by cstrauss | Dec 20, 2025 | Business
I just spent the weekend at the CSP Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, surrounded by 150 Certified Speaking Professionals, some of the best speakers in the world…. And I couldn’t speak. Not a whisper. Not a croak. Nothing. I arrived with a perfectly normal voice the night before the Summit. Woke up the first morning with acute laryngitis, and by breakfast had officially been rebranded as a Certified Silent Professional. Which, as you can imagine, is not a designation the National Speakers Association currently offers. Yet.
For a group of people whose professional identity revolves around ideas, delivery, nuance, timing, and the ability to land a point with precision, being silent turns out to be a fascinating social experiment. (And for my colleagues who know me well… especially for me!) For the entire time I had fully formed responses running through my head, insightful, well-timed, hilarious (IMHO) with absolutely no way to express them. It was like participating in an important Zoom meeting in my head with my mic on mute. I nodded. I smiled. I gestured. I typed notes into my laptop and according to some of my group members, communicated like a less intelligent Stephen Hawking. At one point, I seriously considered making cue cards using my television background resources.
During lunch on day 2, I sat next to a speaker I’d never met before. He didn’t know me, my work, or my background. And he talked. He talked about his business. What was working. What wasn’t. What he was wrestling with. And I listened. Fully. Intentionally. Without interruption, not by choice, but by medical necessity. When the conversation wound down, he paused, looked at me, and said: “I just love you.” Which was a surprise, especially since I didn’t say a word.
My dad used to say, “Keep your mouth shut and smile and people will wonder what you’re up to.” This weekend, I realized he wasn’t being funny. He was being strategic. I went to the CSP Summit expecting ideas, connection, and professional elevation. I didn’t expect laryngitis to be the teacher. But it reminded me that communication isn’t just about speaking, it’s about impact. And impact doesn’t always require sound. That said, I am very much looking forward to getting my voice back. Because at least for me, the world is slightly more entertaining when I can talk.
by cstrauss | Feb 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
With the big game on Sunday, fans and observers are focused on what the Quarterbacks will do, what the Kelce brothers dynamic may be (this to me is so exciting), how the teams will play, and who wins.
With that in mind, how is your team faring this season?
In football, a coach would never ask the Quarterback to play Fullback, or ask the Kicker to play Tight end. But sometimes in our companies, our team members have to step in and play roles that they may not be best suited for.
In business, that’s ok, and often necessary as physical injury is not generally a risk in business. Also, which is currently the case with many businesses, our team may not be fully staffed. That said, are you asking your team members to spend a majority of their time in positions that are best suited to their skills and natural abilities? And can you know when you are asking your team members to play outside of the zone of genius?
If you have not yet experienced the Working Genius assessment (from Patrick Lencioni and the Table Group), it is the simplest, cleanest and most applicable tool I’ve found to let you and your team members know which positions are most suited to their natural gifts and abilities, and where they can best help your team to win as you move through 2023.
I hope you enjoy the game this Sunday, (if football is your interest), and I invite you to watch the game through the lens of, what is our business goal? What does it look like for us as a company to win? Is my team set up to be optimized? And does every player on our team know what their role is in our success?
Also, I’d love to hear what snacks you’ll be having most of this Sunday…. sweet or salty?? Me… sweet all the way! Enjoy your Super weekend!
by cstrauss | Jun 7, 2022 | Business
Would your company benefit from a 4 day work week? In the UK, as they deal with massive labor shortages, they are spending the next 6 months experimenting with giving workers and companies the 4 day work week experience. If you are thinking of trying this (several of the companies I work with have this policy currently successfully in place), here are 3 things to watch for.
1. Be clear what a productive week looks like to each employee and department. Have metrics in place to ensure productivity stays at the level needed.
2. Let your team know that as a company/ CEO you care about them and are doing this to provide them with the quality of work/ life balance they crave.
3. To create company loyalty and bonding… every once in a while partner with a local charity on that extra day, and give your team members the opportunity to volunteer to support your community as a group.
