Mitch Frazier is the president of IBJ Media, the parent company of the Indianapolis Business Journal, Inside Indiana Business, the Indiana Lawyer, and the IBJ Podcast Network. His path there runs through the U.S. Army in Iraq, a marketing role at Exact Target through its acquisition by Salesforce, and CEO roles at Reynolds Farm Equipment and Agribusiness nonprofit AgriNovus, before reconnecting with a twenty-year colleague to join IBJ Media a little over a year ago.

In this conversation, Mitch and Katherine dig into what it actually takes to lead through communication. Mitch shares the origin of his "Friday note" habit, a weekly practice he picked up from a general he worked under and has carried into every organization he's led since, and why the discipline behind it matters as much as the note itself. They talk about the difference between informing and communicating, why leaders don't need all the answers so much as the ability to ask good questions, and how humility and consistency build the kind of trust that lets a team move fast without losing each other.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Mitch Frazier on LinkedIn

Learn more about IBJ Media

Connect with Katherine Coble on LinkedIn

Learn more about Borshoff

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Mitch's "Friday note" habit, borrowed from a general he served under, became a weekly discipline he's used to keep distributed teams connected at every company he's led.
• Communication isn't just informing people, it's creating a two-way channel where people feel safe to reply, ask questions, and push back.
• Leaders don't need all the answers. They need the discipline to ask good questions and listen to the people closest to the problem.
• Katherine's one-on-ones with every employee, done twice a year, surface nuances she'd never catch from the top of the org chart.
• Trust gets built through clarity and humility together: being honest about what didn't work, and being clear about where the team is headed next.

Speaking to your team is never just about delivering information. It's an opportunity to build trust, create clarity, and move people forward.

Katherine breaks down how leaders can become more confident, compelling communicators without relying on theatrics or trying to become someone they're not. From knowing your purpose and understanding your audience to simplifying complex ideas, eliminating filler words, and creating genuine emotional connection, Katherine shares practical ways to make every presentation more impactful.

Because when employees hear from a leader, they're listening for more than competence. They're asking whether they can trust you. Lead with warmth, communicate with intention, and your words can inspire

Additional Resources:

Listen to Amy Cuddy's TED Talk

Connect with Katherine Coble on LinkedIn

Learn more about Borshoff

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Start every presentation by getting clear on your purpose.
• Know your audience before deciding how to communicate.
• Simplify complex ideas instead of overwhelming employees with details.
• Use stories and vulnerability to create emotional connection.
• Lead with warmth first, then demonstrate your competence.

Have you ever explained something to your team that seemed perfectly clear to you, only to realize they didn't understand it at all? Katherine breaks down the "context gap," the space between what a leader knows and what their team has had time to absorb. Drawing on a recent conversation with change management expert Rebecca Ellis and the behavioral science concept known as the curse of knowledge, Katherine explains why the longer you've sat with a decision, the more obvious its logic feels to you, even though your team is often hearing it for the first time. She shares three habits for closing that gap: checking your head start, explaining the "because" behind a decision, and testing your message from the outside. She also walks through a simple three question framework, the context check, that leaders can run before any important communication.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Katherine Coble on LinkedIn

Learn more about Borshoff

Listen to the episode: Rethinking Redesign: Clarity Through Communication

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• The context gap is the space between what a leader knows and what their team has had time to absorb.
• The longer you've worked on an issue, the more obvious its logic feels to you, even though your team hasn't had that time.
• Check your head start: go back to what you needed to understand on day one, not what you know now.
• Explain the "because," not just the "what," so people can see how you got from problem to decision.
• Run the context check before any important message: what do I know, what do they need, what matters now.