessons in Leadership (in no particular order):
Trust yourself.
Act like you are equals.
Bring value to your team and your company.      
Make decisions with the company’s best interest and you will always do the right thing.
Leaders are superheroes who need to put their capes in the closet and create new superheroes.
Focus on being respected as a leader, not liked.
You are paid to think and plan.
Remember every interaction is an opportunity for visibility and to show your value!
Opportunities will show up when you least expect them. Be ready to step up and lead.
Seek clarity and ask for what you want.
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast! 

150. Create Your Rules for Success (with Heather Whelpley)

150. Create Your Rules for Success (with Heather Whelpley)
Heather is a speaker, award-winning author, executive coach, and leadership development consultant passionate about empowering women to live, work, and lead with grounded confidence. With her unique blend of expertise and authenticity, Heather has become a frequent speaker for conferences and companies, where she creates engaging presentations that encourage people to share their voice, create impact, and step into their authentic leadership. Prior to becoming a speaker, Heather spent over a decade at Cargill and Ameriprise in a wide variety HR, leadership development, and change management roles in both offices and plants across the U.S., Latin America, and Australia. She’s the author of two transformative books—An Overachiever's Guide to Breaking the Rules and Grounded Wildness: Break Free from Performing Your Life and Start Living It. Heather lives in Colorado where she spends as much time hiking and exploring as possible.
In this episode:
Heather introduces her book, An Overachievers Guide to Breaking the Rules, that contains a lot of her own experience of being an overachiever (listen to the poem that is read by Sue at the beginning!)
How identity can be attached to achieving and where it starts.
Why we focus so much on proving ourselves.
How our dependence on achievement can be tied to our need for love and belonging.
What can happen in our brain, when we try to slow down from our fast pace life.
Rules may also be known as limiting beliefs or stories.
Why are we so focused on being liked?
What are some examples of rules that people may not realize are rules that they are following?
Information on Heather:  
HeatherWhelpley.com
Heather Whelpley on LinkedIn (in/heatherwhelpley)
The Book that Heather Recommends:
The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast! 

149. The Power of Deliberate Creative Teams (with Dr. Amy Climer)

149. The Power of Deliberate Creative Teams (with Dr. Amy Climer)
Dr. Amy Climer is a thought leader in innovation, team development, and experiential learning. She teaches research-based practices, tools, and techniques to forward-thinking organizations such as the Mayo Clinic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the University of Wisconsin. Amy holds a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. Her research led to the Her TEDx talk The Power of Deliberate Creative Teams explains her research and philosophies on innovation and her book Deliberate Creative Teams: How to Lead for Innovative Results will be out February 26, 2025. Amy is the host of The Deliberate Creative™ Podcast. She is the designer of Climer Cards, a creativity and teambuilding tool used by thousands to deepen conversations and generate ideas.
In this episode:
Amy shares about her work and what led her to write her book, Deliberate Creative Teams.
What her definition of creativity is and why many people don’t believe that they are creative.
Her experience of the innovation and creativity at Mayo Clinic and how that is leveraged to a difference for patients.
What her Deliberate Creative Team Scale is and what it measures for a team’s creativity.
The importance of having a purpose as a team and some examples of where that can be a struggle for a leader and a team to identify.
Different ways that leaders can ensure that everyone on the team has a voice in the room.
Cooperation vs Collaboration – what is the difference and why are they so often interchanged?
Being creative as a team won’t happen on its own, it has to be deliberate.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
Information on Amy:  
ClimerConsulting.com
ClimerCards.com
Amy Climer on Facebook (@climerconsulting)
Amy Climer on LinkedIn (in/amyclimer)
Amy Climer on Instagram (@amyclimer)
Amy Climer on Twitter/X (@amyclimer)
The Book that Amy Recommends:
Navigating Shit Storms by Liz Long
Thank you for listening to The Visibility Factor Podcast
Check out my website to order my book and view the videos/resources for The Visibility Factor book.
As always, I encourage you to reach out! You can email me at hello@susanmbarber.com.
You can also find me on social media everywhere – Facebook, LinkedIn, and of course on The Visibility Factor Podcast! I look forward to connecting with you!
If you liked The Visibility Factor, I would be so grateful if you could subscribe and rate it where you listen to podcasts! It helps the podcast get in front of more people who can learn how to be visible too!
Thank you to the team at Sheep Jam Productions for the amazing support of The Visibility Factor Podcast!